Divisional games are rarely boring, and the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills demonstrated that perfectly in their week 4 match up.
Sitting atop the AFC East with 3-0 records, this was a showdown many had been waiting for. With the Patriots’ defense continuing to play at the same level as during last year’s Super Bowl run, and Buffalo’s defense being one of the best in the league, sparks were set to fly.
We didn’t have to wait for the game to start
During warm ups, Bills head coach, Sean McDermott, spotted a pair of New England assistants (one happened to be Bill Belichick’s son) hanging out on the field after the Patriots’ warm ups were concluded and the Bills’ were ongoing.
Feeling they had overstayed their welcome, he personally escorted them from the field and to the locker room.
This is an interesting tidbit considering the Patriots continual efforts to push the envelop when it comes to gamesmanship such as 2007’s Spygate and 2014’s Deflategate.
Once the game started, the Patriots jumped out to an early lead and held Buffalo’s offense in check by intercepting the Bills’ quarterback, Josh Allen, twice. In true divisional style, the Bills kept the game close and were driving for the potential winning score when things took a turn.
Josh Allen was knocked out of the game
In a vicious hit while Allen scrambled, Patriots corner back Jonathan Jones hit him helmet to helmet, sending the young signal caller to the sidelines for concussion protocol. There was no penalty on the play as there were off-setting fouls, and no disqualification for Jones.
Allen’s replacement, Matt Barkley, had a chance to win the game, but was intercepted on the Patriots’ 39-yard line with 1:34 to go in the game.
After the game, Jones said he didn’t intend to hit Allen helmet to helmet, saying, no one plans to hit someone helmet to helmet.
The Bills saw things differently, claiming Jones should have been disqualified. Safety Micah Hyde reportedly that had any of them done that to Tom Brady, they would’ve been kicked out of the game.
A recent report suggests that Jones will be fined, not suspended for the hit.
While that may or may not be true, it’s definitely a perceived fact that has more evidence backing it than not. The NFL is a quarterback driven league, and they do everything they can to protect their superstars. How that translates to calls on the field will always be the topic of speculation.
