New England Patriots: 5 observations from defensive battle vs. Buffalo Bills

5. Special teams is special except for Gostkowski

Just like Super Bowl LIII, the New England Patriots punting game played a big role in this defensive struggle.

Credit Jake Bailey for punting the ball well when the team was basically back in its own end zone.  The coverage team did a great job as well keeping Buffalo Bills returner Andre Roberts in check most of the game.

Then, of course, there was the block punt by J.C. Jackson in the first quarter that led to Matthew Slater’s first career touchdown.  The blocked punt gave the team a 13-0 lead and really turned out to be the difference in a defensive slugfest.

But, the reason why it was only a six-point victory was because of yet another missed extra point off the foot of Stephen Gostkowski.

It was his fourth missed extra point of the season and more than cause for concern for a kicker who is usually consistent throughout his career with a 98.5 percent extra-conversion rate throughout his 14 seasons in the NFL.

Overall, Sunday’s 16-10 victory showed just how important special teams are and how good or bad play could be a difference in a game any given Sunday.