Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - PATRIOTS POSTCAST: Buffalo Bills DOMINATE the Patriots in the Second Half for 5th Straight Loss

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

The game didn't mean anything for the Patriots, but they had the Bills right where they wanted them in the first half. After scoring touchdowns on each of their first two drives, they didn't score again, running New England's record to 3-12. When do things become "off the rails" for this organization? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Hillsdale College All of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started. PrizePicks Download the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game. Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)tr

It's another loss, but did this game in Buffalo show where the Patriots should be next year? This is the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hey there, Pats fans. Welcome to another edition of the Locked On Sports Boston Patriots Postcast. I'm your host, Cam Stewart of ESPN Central Texas and the Cam Show on YouTube, which covers Boston sports every weekday. Appreciate you guys making this your first listen today. And every day it's brought to you by the, by FanDuel.

Also definitely encourage you guys to listen to Mike debate tomorrow and locked on Patriots going to break this thing down even more so than I will now, but this is where we bring you that right after the final buzzer reaction to another Patriots loss. That's five in a row, three and 12 on the year. But of course, things haven't gotten off the rail yet, Bob, right? No, no, we're in a good spot right now with the Patriots. We're going to go over what has kind of, like this game is a microcosm of everything that's gone wrong with the Patriots this year in a weird way.

And I say in a weird way because there, I think, was some positives to take from this. And what, of course, the great silver lining of this loss was. Bills win it 24-21. It's the first time in the last, what, nine games that the Bills have not scored 30 points. So that ends the longest such streak in NFL history. If I read that graphic correctly earlier, I thought that 07 Patriots would have had more, but incorrect in that, I guess. But the Bills win it 24-21. The Patriots avoid what would have been probably an ill-advised victory this late in the season as they still sit at number three. The Panthers won today. I should have checked. Vegas

was up late in their game. So it's still, if you're the Patriots, right where you want to be in a lot of ways. Number three, two teams ahead of you that are looking to pick quarterbacks. You don't need that. That's a good spot to be. But I remember talking after the week one victory against Cincinnati. And the one thing that was kind of my takeaway from it was obviously that the Patriots were going to win a ton of games this year. But I remember saying like that, what you saw against the Bengals week one, like that's not what a one or two win team looks like. You know, they weren't committing stupid penalties. They weren't turning the ball over. They weren't hurting themselves in that game. What you saw in this game against Buffalo today is the exact opposite. That looked like a team that wins one or two games.

Now I know they've already won three, but they did all the things that those really, really bad teams would do. The difference is they had a real chance to win this game and it's because they have a great quarterback and a defense that made some plays today, and a quarterback on the other side in Josh Allen, who clearly has injuries to both hands now. The report came out on Saturday that he had the fractured left hand. It looks like for sure he injured his right hand late in that game

in the fourth quarter as well. But that's kind of the fine line. You know, the Patriots pretty much instantly after week one started making those mistakes that made them look like a one or two win team. And the reason they almost beat one of the best teams in the NFL on their own home field today is because they have a talented quarterback who did not panic and they played better defensively. But you saw in the second half, that's the, that's the habits. Those are the habits of a one or two win team,

three turnovers in the second half. Um, after winning the turnover battle in the first half, uh, that one drive, I think early in the fourth quarter where you forced two fumbles and didn't recover either one of them in a three point game. Like you just, you, you can't have that. Um, and I put it on the rundown here, but I think we've got a new classic marquee NFL rivalry, and that is the new England Patriots versus third and short. They just, they hate converting it. They absolutely hate it. And there's a play in the fourth quarter where it's third and one, the play clock runs out and it's a delay of game penalty. And like, look, that that's always on the quarterback

before I get to what I get into. That's always on the quarterback. Before I get to what I get into, that's always on the quarterback. And they pan to Gerard Mayo, and he's just shaking his head. You know, big old frown on his face, shaking his head. And I look up, and they have three effing timeouts left. It's a three-point game. And you let it go from third and one to third and six. Yeah, the quarterback needs to know that and that's what you point out on film

and he's got to get better at that. He's a rookie. But I'm seeing a head coach being like, oh, what are you going to do? Call the timeout. That's what you do. You're the head coach. God, it's such a brain dead organization right now.

