The Patriots defeated the Bills, 14-10, on Monday amid an intense storm that featured gusts of wind above 50 mph. A large story was the coaching mismatch that played out on the sidelines – New England had a game plan for the elements, throwing the ball just three times, while Buffalo seemed unprepared and flustered throughout the night.
Rob Ninkovich, a former Patriots linebacker who is now an analyst for ESPN, had some harsh words for Bills coach Sean McDermott following the loss, laying into him in a tirade during Wednesday’s episode of “Get Up.”
“Their mind is gone,” Ninkovich said. “I could say it another way. We all know what that phrase is. You fill it in. Mind is gone. They’re not going to win this next game. It’s over with. What are we doing? What are we doing, head coach? C’mon. What are we paying you – I don’t know. A lot of money. These head coaches, I tell you.”
New England ran the ball 46 times for 222 yards, nearly five yards per carry. The Bills, meanwhile, had less than 100 yards on the ground, only asking quarterback Josh Allen to run the ball six times (for 6.5 yards per carry, signaling it was a strategy they should have stuck with). He threw the ball 30 times, only averaging 4.8 yards per attempt.
Not only was Ninkovich critical of McDermott’s play-calling and overall game plan, but he also ripped into the fifth-year head coach’s decision to challenge a spot in the second half, which he lost. The decision cost him a timeout, which he could have used to stop the clock on the Patriots’ final possession and get his team the ball back with a chance to win the game.
“Let’s challenge another QB sneak and see if we get the turn. Like, what are we doing?” Ninkovich said. “How about I question your playcalling? How about I question a lot of things that you did? Yeah, let’s challenge a muddle of a first down by the Patriots to see if they didn’t get the first down. That’s a terrible challenge. The head coach messed up. Give Bill the credit. He actually told you what he was going to do all day. OK, we’ll run the ball. Can you stop us? No. Guess what? In Foxboro, one hundred to nothing.”
McDermott was frustrated after the game, imploring the media not to give Patriots coach Belichick “more credit than we need to.” He said the Bills had better field position and outplayed the Patriots, but just squandered their opportunities.
“The point that the coach is making … my players are better than his players, but he beat me anyway,” Mike Greenberg said on “Get Up.”
“He’s a better coach than I am.”
The Bills and Patriots face off again in three weeks, this time in Foxborough. It’s safe to say Buffalo will need a better showing from McDermott.
