What We Saw: Week 13

The What We Saw team recaps every game from Week 13

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Bills @ Patriots
Steelers @ Falcons
Broncos @ Ravens
Packers @ Bears
Jaguars @ Lions
Browns @ Texans
Jets @ Vikings
Commanders @ Giants
Titans @ Eagles
Seahawks @ Rams
Dolphins @ 49ers
Chiefs @ Bengals
Chargers @ Raiders
Colts @ Cowboys
Saints @ Buccaneers

Bills @ Patriots

Final Score: Bills 24, Patriots 10

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

The Buffalo Bills marched into Foxborough as the undisputed team-to-beat in the AFC East. It’s not often we have said that in recent memory but it sure is true. Josh Allen has shown signs he is human this season, particularly when you consider his tendency to turn the ball over in the red zone. But more alarming has been the stunted growth of New England’s first-round quarterback, Mac Jones, who has looked lost at times in his second season in the league. With two talented defenses on show, Thursday Night Football leaned towards a cautious affair, but did we get that? Let’s find out!

Sure enough, a cagey first quarter was set alight thanks to an unusual source – Patriots rookie defensive back Marcus Jones. The impressive defensive player taking a screen from Jones to the house for a 48-yard score. Fantasy managers everywhere shaking their head!

 

That was about as good as it got for this lacklustre Patriots offense, who went just 1-for-6 on third down in the opening half. That gave Allen the opportunity to put the Bills in charge. In response, Allen led a decisive 9-play, 82-yard touchdown drive in which rookie running back James Cook led the highlights thanks to this lovely run.

 

The sight of Stefon Diggs hauling in an Allen pass in the end zone will never get old. Their 10th connection for a touchdown this season. Elite.

 

Allen then extended the Bills’ lead to 10 points with an outrageous throw on the run as he was going out of bounds. The Buffalo quarterback extended the play brilliantly, letting his receivers do their thing before firing inside for Gabe Davis. MVP calibre stuff.

 

And things looked bleak for New England with Allen marching into Patriots territory once again just prior to the half. This time the young superstar tried to do a little too much and was hunted down by third-year Michigan linebacker Josh Uche, who forced the fumble and won his team the ball back. Yet another Nick Folk miss meant it was all in vain, however.

 

The second half saw Mac Jones start nervously, throwing a pick to Jordan Poyer that was overruled after the replays showed the Bills defensive back failed to main control once he hit the floor. A lucky break for a dismal Patriots offense. Allen did not let them get away with it, however, masterminding a brilliant clock-churning 15-play drive that took up most of the third quarter and lasted nine minutes. Devin Singletary punching the ball in on third down.

 

That was effectively the end of this game as a contest with the Bills leading 24-7 going into the fourth quarter. The Patriots were persistent with running the ball and despite a couple of angry runs from Rhamondre Stevenson, it didn’t work at all. Jones was visibly frustrated on the sideline after some disastrous play calling.

 

Jones was face down eating grass as Belichick cowardly settled for a field goal after this sack humiliated the Patriots in their own house. Bad times in New England, who are firmly rooted at the bottom of the AFC East and now face a mountain to climb to reach the playoffs in a competitive division.

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterback

 

Josh Allen: 22/33, 223 Yards, 2 TD, 2 Sacks | 8 Carries, 20 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

It was a professional if not spectacular performance from Josh Allen on the road as he did what his team needed him to do, no more no less. Despite commanding the game from start to finish, the Bills didn’t need to get out of third gear to make things happen against a toothless Patriots. Allen threw for just 223 yards, his fifth fewest of the season while on the ground he mustered just 20 yards, his third fewest across 12 contests. Oh, and yes another turnover with a costly fumble on third down. He still managed to wow everyone with the touchdown pass to Gabe Davis and a number of off-the-cuff inventive plays, like this little flip to Nyheim Hines early on.

 

It wasn’t a helpful fantasy score from Allen but hopefully this kind of floor is better than at least half of the quarterbacks in the league this week.

 

Running Back

 

James Cook: 14 Carries, 64 Yards | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 41 Yards

Devin Singletary: 13 Carries, 51 Yards, TD | 2 Targets

Nyheim Hines: 2 Carries, -3 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 21 Yards

 

The game script allowed the Bills to eat up the clock with their run game, which was decidedly effective against a Patriots defensive front that failed to stop the run or create pressure on Allen, who was sacked just twice. James Cook stepped up to lead the touches out of the backfield from Devin Singletary, and it was significant. Cook had 20 touches to Singletary’s 13, and his dominance in the passing game could be a game-changer. Cook set season highs in carries, rushing yards, receptions and receiving yards. It is something to watch out for.