And yeah, I get fired up hearing that report from, from who was it? Rappaport saying, oh, well the crafts are going to retain Gerard Mayo unless this thing gets off the rails. Like, what do you need to get off the rails? Like, what is your definition of that? You're about to go three and effing 14. You're about to lose 13 plus games for the second year in a row. Used to take you three or four years to just get to 13 losses, but things aren't off the rails. They're going just fine, just fine. And these third and shorts that they just, they cannot convert. It's so against their nature. To me, that comes down to two things, your offensive line and your play calling. We already know, we already know how the ownership group feels about the play

calling. They made that very clear on national television last week. But also their offensive line, like I'm just asking you to just suck a little bit. Like, be bottom third of the league bad. They can't do that. They have to be bottom of the bottom bad. I mean, it's that last drive that the Patriots had where they had, whatever, 10 plays, 8 plays inside the 10-yard line. They have a second and short,

and it's a pitch play, and the Patriots, Drake May can't even pitch it to his guy before someone's got a hand on him. Like, they can't get a hand on a guy on a run play. It's horrifically bad, horrifically bad. And, you know, while a good enough defensive performance today, you know, you finally kept this team under 30. They've got the MVP playing quarterback on the other side. Like there's still like these just obvious mistakes of just a really bad team. You know, the pick that they got, first pick,

Allen's thrown in like a month. They take it out of the end zone and get it to the one-yard line. For what reason? Who the F knows. Or that last drive the Bills have, one first down, the game's over. They didn't even get the second down before they converted. Everyone knows they're running the ball. Everyone knows. And they just pitch it out left side, 11 yards, first down. Essentially the game's over

there. I know they had a shot to punt it with 10 seconds left, but of course they didn't do it. And I, I don't know. I must've missed this. Um, but there was a graphic earlier in the game that was, they're the only team in the league, the only team in the league that has not had a designed quarterback run this whole year. The only team in football to not do that after all the crap they caught from last week from that awful Gerard Mayo soundbite. They still didn't do a design run for the quarterback. Only team in the league to not do that. And at the end of the game, these broadcasters, Eagle and Charles Davis, are like, well, now you've got that new run threat of Drake May.

It's like, no, you don't. Drake May's been a run threat the whole year. You just haven't done it. I'm like, what did I miss in this game? Maybe did they mix one in there while I was going up to take a piss? Like, I don't know, but clearly there's no run threat that the, that the defense has to account for. He can get out of the pocket and scramble and that's what he does, but you do not have to play a defense against a quarterback designed run. They don't do it. And still after all the heat they caught this week and, and,

and still for having no playmakers, they're like, ah, you know, our quarterback can do this, but let's not for some reason, is it to avoid him getting hurt, taking hits because he can't drop back without taking hits. Like that ship sailed 10 weeks ago. You put him out there, you know he's going to take hits. And if he's not going to do it, then shut him down. Don't play him. If you're so worried about that, I think that would be pretty stupid too. But at least it shows that like, hey, we have got a design here.

We don't want him to take any more hits. Instead, they're just going to be the only team in football that doesn't do a quarterback design run. They have no playmakers on the offense, none. Their quarterback is good at something. He can make plays this way. And they said, no, we got it. We got it with Ramondre Stevenson. We've got it with romandre stevenson we we've got it with pop douglas and javon baker we got it it's just so brain dead and like how much more of this do we have to go through we all knew the team was gonna suck but how much do we have to go through with this it's just i don't know it's just so embarrassing man i'm sorry like i i know we talk about this every week. It's just so embarrassing, man. I'm sorry. Like, I know we talk about this every week,

but it's just an embarrassing, embarrassing set of circumstances. But there might have been some positives to take from this game. Let's talk about that next on the Locked On Sports Boston Patriots Postcast. But first, this episode is brought to you by prize picks. If you love watching the game, you're going to love prize picks because it's the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy, whether it's football,

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You can get your money in as fast as 15 minutes. Trust me, I've seen it work. Look at the picks going on this week. I mean, you always got something like Jared Goff, 230, 250 passing yards. Like, that's easy money. That's easy money. Drake May, 200 passing yards, easy. Download the PrizePix apps today and use the code LOCKEDONNFL

to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. That's right, $50 instantly when you play just $5. Free money. PrizePix. Run your game. Rolling on here on the postcast Patriots lose 24, 21 to Buffalo. A reminder, Mike debate. We'll have the full breakdown tomorrow on locked on Patriots and he'll have it throughout

the week. Y'all he's got you covered on what's next for this team going forward. I always kind of spend the second segment, at least in part, reviewing Drake May here. And it was another pretty solid game. More incompletions than May's used to. I mean, he's been like five or less the last couple of weeks. 22 and 36 for 261. A couple of touchdowns and a pick, which did outperform Josh Allen. Doesn't get the win, which did outperform Josh Allen. Doesn't get the win,

but does outperform Josh Allen. The future MVP this year went 16 to 29 for 154. That's it, just five yards completion, a touchdown and a pick. I say future MVP. Saquon had a massive game today. This is not a runaway. I think it's Josh Allen still for maybe it's because we watch him more often in the AFC East. But I thought this Bills team was done. Their window was done with all the weapons they lost this offseason. I mean, they get nobody really out there at wide receiver. Like obviously the Patriots have the worst receiver room in the league, but the Bills are going to have the worst one of any of the division winners.

