Not having enough timeouts was one problem.
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Ryan acknowledged he was so concerned about Taylor being hurt that he was ready to insert backup EJ Manuel.
That call paled in comparison to what happened in the third quarter, though.
The Pats have been dealing with injuries on the offensive side all season long and, though they got most of their O-line back this week with only guard Tre’ Jackson inactive, there were still some issues in the trenches.
But the Patriots managed just a field goal in the first, and then went scoreless for 22 minutes, 16 seconds before Brady led a 33-second touchdown drive to make it 10-3 with 13 seconds left in the half. Patriots receiver Aaron Dobson left the game early with an ankle injury after catching just one pass for 17 yards. Brady was chased and hit from the first snap on Monday and finished just 20 of 39 for 277 yards, a touchdown and his third interception of the year. Amendola had 20 yards of open real estate in front of him and may have, but not definitely, scored a touchdown. “They spotted the ball in the middle of the field and gave them all those yards and then blew the whistle”.
After the officials conferred, the Patriots were awarded the 14 yards Amendola gained on the catch, but no yards after the catch.
Blandino questioned why the mistake was made, but said the referees did well in handling where they placed the football as a result of the inadvertent whistle.
It won’t get easier next week for the Patriots.
New England’s Stephen Gostkowski kicked two field goals but also missed for the first time this season in a game that saw several players injured.
The Bills tied the game in the third quarter when LeSean McCoy capped a 27-yard run by diving at the pylon. At this point, the bad whistle seemed a huge play in the game. The Patriots were stuffed three and out, but on the following drive the Patriot defense did the same. This would be considered the equivalent of taking a knee to stop a play.
Seahawks: Uncertainty surrounding the health of Marshawn Lynch (abdominal injury) likely means rookie running back Thomas Rawls will start for a second straight week when Seattle plays Sunday against Pittsburgh.
The Patriots took over at the Buffalo 30 and took a 20-10 lead on Gostkowski’s 35-yard field goal. He played great all night…. However, the Bills’ defensive line was still penetrating the offensive line, leading to Brady getting sacked on third down. Buffalo is now 3-25 lifetime against Brady, losing both games this season. There was a missed penalty for illegally batting the football in the end zone by the Seahawks that cost the Detroit Lions a final chance to win a Monday night game at Seattle in October. “Anything I can do to help this team win, I’m going to try and do it and it felt good to put some points on the board”, he said.
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The Patriots may not be able to cover up all their injury problems next week at Denver.
