... in his six games against the Bills since head coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017, Brady threw four touchdowns and five picks. Meaning the Patriots’ passing woes run deeper than quarterback and even predate their last Super Bowl run. Now slumping as they head into the playoffs, can the Pats solve those problems Saturday to extend their season?
That probably depends on the definition of “solve.”
“They make you drive the ball, convert first downs, get into the low red zone, and then they try to keep you out when you get inside the 5. So it’s a big challenge,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Tuesday. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for this staff and this group of players. It’s always a huge burden to try to figure out how we can get that done.”
Asked about Buffalo’s history of handcuffing his passing game, McDaniels cited two reasons: disguise and discipline. Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are interchangeable, Pro Bowl-caliber pieces who routinely keep their intentions hidden until after the snap. They might blitz, rotate late into a zone coverage or cover man-to-man, and they’re seldom out of position.
That poses a fundamental problem for the Patriots, whose passing attack relies heavily on option routes to function at its highest level. Pats quarterback and receivers must both diagnose the defense, occasionally reading up to three to four coverage indicators correctly on a given play. Those reads then determine how the Patriots’ routes will declare downfield.
Failing to identify coverage pre-snap — or worse, misreading it — puts added stress on an already complicated and delicate post-snap operation.
“This game is going to be about executing what you have to execute in front of you, not anticipating,” said Pats wide receiver Nelson Agholor.
Usually, these option routes serve as an advantage for the Patriots. They embody two ideas fundamental to any good offense: taking what the defense gives you and understanding every coverage has a weak point. If the Pats can identify that soft spot, theoretically they should exploit it.
That is, except against the Bills, who have held them to 20 offensive points per game since 2016.
“It’s a huge challenge to diagnose what they’re doing defensively,” McDaniels said. “They have two really, really good safeties. They’re very smart. … They’re in sync always with the rest of the unit. They hide their intentions, and they’re very disciplined. Whenever somebody is supposed to defend the deep part of the field, that’s what they’re doing.” ...
