Patriots-Bills LIVE Blog: Pats End Regular Season With 17-9 Loss
BOSTON (CBS) -- Follow along throughout the afternoon for all the updates from New England's regular season finale.
Final: Bills 17, Patriots 9: The Buffalo Bills pick up their ninth win of the 2014 season, and first ever win at Gillette Stadium, with a 17-9 victory over the Patriots.
New England was without a handful of key players to start the game, with Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dont'a Hightower and Brandon Browner all inactive, and rested many of their stars throughout the game. Tom Brady played the first half, hoping to head into the playoffs on a positive note, but he and the offense struggled and had to settle for field goals when they did drive down the field. Brady finished the game 8-for-16 for 80 yards and was sacked once.
The defense had a tough start, but played much better as the game went on. Jamie Collins had an incredible athletic play to strip sack Kyle Orton and then recover the ball. He missed on his first attempt at Orton, but continued to battle and ended up getting to the QB and gaining possession for the Patriots.
Jimmy Garoppolo replaced Brady in the second half and looked good for a rookie quarterback, though he still has a long way to go on the NFL stage. While he dazzled with a few nice scrambles, he often held on to the ball too long, and was sacked three times by the Bills' stout pass rush.
Staying healthy was the key to this one, and the Patriots did that for the most part. There is some concern with Brandon LaFell and Nate Solder both leaving with leg injuries, but the Patriots have two weeks before their first playoff game.
The regular season is in the books, with the Patriots finishing 12-4 and the top seed in the AFC. Ending the season with a loss is never fun, but now the focus can shift to the real season.
4th Quarter, 0:54: Garoppolo got a chance to run the New England 2-minute drill, but couldn't move the chains as the Pats turn it over on downs.
The Bills just have to take a few knees to end this one now.
4th Quarter, 2:00: The Patriots pass rush put the pressure on Kyle Orton, forcing the QB to throw it away and an upcoming Bills punt.
Just run out the clock and keep everyone healthy over the next 120 seconds. That's all we're asking.
4th Quarter, 2:08: As Bill Belichick challenged a call that won't be reversed (a Buffalo fumble), Patriots defensive tackle Sealver Siliga walked off under his own power with what looked like a leg injury.
This one can't end soon enough for anyone...
4th Quarter, 5:01: Jimmy likes to dance in the pocket, and he's pretty good at it, but he might get killed against this Buffalo pass rush.
Manny Lawson and Jarius Wynn combined on a 15-yard sack on the rookie, setting up a third-and-26 for the Patriots at the Buffalo 46. It was the third time Garoppolo has been sacked since he came in for Brady.
4th Quarter, 10:37: There's that health thing everyone was worried about.
Brandon LaFell limped off the field after hauling in a 14-yard reception from Garoppolo. Hopefully having two weeks off will help him recover.
4th Quarter, 11:12: We're getting there. The postseason is almost here, just hang tough for another half hour or so.
Garoppolo and the Pats will have the ball back at their own 17 after the defense stopped Buffalo from doing much of anything on their most recent drive.
Anthony Dixon went looking for a yard on a third-and-1 at the New England 43, but Jonathan Casillas was there to stop him and force a Buffalo punt. Casillas, another mid-season addition by Nick Caserio and Bill Belichick, has a team-high nine tackles on the day.
End 3rd Quarter -- Bills 17, Patriots 9: Just one quarter to go in this one, and for most fans, it can't end soon enough.
Vince Wilfork started the drive on the bench, meaning all backups are in for the Patriots defense at this point.
3rd Quarter, 0:37 -- Bills 17, Patriots 9
The Patriots have now been inside the Buffalo 30-yard line four times, and have had to settle for three field goals.
Garoppolo looked much more comfortable in the latest drive, picking up 20 yards on a nice completion to LaFell on his first pass, but couldn't get the job done on third down. He went to Danny Amendola over the middle on third-and-10 at the Buffalo 24, but only picked up seven yards on the play, forcing another Gostkowski try.
Garoppolo is now 5-for-8 for 41 yards.
3rd Quarter, 2:55: The Patriots defense just came up with another big third down stop, stuffing Fred Jackson for a one-yard loss on a third-and-5 at the Buffalo 31.
Rob Ninkovich and Darius Fleming combined for the stop, with Ayers and a few others jumping in at the end.
3rd Quarter, 5:51: The Patriots marched down the field, but all they come away with is some good experience for their rookie quarterback.
Garoppolo did some damage with his legs, running a read option for a first down on a third-and-1, but he couldn't convert on a fourth-and-1 run, giving the ball back to Buffalo at their own 14-yard line.
LeGarrette Blount ran the ball with some authority though, breaking a 34-yard run on the second play of the drive.
3rd Quarter, 12:15: Akeem Ayers continues to be a huge pickup for the Patriots.
