Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports has the final say in Week 13 in the NFL; join Neal and the guests at Inside the Huddle every Tuesday at 9pm on the Sky Sports NFL as they recall the weekend’s highlights …
The playoff picture for both conferences remains hazy as we approach the final five weeks of the regular season, but one previously dominant force has emerged as the New England Patriots now rank first in the AFC seed. And this week’s column starts where week 13 ended …
His team is built to play in winter weather, so before his Monday night visit to Buffalo, the greatest coach of all time cast magic. Around the same time that Belichick was starting his way to Buffalo Stadium, a hurricane was blowing in all directions, the goalposts were dancing, the TV presenters were being blown off the chairs by the field, and it looked like someone had snowed the globe violently. Coincidence? I think no.
The Patriots have thrown the ball just three times and won 14-10. Three times! They became only the fourth team in NFL history to make three or fewer assists per game and win, and the first since the 1974 Buffalo Bills. New England ran 222 yards and landed 46 clearances. Mc Jones could just as well have stayed in the warmth of the hotel, making two out of three assists for 19 yards.
This is the second time in the last month that Bills has been bullied at home in bad weather, the second time being an embarrassing 41-15 reverse in the hands of the Indianapolis Colts on a rainy November day.
That time, the Colts raced 46 times for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s running backs have played the ball only 11 times, and Josh Allen was forced to lead the game with 35 assists and two runs of his own.
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It was the same on Monday night. New England have run the ball 46 times and have covered over 200 yards. They could adapt to the elements. Buffalo’s back only had 19 hits, forcing Allen to grapple with the wind on 30 passes and six of his own runs.
The Bills are made for the modern, modern NFL with heavy passing, and they often neglect mileage. This is all well and good as long as you don’t factor in the Buffalo weather, especially at the end of the year when you want to host the Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers looked pretty bad for most of their game against the Baltimore Ravens and couldn’t go on the offensive. They were down 10-3 in the second half, but then finally found an offensive gas pedal, especially in the fourth quarter.
Outraged by many, Ben Roethlisberger was ruthlessly effective with nine out of 10 yards for 129 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion that put the Steelers ahead 20-13. But Pittsburgh’s emotions must have been all over the place as Baltimore stormed back, scoring 12 seconds left on the clock through a hit from Lamar Jackson and Sammy Watkins.
