The Buffalo Bills have scored 17 points in the first half against the New England Patriots. New England has 10 themselves, and a further 14 thanks to some of the worst refereeing anyone that has seen this game has ever witnessed.
New England jumped out to a quick 17-3 lead early in the second quarter, and despite Buffalo's offense kicking into high gear in that time frame have a 24-17 halftime lead thanks in large part to the fact that the Bills have been penalized 10 times for 119 yards in the first half.
Buffalo clearly doesn't have clean hands on all of those penalties, but when the Patriots are afforded 69 penalty yards on an 81-yard touchdown drive - with 54 of those penalty yards a complete farce - something is amiss. Regardless of the degree to which you believe the referees have sucked in Foxborough, there's no question that the Bills need to tighten up their execution on both sides of the ball.
The offense, however, has played very well against a poor Patriots defense to keep the Bills alive. Ryan Fitzpatrick overcame a first-quarter lost fumble to complete 13-of-17 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. Scott Chandler is having his second excellent game against New England this season, as he's already hauled in four passes for 53 yards and that score. Fred Jackson added a 14-yard touchdown run; he and C.J. Spiller have combined for 77 rushing yards on 13 carries thus far.
New England, however, begins the second half with the football. If Buffalo can't get an early stop in the third quarter, the Bills may be forced to chase a two-score deficit for the rest of the afternoon, regardless of how well the offense plays.
This is your open thread for the second half. Let's go Buffalo!