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Buffalo Bills 7, New England Patriots 11: Second-half open thread

A wacky game with windy weather

The Buffalo Bills narrowly trail the New England Patriots, 11-7, at halftime of their Monday Night Football showdown. It’s been a blustery night, with the Patriots attempting all of one pass in the first half. Both teams have had fumbles, turnovers, and weird play choices on a night where the weather changes the typical game plan. The Patriots, having the most success in a quarter where they went against the wind, were able to build their lead.

The Buffalo Bills’ defense has almost played exactly up to standards in this game, facing a one-dimensional offense, but they have a major faux pas on their ledger—a 64-yard breakaway run by Damien Harris. The running back had a nice cutback, catching Micah Hyde flatfooted, and gave the Patriots their early lead. A few other runs have broken beyond ten yards, but the damage has mostly been contained up until now.

Meanwhile, the Bills’ offense hasn’t lit the world on fire with their opportunities. They missed one scoring opportunity when Matt Breida completely botched a handoff near the red zone, fumbled it, and gave the ball away. Buffalo also had two drives ended when Dawson Knox dropped passes on third down. The Bills managed to capitalize on a muffed punt to throw a touchdown to Gabriel Davis, but that’s it for their scoring record in this one.

The Bills will receive the opening kickoff of the second half. Down four points in a low-scoring affair, it’s anyone’s game. A win would be huge for Buffalo’s playoff chances (and for knocking Bill Belichick down a peg). Here’s your discussion thread for the second half. Go Bills!