There wasn’t much defense to speak of, but as the fourth quarter began yesterday, Patriots safety Patrick Chung finally spoke up.
With the Pats leading Buffalo 31-23, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick orchestrated yet another drive down the field on New England’s then-nonexistent defense. The Bills were just 20 yards away from scoring when Fitzpatrick fired one into the end zone — and right into the hands of Chung.
The interception eventually led to another Patriots touchdown and a 15-point lead — enough of a cushion to give the Pats their 14th consecutive win over the Bills, 38-30.
“It was a huge momentum swing because they were on the cusp of going in and potentially tying the game, so that was huge by Chung,” cornerback Kyle Arrington said. “It definitely gave us a lift.”
The defense gave up a total of 374 yards to the Bills who, coming into the game, ranked dead last in the NFL in net total yards. They averaged just 176 through two games.
So if the Pats are going to make any sort of playoff push, they’ll have to be effective on both sides of the ball — which certainly wasn’t the case on Sunday. But the ‘D’ is learning.
“We’re young, but these guys are hungry and willing to learn,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said. “We have a great coach in Coach [Bill] Belichick, and he’s putting us in position.”
