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Winners and losers from Patriots’ sloppy loss to the Bills in Week 16

isaiah houde
·3 min read
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Untimely penalties, turnovers and a lack of energy once again hurt the New England Patriots — resulting in back-to-back losses.

With the 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, the Patriots lose possession of the AFC East and continue to fall in the conference. Mac Jones’ last three games have been extremely underwhelming and it feels as if the Patriots are losing all the steam they carried during their seven-game win streak.

Damien Harris, who finished the game with three touchdowns, was the only bright spot for the team. The Patriots have many different areas to improve on this year and being able to play from behind may be the most important one.

Here’s the winners and losers from the game.

WINNER: RB Damien Harris

As aforementioned, Harris was the only bright spot in the loss.

He missed last week with a hamstring injury and he came healthy and prepared against the Bills. Harris finished the day running 18 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns. He was explosive, determined and his grit kept the Patriots alive until the end of the fourth quarter.

LOSER: QB Mac Jones

Jones is trending downward, quickly.

The No. 15 pick was riding a tremendous wave during the Patriots’ seven-game winning streak. Everything was going right in all three phases of the game and Jones was benefitting from it all.

Bill Belichick didn’t trust Jones to throw the ball more than three times in the Week 13 win against the Bills. Last week against the Indianapolis Colts, Jones had two interceptions halfway through the game and he couldn’t lead the Patriots back from those mistakes.

In the Week 16 loss to the Bills, he threw 14 of 32 for 145 yards and two interceptions. Buffalo rattled Jones from the very first drive and he continues to prove that he can’t lead his team from behind at this point of his career.

LOSER: CB Myles Bryant

The Patriots desperately miss Jonathan Jones as their slot corner.

Myles Bryant, who has made significant strides over the past few weeks, had a forgettable day while defending Isaiah McKenzie. The Bills slot receiver only had six receptions entering the day and he finished the game with 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Belichick deflected and didn’t put blame on Bryant, but he couldn’t do anything with McKenzie .

WINNER: WR Jakobi Meyers

Without Jakobi Meyers, Harris likely wouldn’t have had the game he did.

Kendrick Bourne was nearly irrelevant and N’Keal Harry, who we’ll discuss next, continues to disappoint. Whenever a big catch was need, Meyers was likely receiving it or at least targeted.

He finished the day catching six balls for 59 yards.

LOSER: WR N'Keal Harry

Nelson Agholor wasn’t active, Bourne was a last-minute decision due to COVID protocols and Harry was set for surplus opportunities.

With those opportunities, Harry finished with two catches for 15 yards on six targets. He had a blatant drop on a crucial first half drive and it’s safe to say that the former first-rounder won’t be in New England much longer.

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