New England Patriots: 5 observations from win over Bills
By Ben Porter
Dynamic Duo
Between all the cheap shots, verbal altercations, and dildos, there was a football game being played. Let’s not forget that.
The two stars of the game, in my opinion, were Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead. Stephon Gilmore played great, and many others on defense did as well, but Lewis and Burkhead carried an offense whose aerial attack was held in check all day.
Dion Lewis led the Patriots in rushing, notching 92 yards on 15 carries, good for 6.1 YPC. Burkhead posted similar numbers, gaining 78 yards and 2 TDs on 12 carries. That’s 6.5 YPC. These two moved the chains all day and gave the Patriots offense what they needed to win this game.
Lewis’s day was highlighted by a 44 yard gain, in which he threw a defender through the ground and into Dante’s Inferno. Tre’Davious White may be getting checked for a concussion, but Jordan Poyer, who Lewis threw down, may need to see a shrink this week.
Burkhead’s best run of the day, in my opinion, came towards the end of the 3rd quarter. Rex took a handoff to the right, cut back and hit the hole up the middle, and then dragged 2 defenders to the goal line where he just extended the ball across the plane.
It was a great effort on the back end and showed decisiveness and explosiveness. Burkhead has become a real touchdown machine for the Patriots, and he could be the new Legarrette Blount by season’s end.
These two, in the words of Charlie Kelly, “cut through the Bills defense like a soft cheese” en route to 170 combined rushing yards. Those numbers are deserving of a game ball, if you ask me.
There may not be a definitive face of the Patriots running game, but if Game of Thrones has taught me anything it’s that the most dangerous people are faceless.
They’ll look to continue their strong ground and pound next week.