Tuesday 24 November 2015

Patriots-Bills Live: New England’s Defense Holds Up Late In 20-13 Win Read more at: http://nesn.com/2015/11/patriots-bills-live-wide-receiver-corps-shallow-heading-into-monday-night-matchup/



Final, Patriots 20, Bills 13: Tyrod Taylor tried to lead a final Bills drive, but Rob Ninkovich’s sack and forced fumble with 20 seconds remaining sealed the win for New England. Fourth quarter, 1:51, Patriots 20-13: LeGarrette Blount failed to convert on third-and-3 at the Patriots’ 33-yard line, forcing New England to punt. Buffalo’s offense will get one more shot from its own 16 with 1:51 remaining. Fourth quarter, 3:30, Patriots 20-13: Buffalo made it a one-score game with the help of a Sammy Watkins circus catch and a 42-yard reception by Chris Hogan.

Dan Carpenter nailed a 33-yard field goal after the Patriots got a crucial third-down stop in their own red zone. Fourth quarter, 7:35, Patriots 20-10: A holding penalty killed the Patriots’ drive, and they were forced to punt after a three-and-out. The Bills have the ball on their own 25-yard line and must score on this drive to put themselves within striking distance. Fourth quarter, 10:04, Patriots 20-10: The Patriots got a huge stop on third down to prevent the Bills from making this a one-score game. New England has the ball on its own 7-yard line with a chance to ice the game with a string of first downs. Fourth quarter, 13:22, Patriots 20-10: The Bills aren’t done yet. Brady threw a deep pass intended for wide receiver Chris Harper, but the ball bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore at Buffalo’s 4-yard line. Fourth quarter, 14:17, Patriots 20-10: The Patriots’ defense stepped up again with another three-and-out. The Patriots’ offense needs to clinch this game with a dagger touchdown. Third quarter, 0:47, Patriots 20-10: The Patriots had to settle for a field goal as their offense has had trouble getting started all game. They now lead by two scores late in the third quarter. Third quarter, 2:37, Patriots 17-10: The Patriots went three-and-out, then special-teamer Brandon King made a helluva play, forcing a fumble on the punt return. Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny scooped up the ball and fumbled, and the ball careened out of bounds. Since Freeny fumbled forward, the ball was placed at the spot of his fumble. The Patriots have the ball on their 30-yard line. Big play by King. Third quarter, 4:40, Patriots 17-10: The Patriots made a quick stop, forcing a three-and-out. The Patriots’ offense now has the ball on its 34-yard line. Third quarter, 5:55, Patriots 17-10: The Patriots now lead, thanks to key plays by James White and Danny Amendola. Amendola picked up 41 yards as the Patriots faced third-and-7, then the Patriots pulled out a quick run, and White scored the first rushing touchdown of his career. Third quarter, 7:59, 10-10: Three-and-out for the Patriots, three-and-out for the Bills. Malcolm Butler denied Sammy Watkins on a deep target from Tyrod Taylor. Butler has covered Watkins for most of the game, and the Bills receiver has been held catchless. Third quarter, 9:30, 10-10: The momentum in this game has seriously swung. The Patriots just went three-and-out again, and the Bills have the ball on their 37-yard line. Third quarter, 10:29, 10-10: LeSean McCoy didn’t score a touchdown, then the refs conferred, and then he did score a touchdown. The refs reviewed the play, and the play stood as a touchdown. So, a game that easily could have been 17-3 now is tied at 10. Third quarter, 12:39, Patriots 10-3: So, this officiating crew will be hearing from the NFL. There was an inadvertent whistle before a catch by Danny Amendola. The Patriots receiver looked like he could’ve had a big gain, or even a touchdown, but the call on the field was that the play was ruled dead after the catch.

The refs said the whistle happened after the catch, which isn’t true. The Bills then were called for a personal foul on the sideline, moving the ball up the field 15 yards. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski pushed a 54-yard field-goal attempt wide — his first miss of the season. So the Patriots come out of the drive without any points. End of the first half, Patriots 10-3: The Bills kneeled on the ball to end the half. The Patriots will receive the kickoff to start the third quarter. Rex Ryan is not pleased about letting up the last-minute TD to James White.