Like truly, I mean, Josh Allen is an incredible player and obviously very deserving of the MVP, which I do think he will still get. But like even with the way the rest of this division is gone, Buffalo still probably would have won it at like a 10 and 7 record. But they're still in the hunt for the one seed, which is huge for them against Kansas city. Uh, Drake may the one pick again, maybe I'm being too easy on the kid. I don't think it was his fault. It's that one in the end zone that ends up being like, no one's near him. Austin Hooper is the intended receiver and he falls down on the route. But I also think he's running the wrong route, which is like half of Drake's picks this year. And let alone the deflections like Boutte had last week. I think this was 10th pick of the year. But they are running a pick play well,

because it takes the linebacker out. The linebacker was covering the tight end Hooper. And then he falls on the route, but he's running to the back corner and the safety help is already there. So I think if you're picking the linebacker at the five yard line, I think that's gotta be like a goal line route, not a back corner route. I obviously don't know the playbook, but the way you freed it up, which worked, I think that needs to be a route that's run to the goal line in the front pylon. Hooper's running for the back pylon. So no one in a white uniform is near it when that's just not you. Like it, I'm sick of yelling into the clouds about it. Like clearly that's not what they are or who they are. They still think that is who they are.

I don't understand it at all. But they, they tried it again a ton in the second half. And I just, it just really baffles me. I don't understand it. I don't know what they have shown this year to prove to anybody that they're a running team.

They're running it on that final drive, which again is taking up valuable clock in only a 10 point game. Like you get the ball with four and a half minutes left. And I'm like, just run this as a two minute drill. You've got three timeouts. You're like, you can get the ball back with some time. If you, if you play this with some haste, of course they don't, um, they run it early and they lose some time. Um, and all those goal line plays, it takes three and a half minutes. At that point, you're out of it. You're done.

But there were some positives in this game. Like, again, you have a good performance from May. Your defense keeps you in it. Your defense made some good stops throughout this game. Obviously, you get the turnover. It's really backbreaking that you force two fumbles in the same drive in the fourth quarter. And you don't get the ball. And they score on that drive. Um, you forced a big three and out late, uh, on the positive side of

the field, uh, that led to the Patriots final drive. So five minutes left, you're, you're forcing them to punt on the, in plus territory, uh, after some good coverage. And I thought the coverage was pretty good all day. We totally honest with with you guys, I still think Demarcus Covington is in over his head and should be fired. But they brought a performance today. They brought a performance today defensively. That shows you how bad this team is, right? Because I did think they put in a good performance

and they still gave up 24 points and lost and only forced one turnover. So how great a defensive performance can it be? And with Romandre Stevenson, I tweeted out during the game, I think this contract extension was a mistake. Obviously, running backs are a dime a dozen for most teams in the league. There are obviously some that put some real value on that position.

Indianapolis, Philadelphia, going out and getting Saquon Barkley. Buffalo has got a damn good one in James Cook. But I just don't think the Patriots are in a position where you should be locking up and giving almost $10 million a year to a running back. I don't think that should be it. And he's fumbled the ball seven times this year. How?

How do you justify paying a running back $9 million a year to fumble it seven times? Like, that sucks, man. That sucks. Most running backs would get cut after a season like that, or they wouldn't make it to seven fumbles. And he has that bad fumble. The momentum is clearly back.

I think at that point it's 14-14, if I'm not mistaken. So the Buffaloes scored back-to-back touchdowns, or 14 unanswered points. And the Patriots are driving, and Romandre fumbles because he can't help himself. He has to do it. And I know I get too tied up in the Belichick side of things, but then he's't help himself. He has to do it. And I know I get too tied up in, like, the Belichick side of things. But then he's back out there the next drive.

He's getting the first carry of the drive. You've got a guy in Gibson who's played well the last couple of weeks. There's no excuse for you to go back to Ramondre Stevenson after he's fumbled. But they freaking do it anyway. Like, it's these kinds of things that make you pull your hair out. Like, you know, it's not a good team, but it's these coaching decisions that you're like, how are we going to progress? How is this franchise going to get better with a guy like that running the show? It sucks, man. Your defensive coordinator is not good.

Your offensive coordinator has put Drake May in a position to win, but sometimes self-sabotages, and your head coach has no idea what he's doing. Clearly overwhelmed by the moment and the stage and the job title. But yet we got ownership saying, well, let's wait for it to get bad first. It's bad, Robert, Jonathan. You're going to be picking number three in the draft again.