However, if he is still seeing touches in the red zone then Singletary is the back to roster for the Bills. He now has four scores in his last four games and is a healthy option as an RB2 or FLEX option. His touchdown run was nicely designed, with Allen helping him punch through the hole on third down.

 

Wide Receiver

 

Stefon Diggs: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 92 Yards, TD

Isaiah McKenzie: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 44 Yards

Gabe Davis: 7 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards, TD

Khalil Shakir: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Dawson Knox: 1 Target

 

Stefon Diggs logged his eighth 20+ fantasy point performance of the season as he hauled in a first half score and made a number of key grabs in yet another eye-catching showing. Diggs was outstanding up against the rookies Patriots secondary and could have been more productive if it had not been for a bad drop for a big gain on third down, and a 41-yard touchdown called back by penalty. As the game went along the Patriots resorted to manhandle Diggs when targeted – he still came away with the ball.

 

Diggs ran a beautiful route against Jonathan Jones for his touchdown and showed his quality throughout. He remains one of the premier wideouts in the league. Another wideout who has shown out for Buffalo recently is Isaiah McKenzie, who couldn’t follow up his 96 yards and a touchdown achieved last week but did prove to be a thorn in the Patriots side particularly on third down. McKenzie showed up in a number of key spots to move the chains and finished with five grabs on as many targets for 55 yards.

 

Gabe Davis nabbed a great catch for a score on a broken play out of nothing but beyond that he could only secure one of his other six targets. It has become a bit of a trend for Davis, who now has 35 catches on 67 targets in 2022. That’s not a healthy completion rate and his inability in contested situations is impeding his development. He should have had a huge 56-yard score though in the second quarter, only for Allen to miss him.

Dawson Knox managers, I’m sorry. The tight end has regressed terribly this season and has only recorded three targets in the last two games. Yikes!

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback

 

Mac Jones: 22/36, 195 Yards, TD, 1 Sack | 3 Carries, 7 Yards

 

Another failure under the lights for Mac Jones, who to be fair is significantly impeded by the play calling from the off. Saying that he was dreadfully inaccurate throughout this game and left his receivers hanging on nearly every drive. His only touchdown was thanks to rookie Marcus Jones, who was playing his first ever snap on offense – he only went and took the ball all the way for a 48-yard touchdown on a quick screen. He should have thrown at least one interception but was lucky that the current NFL catch rules favored him this time around.

 

Jones has a less-than-adequate receiving corps and an inept offensive scheme around him. He is forgettable for fantasy purposes.

 

Running Back

 

Rhamondre Stevenson: 10 Carries, 54 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 24 Yards | 1 Fumble (Recovered)

Kevin Harris: 1 Carry, -1 Yard

 

The only spark of positivity was provided by Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran well on limited opportunities and also saw plenty of touches in the passing game, catching six of eight passes but for a measly 24 yards. He broke through a tough Buffalo defensive front a number of times to fight for extra yardage.

 

However, Stevenson coughed up the ball twice in the first 10 minutes of the game but New England managed to recover both fumbles. With Damien Harris out and unfancied rookie Kevin Harris seeing just one carry, Stevenson is good for the volume play at the minute for the Patriots. Just don’t expect anything more than adequate production.

 

Wide Receiver

 

Marcus Jones: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 51 Yards, TD

Tyquan Thornton: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards

Jakobi Meyers: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 22 Yards

Nelson Agholor: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)

DeVante Parker: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards

Kendrick Bourne: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 15 Yards

Hunter Henry: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards

Jonnu Smith: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 6 Yards

 

Well, it says a lot when your leading receiver is a defensive back who had not played a snap on offense prior to the game. Aside from Jones’ sensational play for the touchdown, his fellow receivers had to pick up the scraps of Jones’ erratic throws and Patricia’s derisory play calling. Rookie Tyquan Thornton showed good hands on a couple of catches as did Jakobi Meyers, who saw five looks but failed to make a splash once again after an encouraging debut season. All in all this offense was pathetic all contest. There is no dynamic playmaker, there is no risk, there is no go-to guy for the quarterback to focus on. It is a mess.

Even Hunter Henry, paid the big dollars in free agency and on the back of a monster performance laast week against the Vikings was a sad, forgotten man catching just two balls for 13 yards. There isn’t one fantasy asset in this group, a sad reality.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Bills @ Patriots
Steelers @ Falcons
Broncos @ Ravens
Packers @ Bears
Jaguars @ Lions
Browns @ Texans
Jets @ Vikings
Commanders @ Giants
Titans @ Eagles
Seahawks @ Rams
Dolphins @ 49ers
Chiefs @ Bengals
Chargers @ Raiders
Colts @ Cowboys
Saints @ Buccaneers

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