Brady was 12-of-22 passing for 160 yards with one score in the first half. He threw away seven of those 10 incompletions. White leads the Patriots’ running backs with one carry for 8 yards. LaFell has 51 yards on two catches. Amendola has five catches for 47 yards. Second quarter, 0:13, Patriots 10-3: Just when it looked like the Patriots’ consecutive quarters scoring streak would come to an end, they drove down the field in 33 seconds. Brady capped it off with a touchdown pass to third-down back James White, who shed a tackle as he ran into the end zone. Second quarter, 0:46, 3-3: Bills kicker Dan Carpenter hit the left upright on a 48-yard field-goal attempt, and we’re still tied. Patriots safety Devin McCourty made a touchdown-saving play on third down with a pass breakup on a deep throw to LeSean McCoy. McCoy had beaten Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny badly down the sideline. Second quarter, 3:41, 3-3: We’re still tied, and the Patriots now are even more shallow at wide receiver. Aaron Dobson appeared to suffer a left foot injury on a nice 17-yard catch. Brady was sacked on third down, forcing a punt. Second quarter, 6:28, 3-3: The Bills matched the Patriots’ three-and-out with their own. Linebacker Jerod Mayo made a key 2-yard stop on the first play of the drive. Tyrod Taylor has yet to complete a pass against Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan. Second quarter, 8:07, 3-3: The Patriots’ offense is having a tough time moving the ball early. New England gained just 8 yards and went three-and-out before punting. Second quarter, 9:27, 3-3: The Bills drove down the field again and couldn’t close. Patrick Chung forced the Bills to settle for a field goal with a pass breakup on third down. The Patriots are having a tough time stopping running back LeSean McCoy so far. He has eight carries for 30 yards. First quarter, 0:03, Patriots 3-0: The Bills’ pass rush is overwhelming the Patriots’ offensive line so far. Brady has no time to pass. Vollmer replaced Fleming at right tackle on that previous drive. First quarter, 2:14, Patriots 3-0: The Bills were moving the ball well, then an illegal formation penalty pushed them back 5 yards, and they couldn’t recover. The Patriots have the ball on their 26-yard line after the Bills were forced to punt. The Patriots are using Tavon Wilson over Rashaan Melvin or Duron Harmon as their fifth defensive back. Wilson has been playing in the slot. First quarter, 7:29, Patriots 3-0: The Patriots’ offensive line has to do a better job protecting Tom Brady. Brady was on the turf on nearly every play after being hit by a Bills defender. The Patriots finished the drive with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a 3-0 lead. Brady was 4 of 6 for 38 yards. Running back LeGarrette Blount had four carries for 7 yards. Sebastian Vollmer and Bryan Stork didn’t draw starts for the Patriots. Brandon LaFell also saw intermittent snaps at wide receiver. First quarter, 13:25: The Patriots’ defense forced a three-and-out to start the game. Jerod Mayo had a big play on second-and-1 to stop running back LeSean McCoy for a 4-yard loss. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley and safety Tavon Wilson brought pressure on third down to force an incompletion. First quarter, 15:00: The Patriots won the coin toss and chose to defer, as they usually prefer to do. The Bills will receive. Are you ready for some football? It’s a Monday night party. 7:58 p.m.: Here is the Patriots’ starting offensive line, according to warmups: LT Marcus Cannon LG Shaq Mason Center David Andrews RG Josh Kline RT Cameron Fleming It looks like Sebastian Vollmer and Bryan Stork could rotate into the line. 7:50 p.m.: Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on 98.5 The Sports Hub that safety Patrick Chung will cover Bills tight end Charles Clay tonight. 7:40 p.m.: Danny Amendola and Chris Harper are returning punts in pregame warmups. Harper, Matthew Slater, James White and Patrick Chung are back catching kickoffs. Amendola usually handles both duties during games, but the Patriots might want to protect his health with Julian Edelman out for the foreseeable future. Tom Brady just entered the field to Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement.” Now Nas’ “Hate Me Now” is playing, as usual. 7:05 p.m.: Here are the Patriots’ inactives: WR Keshawn Martin Guard Tre’ Jackson DT Sealver Siliga DE Trey Flowers LB Jamie Collins WR Julian Edelman CB Justin Coleman That means offensive tackles Marcus Cannon and Sebastian Vollmer and wide receiver Aaron Dobson are active for the Patriots. The Patriots are left with Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell, Chris Harper and Dobson at receiver. With Vollmer and Cannon back, the Patriots could rotate their offensive linemen. It will be interesting to see who starts at center between David Andrews and Bryan Stork. 6:20 p.m.: Patriots wideout Keshawn Martin was heading to the locker room on a golf cart, indicating he won’t play tonight because of his hamstring injury. That leaves just Harper and Dobson as the potential Patriots No. 3 receivers. Dobson went through a pregame workout with trainers on the Gillette Stadium game field. Martin has been inactive for four consecutive games as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury. Dobson was added to the injury report Monday and is questionable with a back ailment. 5:10 p.m. ET: The New England Patriots are just as shallow at wide receiver as they are at cornerback. The Patriots have just three healthy players at each position heading into their Monday night matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Patriots nickel cornerback Justin Coleman already has been ruled out with a hand injury, leaving just Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and Rashaan Melvin on their active roster. Patriots wideout Aaron Dobson was added to the injury report with a back ailment, joining fellow receiver Keshawn Martin on the questionable list. That leaves just Danny Amendola, Brandon LaFell and Chris Harper as the lone healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. It remains to be seen if Dobson or Martin can play. Patriots inactives are released an hour and a half before kickoff. If Dobson and Martin can’t play, Harper will have to step up in Julian Edelman’s old Z role. If Melvin falters, safety Devin McCourty might have to play cornerback.

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