Ups and Downs: Patriots' offense lets down the defense -- again

BOSTON -- Had the Patriots' offense not turned the ball over four times in the first half on Sunday, New England likely would have left Buffalo with its second upset win over the Bills this season. But the Patriots' offense did turn the ball over four times in the first half, and it's hard for any team to win a game like that.

The Bills scored 20 points off those four first-half turnovers by the New England offense, and escaped with a 27-21 win over the Patriots in Week 17. That the game wasn't a blowout is a testament of how good the New England defense is, and how close the Patriots could be to relevancy if they had any semblance of an NFL offense.

"It was more about us than it was about them. … That first half, you can't do that," captain David Andrews said after the loss. "The best team in the world -- it's hard to win when you turn the ball over four times."

Let's get right into the Ups and the Downs from Sunday's loss in Orchard Park.

Downs

All Those Patriots Turnovers

The Patriots turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions, and Zappe threw three interceptions in the first half. Two of his first three pass attempts were picked off by Buffalo, and Rasul Douglas got him for a pick-six in the second quarter. 

At one point late in the first quarter, the Patriots had as many turnovers as they did yards gained. All four of their turnovers led to Buffalo points, with the Bills scoring 20 of their 27 points off those miscues.

The Patriots are now up to 19 interceptions and 26 giveaways for the season. Their minus-10 turnover differential is tied for the worst in the NFL. 

Zappe Overall

Zappe may have a nice career as a backup. But he is not an NFL starter.

Zappe's first pick on Sunday came off a late throw over the middle to Mike Gesicki. His second was a great play by Douglas, who jumped DeVante Parker's route. The third pick was the worst, as Zappe and Jalen Reagor weren't on the same page on a deep throw, and Douglas made an incredible play to snag Zappe's short throw and return it 40 yards for a pick-six.

Zappe finished his day 16-for-26 for 209 yards, and he ran for 37 yards and a touchdown on his five carries. But those three interceptions were absolute killers, and he finished his day with a 47.3 passer rating.

He also took the podium in Buffalo with a noticeable limp after getting hit hard a few times during the game.

Another Chad Ryland Miss

The rookie kicker was wide left on a 47-yard attempt before halftime that would have cut Buffalo's lead to 20-17. It was his ninth miss of the season, which leads the NFL.

Ryland would have had a 10th miss, but his 53-yard miss in the third quarter didn't count because the Pats were flagged for a Delay of Game. They opted to punt the ball away after that penalty.

The Trent Brown Saga

The Patriots didn't have their starting left tackle, as Trent Brown was a healthy scratch on Sunday. He missed practice time with an illness, but was taken off the injury report on Friday, so it seems like he should have played.

But Brown didn't have a locker in Buffalo, indicating that he did not travel with the team.

"We activated the players who wanted to play," Belichick said when asked about Brown following the loss.

Brown has had an up-and-down season, but it looks like the Pats had enough of him ahead of Sunday's game. Making him inactive ensures that the former Pro Bowler will not hit the playing time incentives in his re-worked contract, and likely signals the end of Brown's time in New England. 

The Bills sent some heavy pressure Zappe's way all afternoon on Sunday, sacking him three times while totaling eight QB hits.

Ups

The Defense -- Again

The New England defense continues to keep this team in games that they have no business being in. The unit limited the damage on two of the four turnovers (there wasn't much they could do about that pick-six), holding the Bills to one touchdown and two field goals despite Buffalo taking over deep in Patriots' territory. 

They also kept Allen in check, with the Bills quarterback completing just 15 of his 30 passes for 169 yards and an interception. 

The Pats only had one sack, but the team's pass rush had Allen running for his well-being for much of the game on Sunday. The Patriots sent a bevvy of blitzers his way from all over the field, with Deatrich Wise, Mack Wilson, rookie Keion White, and Christian Barmore all making life rough on the Buffalo QB.

Though the team sits with just four wins, Bill Belichick continues to get an incredible effort out of his defense each and every week.

Jalen Reagor's Kickoff Return

It's hard to get off to a better start than retuning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Jalen Reagor did just that, bringing the opening kick back 98 yards to the house for New England's first kickoff return touchdown since 2018.

Reagor has brought a spark to the return game as of late, and he also had a 39-yard reception on New England's fourth-quarter touchdown drive on Sunday.   

Alex Austin's First Career INT

The former Bills draft pick recorded his first career interception on a great read on a deep -- and bad -- pass by Allen downfield. And it was a beauty of a pick by the rookie against the team that initially drafted him:

Kevin Harris' Big Play

The second-year running back had a huge play in the second quarter with a 48-yard catch-and-run that got the Patriots down to the Buffalo 17-yard line. It was the second-longest play by the New England offense this season and set up Zappe's 17-yard touchdown run, which cut the Buffalo lead to 20-14.

The Draft Pick

Sunday's loss by the Patriots and a surprise win by the Cardinals over the Eagles has New England back in the running for a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That will, however, lead to many popsicle headaches in Week 18 as everyone tries to get a grasp of the "Strength of Schedule" battle between the Patriots and the Commanders.