Ayers recorded his fourth sack of the season when he got to Orton on third-and-7, resulting in a six-yard loss, forcing Buffalo into a three-and-out.
Just another confidence boost for the newcomer as he heads into his first postseason in the NFL.
3rd Quarter, 13:34: Different QB, same issues for the Patriots offense today.
The Patriots go three-and-out on Garoppolo's first drive, forced to punt for the third time today. Garoppolo got five yards on a catch by Danny Amendola to start his day, but was sacked by Jarius Wynn for a three-yard loss on second down. He threw behind Tim Wright on third down, forcing another Ryan Allen punt.
It looks like Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty will be joining Brady on the bench.
3rd Quarter, 15:00: It's Jimmy Time!
Tom Brady will take a seat on the bench, handing things over to rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the rest of the day.
Halftime -- Bills 17, Patriots 6
That was an ugly half of football by the New England Patriots. Let's hope the second half doesn't include any Tom Brady.
Brady showed he wasn't afraid to lay it all out in a meaningless game, picking up a first down with a third-and-1 keeper and then scrambling a few plays later just before halftime. But enough is enough; someone hide Brady's helmet for the second half.
He went 8-for-16 for 80 yards in the first half, and though he was only sacked once, felt some heavy pressure from the Bills. Nate Solder was flagged for a hold on the last drive, but those 10 yards were well worth it as it kept Brady from taking a big hit. Solder was hurt on the play, and limped off the field at halftime.
The Bills lead this one in just about every statistical category, outgaining the Patriots 202-121 and picking up 11 first downs to New England's six.
That's not to say the Patriots didn't do anything right in the first half. Pete Frates, who turns 30 today, was honored at the two-minute warning, with the Gillette crowd singing "Happy Birthday" to the former BC standout who is now raising loads of money and awareness for ALS.
2nd Quarter, 2:00: Tom Brady is back out there to close out the half, but his offensive line looks a little different.
Kline was beat bad leading to a sack of Brady, so Ryan Wendell is now over at left guard with rookie Cameron Fleming in at right guard.
2nd Quarter, 2:15 -- Bills 17, Patriots 6: The Bills marched down the field again, but the Patriots came up with a third down stop and forced them to settle for a Dan Carpenter field goal.
Orton went looking for Sammy Watkins down the sidelines on a third down play, but Revis forced the receiver off his route and broke up the pass. The Bills are now 3-for-5 on third down conversions this afternoon.
2nd Quarter, 5:05 -- Bills 14, Patriots 6: Hey Bill, it's time to get Tom Brady out of this game.
The Patriots settled for another field, as Brady was sacked for a seven-yard loss on second-and-3 at the Buffalo 19. Josh Kline was owned by Stefan Charles on the play, which resulted in a seven-yard loss.
The Patriots did pick up a first down on a fourth-and-1 pass to Shane Vereen, who was stuffed on a third down run the play before, but stalled again and had to settle for three points.
2nd Quarter, 8:31: We have some life from the Patriots defense, and the Gillette crowd.
Jamie Collins showed off some incredible athleticism, getting the ball for the Patriots offense. The linebacker missed on his first sack attempt of Orton, but made the most of his second effort, stripping the ball from the Buffalo quarterback. Not only did he strip the ball, but he made a great effort in recovering the ball as well (he should probably thank CJ Spiller too, who chose not to block Collins twice on the play).
It was an incredible play by Collins, who now has four sacks and four forced fumbles on the season.
Brady is heading back out there for his fourth drive of the day, with the Patriots getting the ball at the Buffalo 44.
2nd Quarter, 9:29: It should come as no surprise that the Patriots offense is struggling without Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman.
What is surprising is that Tom Brady is still out there. He's been feeling the pressure from the Buffalo defense, and will likely find his way to the bench soon.
The Patriots were forced to punt again on their latest drive, with a questionable offensive pass interference on Brian Tyms not helping their cause.
2nd Quarter, 10:02: Tom Brady is back out there to lead the Patriots offense.
Danny Amendola has plenty of fire today too, getting into a little dust up with Aaron Williams.
2nd Quarter, 10:38 -- Bills 14, Patriots 3: The Bills are having their way with the Patriots defense right now, marching 80 yards down the field to the end zone once again.
Anthony Dixon capped off a 13-play, 7:24 drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put Buffalo on top 14-3.
Buffalo ran for 37 yards on the drive, with Orton completing a 20-yard pass to Woods to get into New England territory.
End Of 1st Quarter -- Bills 7, Patriots 3: One quarter is in the books and everyone is still healthy for the Patriots.
Oh, and they're down 7-3 and are being out-gained 135 yards to 80 yards, but I don't think anyone really cares what the scoreboard says.
