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Ups & Downs: Patriots Defense Was Great In Buffalo -- Offense Not So Much

By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots defense was great again in Buffalo. The offense, however, was not.

The Patriots are 4-0 after an ugly 16-10 win over the Bills. And ugly is putting it lightly. But for the first time this year the Patriots were tested, and they managed to pass that test. But they went into a hostile environment and made the plays they had to -- at least on D. The win also exposed some concerns on offense, concerns we didn't see against their three inferior opponents to start the season.

The Buffalo defense looked legit on Sunday. But so did New England's, continuing their ridiculous run of dominance to start the 2019 season.

Here are the Ups and Downs from Sunday's win, and for the first time, we have plenty of downs to choose from. Luckily for the Patriots, those downs still came in a winning effort.

Ups

Pats Defense Is A Bakery

Four more turnovers for the Patriots defense. Yes, the Buffalo offense is atrocious. But this is a trend for the New England defense, which has forced at least one turnover in every game so far. They're up to 11 on the season.

They picked off Josh Allen twice in the first quarter, holding him to 1-for-8 for just 10 yards in that frame. Devin McCourty came down with a pick for the fourth straight game, J.C. Jackson had a pair of picks, and Jamie Collins sealed the win by picking off Matt Barkley on Buffalo's final drive.

When the Patriots need their defense to make plays, the defense makes plays.

Sack Party Continues

The Patriots had five more sacks on Sunday. Kyle Van Noy had two. John Simon hit Allen for a five-yard loss to push the Bills back before the half, and those five yards made a difference when Stephen Hauschka's 49-yard field goal attempt went wide left. Jamie Collins and rookie Chase Winovich each had one sack, both of which came on third down.

And Michael Bennett didn't get credited with a sack, but his initial pressure on Allen forced the QB to make a bad throw on the run on Jackson's second pick of the game.

Yes, the New England defense is really, really good.

Big Play From Special Teams

Jackson had a big game, and it wasn't just his two interceptions. He blocked a Corey Bojorquez punt in the first quarter, and Matthew Slater scooped it up and ran it into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

In a game where points were at a premium, getting seven from their special teams unit was huge for the Patriots. Plus, look at this smile on Slater's face after the game.

Linebackers Without Hightower

The Patriots played without Dont'a Higtower, but they didn't miss him too much. In addition to his two sacks, Van Noy had a tackle for a loss and two forced fumbles. Collins was once again all over the place with his sack and game-sealing interception. Simon also filled the void in Hightower's absence with five tackles and an additional QB hit along with his sack.

Downs

Touchdown-less Streak Ends

It was fun while it lasted, but the New England defense gave up a touchdown. Josh Allen used all of his 6-foot-5 frame to break the goal line from an inch out on fourth down, and the touchdown-less streak is over.

But the Pats kept the Bills scoreless in the fourth quarter, and with the Redskins, Giants and Jets coming up next, don't be surprised if a new streak is already underway.

Stephen!

Gostkowski missed another extra point, missing wide right after New England's first touchdown. He's up to four missed extra points on the season, and this is becoming a real issue. Imagine if the Bills had scored a touchdown on their final drive and won the game 17-16. People would be losing their minds over Gostkowski.

Stevey G. did split the uprights on his only field goal attempt, so at least he's got that going for him.

We'll see if Bill Belichick invites a kicker in for a look this week. The Patriots are unlikely to cut ties with Gostkowski, but that could be the kick in the backside he needs to get his act straight right now.

Brady's Pick

The only time Brady found the end zone was when he threw it to the other team. It came after a timeout on 3rd-and-goal, as Brady went looking for a heavily covered Edelman in the back of the end zone. He instead found a leaping Micah Hyde for his first pick of the season.

To make it worse, Brady had Jakobi Meyers open near the pylon, because Hyde had left his man. It was a big missed opportunity for the Patriots to bury the Bills early.

Offensive Struggles

Following Brady's interception in the end zone, the Patriots had three straight three-and-outs. They gained just eight yards on those drives. Overall, the Patriots had seven three-and-outs on Sunday.

The Pats weren't very good on third down either, converting just five of their 18 attempts.

Brady wasn't sacked but he was under pressure for much of the day. He completed just 18 of his 39 passes for 150 yards.

Brady-Dorsett Magic Not There

Entering Sunday, Brady and Dorsett had connected 13 of the 14 times that the quarterback looked his way. On Sunday, they connected just twice on their nine attempts. It wasn't pretty.

With Julian Edelman clearly hobbled by the chest injury he suffered last weekend, the Patriots needed the Brady-Dorsett connection to work on Sunday. It didn't against a very talented Buffalo secondary.

Nothing From Sony 

Sony Michel carried the ball 17 times, and only mustered 63 yards. On four occasions, he picked up no yards or was hit for a loss. He also had four runs that went one stinkin' yard.

Michel has struggled to start the season, and some of that probably has to do with New England's makeshift offensive line. He started the game with a 15-yard carry, but for the fourth straight week, he didn't do much for the Patriots offense.

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