Plays that defined 2020: Week 16—Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

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 16: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

The regular season was nearing its end and the Buffalo Bills were closing with a pair of division games. First up was the New England Patriots, who the Bills had gone to the wire against earlier in the year. With New England’s first losing season in a long time on the line AND underneath the Monday Night Football lights, surely this game would be at least competitive, right?

Narrator: It was not.

Jaquan Johnson pass to Siran Neal (Q1, 3:55)

With the game tied at three and a mere 48:55 left to play, the Bills were desperate to pull ahead of their hated foe. Facing a 4th-and-5, Buffalo couldn’t risk giving the ball back and letting New England close out the game. Just kidding, the Bills went for it when it was completely unnecessary, which is of course even more awesome.

Stefon Diggs touchdown (Q2, 4:05)

A little jawing from New England early in the game apparently didn’t sit well with Stefon Diggs. While this game could also be a Josh Allen highlight reel, it’s fitting to highlight Diggs who scored three touchdowns on 11 targets, and contributed 145 yards of Allen’s total of 320. This was Diggs’s first of the day.

Dean Marlowe sack (Q2, 1:23)

In addition to the Diggs touchdown above, the first-half Bills had touchdowns from Zack Moss and Lee Smith. Already down by 15, the Patriots tried to put some points on the board before the half ended. The Buffalo defense wasn’t having it. This sack from Dean Marlowe put New England back too far to recover from and the Patriots punted. How bad was the first half? Cam Newton had 34 passing yards to his name. It seems shocking that New England scored nine points.

Matt Milano sack (Q4, 12:51)

Newton only got one series in the second half, throwing zero passes after the break. While technically Jarret Stidham’s 44 yards was an improvement over Newton’s first half, it was far from a resounding success. The zero points added is also an argument that Newton still had a better day. Matt Milano’s sack was a fun welcome to the Bills/Patriots rivalry and is emblematic of how Stidham’s day went.

Matt Barkley ten-yard pass to Andre Roberts (Q4, 11:19)

When your backup quarterback plays nearly a full quarter against a rival, that’s a good day. Matt Barkley threw only three times, with this one to Andre Roberts being the most successful one. I’m happy for both of them, but when you can milk the clock and still bury the Patriots that’s the only measure of success you need. Heck with need though, let’s pile on anyway. Fun fact: The Bills had 39:41 time of possession. That’s preposterously skewed. One more. Remember I noted above that Allen threw for 320 yards. There were over 13 minutes on the clock when he was pulled.

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.

Thanks for voting, now for a bonus GIF!