Brady went 5-for-9 for 64 yards in the first quarter, with Orton going 6-for-8 for 102 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills will start the ball at their own 46 when the second quarter begins.
1st Quarter, 3:02 -- Bills 7, Patriots 3: The Patriots drove down the field but had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski as they stalled in the red zone.
The Pats got all the way down to the Buffalo 6, but stalled out as soon as they hit first-and-goal. LeGarrette Blount tripped on first-and-goal, losing a yard. Brady hit Brian Tyms, who he connected with for a 18-yard reception to open the drive, on second-and-goal but the receiver stepped out of bounds after just four yards. The Bills applied the pressure and shut down all of Brady's targets on third-and-goal, forcing him to throw it away and the Pats to settle for just three points.
Brady did hook up with Brandon LaFell on the drive on a nice 27-yard catch-and-run, sending the receiver over the 900 receiving yard mark for the season. That earns LaFell a $100,000 bonus.
1st Quarter, 8:45: The New England defense got some good pressure on Kyle Orton on Buffalo's second drive of the game, forcing a quick punt by the Bills.
Orton did move the chains on the drive with a 20-yard pass to Chandler, but then New England turned up the pressure. Tavon Wilson applied some heavy pressure on Orton as he completed a seven-yard pass to Woods over the middle, setting up a third-and-3. But Rob Ninkovich blew through the line on third down, and made Orton force a pass to Fred Jackson that fell incomplete.
Tom Brady is back out there for the Patriots offense.
1st Quarter, 10:47: If that was Tom Brady's only drive of work today, he didn't do much. But he's also still standing, so that's always a plus.
Brandon Bolden carried the ball twice, picking up seven and two yards on first and second down carries, respectively, but Brady's pass to the running back was too low and fell incomplete.
New England went with an offensive line of Nate Solder at left tackle, Josh Kline at left guard, Bryan Stork at center, Ryan Wendell at right guard and Marcus Cannon at right tackle.
Bill Belichick didn't look very pleased afterwards, so Brady may be back out there for another drive.
1st Quarter, 12:03: Bills 7, Patriots 0: The Bills made quick work of the Patriots defense on their first offensive drive, marching 80 yards down the field for an opening drive touchdown. Kyle Orton was a perfect 3-for-3, finding Robert Woods for a six-yard score on second-and-goal.
The drive was made possible by a 43-yard catch-and-run by rookie receiver Sammy Watkins, who had Darrelle Revis on him.
The Bills are looking to end a 13-game losing streak at Gillette, and are off to a great start.
Tom Brady is now making his way to the field.
Pregame -- 12:58 p.m.: Tom Brady has been announced as the Patriots starting quarterback.
So now we know that No. 12 will start, but how long will he play?
The Patriots also won the toss (turns out tails does in fact fail, at least for the Bills) and deferred to the second half.
Pregame -- 12:20 p.m.: Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was just on with Scott Zolak on 98.5 The Sports Hub, and spoke of the opportunity today's game offers the team to get some of the back-end players some in-game experience.
"I think we'll have an opportunity today to get some players playing experience who might not have normally have gotten it. That might serve us well in the future," said the head coach.
Jimmy Garoppolo is at the top of the class of players who will likely benefit the most from today's game. But receiver Josh Boyce, signed off the practice squad Saturday night, could get some important game action this afternoon -- whether it be in the offense or on special teams.
Belichick also stressed that he hopes the team has their best football ahead of them.
Pregame -- 11:35 a.m.: The New England Patriots will finally close the book on the 2014 regular season this afternoon, hosting the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots have already locked up the top seed in the AFC, so there really isn't too much to play for. With a win, the Patriots will go 8-0 at home for the seventh time in franchise history and finish the season with a 13-3 record.
With little on the line, there's a big focus on who will play, how long they'll play, and who won't even bother suiting up. We now have a better picture of who won't be seeing the field with seven players declared inactive for this one, including Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman:
OL Dan Connolly
T Sebastian Vollmer
WR Julian Edelman
TE Rob Gronkowski
RB Jonas Gray
LB Dont'a Hightower
CB Brandon Browner
Not only will Tom Brady be without his two favorite targets, but two of his key protectors in Connolly and Vollmer. Connolly missed last week's game against the Jets with a knee injury, and with nothing to play for, why risk it this week? The same goes for Edelman, who missed last week with a concussion.
That goes to show that the Patriots are treating this one like a fourth preseason game, so don't expect to see too much of Brady either. At least that means you'll see plenty of Jimmy Garoppolo, and what the rookie QB can do against a pretty good Buffalo defense. We probably won't hear many complaints about that from Patriots fans.
You can catch Sunday's Patriots-Bills game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots! Following the game, stay tuned for three hours of postgame coverage on 98.5FM, and switch over to myTV38 for Patriots 5th Quarter!
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