If someone would’ve told you that an NFL would throw the ball 3 times for 19 yards and still win a football game on the road, you’d say there’s no way that’s going to happen.
Unless we’re talking about Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots.
The Pats emulated Army and Navy and nearly decided to run the triple-option offense to beat the Buffalo Bills in a game with inclement weather and tough wind, running the football 46 times and hanging on to a 14-10 win.
Jones Says It Was A Weird Win
Rookie QB Mac Jones served as the world’s most expensive decoy, handing off the ball to his running backs in all but 3 plays. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 19 games in what might as well be the weirdest game of his career:
“It was just a crazy game to be a part of, but we knew if we didn’t turn the ball over, we’d be good,” the rookie told the Boston Herald. “It was just a weird day, but at the end of the day, you just get more points than the other team, and it’s a great day. It doesn’t matter how many times you run it or throw it as long as we win. Everyone’s going to be happy.”
Bill Belichick Was Unfazed By The Weather
But even in a game where punts could either go 15 yards or 80 yards, Belichick wasn’t that impressed about the wind and the bad weather.
If anything, he feels like his team has played in way worse weather in Buffalo, citing the 13-0 win in the final game of the 2008 season:
“That was a lot worse,” Belichick told the media, as quoted by ProFootballTalk. “Way, way worse.”
It takes a lot more than some wild wind to scare off Bill Belichick.
Sean McDermott Doesn't Give Belichick Credit
Even so, Bills coach Sean McDermott didn’t credit the loss to a great game plan by his rivals. Instead, he thinks that the Bills failed to execute and blame them for not getting the job done:
“Let’s not give more credit than we need to give credit to Bill Belichick in this one,” McDermott said, according to NESN.com. “I don’t think, with all due respect, it’s not a Bill Belichick-type thing. It’s what are you doing with the opportunities you got? What are you doing with the opportunities you got? We turned the ball over on the plus-30-something yard line. Sloppy football. Sloppy football. I’m very comfortable in that situation."
The Pats Are Back
The New England Patriots now have a league-best seven-game winning streak and are in full control of their destiny, not only in the AFC East but in the whole conference.
The Ravens’ loss to Pittsburgh pretty much handed Bill Belichick home-field advantage through the playoffs, and barring a major disaster, the Pats might as well take their streak alive until the playoffs.
And just when we all thought that they were going to be bad for years. I guess we’ll never learn.
]]>The Inquisitr
