Patriots Gold Stars, Penalty Flags: Collins Shines In Loss To Bills
BOSTON (CBS) -- We're on to the postseason, but let's take one last look back at the Patriots' final game of the 2014 regular season.
Here are your gold stars and penalty flags from New England's 17-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills:
Gold Stars
- The Patriots inactive list. When the list of players who weren't playing came out, I think everybody let out a big sigh of relief. There was no Gronk, no Edelman and no Hightower in Sunday's game. The Pats have been burned in the past with players getting hurt right before the playoffs, so having these guys sit was the right thing to do. The team had already secured home field throughout the playoffs, and they needed to head into the postseason completely healthy. Holding those guys out and having others play only half the game was the right move.
- Jamie Collins gets a gold star. The second-year linebacker may be the Pats second best player on defense behind Darrelle Revis. He recorded a lovely trifecta on Sunday, recording a sack, fumble and fumble recovery -- all on the same play. Collins was solid throughout the season and the Pats benefited from his incredible growth from year one to year two.
- Brian Tyms gets gold star. The receiver is getting better and that's all you can ask for from a young player who doesn't see a lot of playing time. He still needs to recognize where he is on the field at times, but overall he's showing improvement whenever he sees the field.
Penalty Flags
- Jimmy Garoppolo gets a small penalty flag. I don't know what I was expecting from the rookie QB, because I knew he would be rusty and look like a rookie. He didn't get to many of his second reads and found himself on the run most of the game. But the bright spot is the kid has got a cannon and that was on display. He still has a long way to go though.
- The Pats offense as a whole gets a penalty flag. Once again, the Patriots offense got off to a slow start. This has been a trend for the last couple of games now. They have to get back to starting fast and playing from ahead. When this team has the lead they are really tough to come back on because their defense is that good. The offense just has to leave the gate quicker.
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