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Bills Beat Patriots 17-9 In Season Finale
First win in Gillette small consolation for missing the playoffs.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
Kyle Orton led the Bills on two 80 yard touchdown drives in the first half to lead Buffalo to a 17-9 win over the Patriots. It was the first ever win in 13 games at Gillette Stadium for the Bills. The Patriots didn't have much to play for and rested several banged up starters and played mostly backups in the second half. Boobie Dixon had a one yard touchdown run after Orton hit Robert Woods for a 6 yard scoring pass. Dan Carpenter added a 48 yard field goal giving him a club record 34 on the season. The Bills defense was strong again allowing just three Stephen Gostkowski field goals. The win gives the Bills a winning record for the first time since 2004 as they finished 9-7.
The Turning Point:
4th Down Stop: The Patriots were driving early in the third quarter down by 11 looking to pull within a touchdown when they went for it on 4th and 1 from the Bills 13. Garoppolo tried to run wide and Ron Brooks pushed him out of bounds for a one yard loss ending the threat.
The Big Drive:
The Bills 2nd TD Drive: They went 80 yards on both their first half touchdowns, the 2nd one was a 13 play drive and took 7:24 off the clock. The Bills ran the ball well on the drive as they ran it nine times for 36 yards including the one yard plunge for the score by Dixon. Robert Woods had a 20 yard reception on the drive.
Stat I Did Like:
TDs Given Up: None. They gave up no passing TDs in 10 quarters against Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady in December and they still didn't make the playoffs.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Rushing Yards Average: 3.2. They had 104 yards on 33 carries. They finished the season with the least amount of rushing yards in team history and no 100 yard rushers on the season.
Quick Slants:
- The Patriots treated the game like a glorified exhibition affair as they rested Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman among other veteran players nursing injuries. Brady only played the first half and went 8 of 16 for 80 yards no scores and no interceptions. The Bills led 17-6 at the half.
- Doug Marrone took a different approach playing it like any other and playing to win as two draft picks that desperately need to be evaluated, Cyrus Kouandjio and Randell Johnson sat out. Other veteran players that could have benefited from playing time are Marquise Goodwin and EJ Manuel. Goodwin was inactive and Manuel did not play.
- For a while it looked like last week's loss in Oakland would cost the Bills a playoff spot but the Ravens came from behind to beat the Browns to grab that final playoff spot regardless if the Bills had won last week.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RB Fred Jackson vs. LB Jamie Collins: Winner: Collins. Jackson didn't do much damage on the ground and Collins had a sack, forced fumble, and recovery.
RT Seantrel Henderson vs. DE Rob Ninkovich: Winner: Henderson. He did a solid job in pass protection.
DE Mario Williams vs. RT Sebastian Vollmer: Winner: Williams. Vollmer did not play and Williams got a sack giving him a new career high for a season.
S Aaron Williams vs. TE Rob Gronkowski: Winner: Williams. Gronkowski also did not play but no tight ends did any real damage for New England.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Don't Run For The Bus: Success! They came out focused and had their most efficient offensive effort in a long time in the first half.
2. No Giveaways: Success! They gave it away once but it only cost them a field goal.
3. Pressure QB: Success! They got some pressure against Brady and even more against Garoppolo.
My Take:
As we wrap up another NFL season all too soon we are disappointed that the Bills once again are not invited to the post season party. There is plenty to feel good about besides their first win at Gillette Stadium in a meaningless game. Many thought this team would not win more than five or six games but they were never below .500 on the season and finished above it for the first time in a decade. That is progress in my book as there is much to look forward to in the 2015 season and much work to be done in the offseason. Rest assured, Bills Daily will be on top of the news all offseason long.
What's Ahead:
Another likely eventful offseason as it will be the first one with the Pegulas in charge. We should know fairly quickly if front office changes will occur and the search for another quarterback should begin in earnest as well.
Gameballs
Kyle Orton - He was solid in the first half in getting the Bills out to a good early lead.
Jairus Wynn - He has a bright future and the team needs to re-sign him. He came back from an injury and had 1½ sacks.
Goats
Ron Brooks - He was picked on early and often and was beaten several times in the passing game and had one boneheaded penalty.
Player Of The Week
Kyle Orton - Not good enough a game to have him start again next year.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Patriots Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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