And that's the best thing you can hope for at this point. And the Patriots took a real step in that direction today. And they are showing us that that is exactly what they are playing for. We'll break that down next on the Locked On Sports Boston Patriots postcast. First, how about FanDuel, an official sponsor of the Locked On Podcast Network and sponsor of this postcast today. The playoffs are almost here, but it's not too late to get in on the regular season action, two more weeks of it, with America's number one sportsbook.

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That's Fanduel.com for your chance at $250 in bonus bets when that first $5 bet wins. All right, make every moment more with Fanduel, an official sportsbook partner of the National Football League. Locked on Sports Boston Patriots postcast here with Cam Stewart, reminding you Mike DeBate will have the full breakdown tomorrow and we'll have you caught up all week long. He'll have something going out over either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

I know of it because Mike is a sicko, loves the Pats, loves breaking this thing down for you. Loves getting you ready for Jim Harbaugh's chargers, which will come into Foxborough next week. I'm sure that will be a pretty price to pay for a couple of days after Christmas in Foxborough, probably gonna be 20 degrees for a three win football team. I imagine that that might be a good stocking stuffer.

If you left a couple of tickets on your windshield, you might come back to four or five more. That's going to be plenty of fun. We'll have that breakdown for you next week after the game. But it was pretty obvious in this game that the things that were going wrong for the Patriots were good for Patriots fans and good for the organization as a whole. It's, it's never a fun thing to be tanking. And it's obviously something we as Patriots fans need to get used to again. Especially specifically my generation,

not used to it at all. But it's been a long time since we've really been, you know, tracking that around here and rooting for the team to lose. But this was a convenient loss for the Patriots. It was going great at 14-0. And I'm sitting there thinking like, either way we win. You know, if you win, actually win the game, you know, it's a meaningless win in a lot of ways. But I don't know, whatever. You're a fan.

You want your team to win. Better scenario is you lose and you keep hold of that number three pick, which is where you're at right now. And obviously the latter happened. They do lose. It goes really well for the Patriots. And they're still at that number three spot, as last I checked. So you'll take that 11 times out of 10. I've tucked myself into the Travis

Hunter thing at this point. If you guys have anyone else different you want to see at three, maybe you're just married to the tackle position, which I can totally understand as well. They clearly need all the help they can get there. Drop that down in the comments below on YouTube or tweet at us at RealKimStewart or at MikeTheBaitNFL if you're listening in podcast form. Because at this point, when it was 14-0, I saw the images of Travis Hunter slipping away. Now they're back. They did everything in their power, including that fumble for a touchdown, which is, I mean, I'm maybe soft on Drake May a lot. That was a bad play. That was a bad Drake May play. It's also a bad idea to swing out anything to remind Ray

Stevenson. But especially when you are, what, inside your own 10, is that it inside your own five and Van Pelt's calling for a swing pass out of the backfield to the guy with the fumbling problem. Yeah. That's, that's great. A play calling Alex. That's, that's tremendous. Oh, his team is such a joke at that point. Like I had to laugh. I mean, I know those of you who are watching every week, like at some point you have to laugh, right know those of you who are watching every week, at some point you have to laugh, right? Or else you'll be really depressed. This team is that bad that you just have to laugh or you'll cry. It's so bleak. But at that point, you're like, all right, this thing's over. This thing is donezo. They only score one offensive touchdown in the second half uh either team um but buffalo

is who i was talking about there and it's clear like after a play like that you're like the tank is in they don't need to like they don't need to try to tank to tank because they're that bad but clearly this is this is like a oh shucks darn did they score to take the, Oh, bummer. Like, uh, at this point, you've just got to root for the three pick or, or the four wouldn't, wouldn't suck either. So root for the team to lose the next two weeks. That's what they're going to do. Anyway, they're going to lose to the chargers. And then they got Buffalo at home, um, who will probably still be playing for that number one seat. Um you'll lose that as well. So all's well that ends well, because it worked out with the number three pick this past year. Now you got to use that number three pick

for someone who can help them, whether it's tackle, corner, probably not receiver, even though that makes a ton of sense for 31 other teams that would make a ton of sense. But the Patriots just can't draft that position. Anyway, let me know what you guys think about this game. Drop that down in the comment section below. Be sure to like and subscribe helps out the channel. And you can ring that notification bell to get notified every time we're going live. After all the Boston games, you know, that's Red Sox are done. But Patriots, I'll be with you every Sunday afternoon, usually around that four o'clock window because they usually play at one a little bit later tonight. And after every Celtics game, Steve Lennox will have you covered for that.

And then, of course, Mike DeBate keeps you covered on the Patriots throughout the week. Corrales will do it for the Celtics for you as well. Two awesome, awesome Locked On shows. Thank you for making it your first listen today and every day. Keep up with Locked On Patriots, and then we'll see you next week on the Locked On Sports Boston Patriots Postcast.