Plays that defined 2020: Week 8—New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

What if someone told you they had the audacity to miss a Buffalo Bills game? What if you could show them one play, and one play only, to recap the whole thing? What play would you choose? Welcome to Plays that defined 2020...

Week 8: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

With Tom Brady gone from the Patriots and New England with only two wins to their name, it was widely expected that the Buffalo Bills would continue pulling away from the AFC East pack in this division contest. It very nearly didn’t happen, with some last-minute (literally) theatrics securing the win for Buffalo. While the margin of victory was small, it was still a very large monkey off the back of the Bills.

Damien Harris short run (Q1, 2:50)

On a day that didn’t see the best weather Western New York has to offer, both teams turned to the running game. Shocking stat: Cam Newton threw the ball seven more times than Josh Allen and the pass-happy Bills. A tense first half saw low scoring and plenty of defense. In the second half things opened up for both teams. Damien Harris, stopped after a short gain here, had a 22-yard touchdown in the third quarter and four runs totaling 39 yards to set up a Cam Newton rushing touchdown in the fourth.

Devin Singletary long run (Q3, 13:44)

On the Buffalo side of the ledger Devin Singletary carried the ball 14 times for 86 yards or 6.14 yards per carry. The Bills’ ground game carried the team in Week 8. Allen’s 18 passing attempts was not only his lowest total of the season, it was quite a bit behind the second-place contest (vs. Chargers, 24 attempts).

Zack Moss TD (Q3, 12:09)

Singletary’s volume numbers aren’t impressive, but add in 81 yards on 14 carries from Zack Moss and suddenly it becomes clear how much Buffalo ran the ball (5.8 yards per carry). Moss was also the fantasy darling of the game with two touchdowns.

Justin Zimmer forced fumble (Q4, 0:37)

Is there any explanation needed for this play?

Josh Allen takes a knee (Q4, 0:26)

I admit kneel downs are questionable for a play to define a game. There’s not much story other than “X team had the ball at the end and was able to run out the clock.” On the other hand, when you have a total team effort to take down the thorn that’s been in your side for roughly two decades, a kneel down becomes something quite a bit more. You could argue it was a passing of the torch. You could also argue it was a hostile takeover of the torch.

It’s time to vote for the play that defined the game. Remember, it’s the play that best tells the overall story of this contest, not necessarily a favorite play or best highlight.

Note: To vote in the poll, you’ll need to go to a web browser if you’re reading this on your mobile device news service.