ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Ever since he topped the 10,000 career yards rushing mark last season, LeSean McCoy set a “12K or bust” objective.
Bust was more like it for the Buffalo Bills’ running back on Monday night, when McCoy totaled 13 yards on 12 carries in continuing what’s been a season-long struggle for the 10th-year player.
“I’ve had bad games, but this? The flow of the season and everything is bad,” McCoy said following a 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots. “I’m 30 years old. I’ve been playing since high school. This stuff has never happened to me. Yeah, it’s tough.”
McCoy, who has missed one game with a groin injury, has just 257 yards rushing through eight games.
That’s 20 yards more than he had in his first two games with Philadelphia in 2013, when McCoy finished with an NFL-leading 1,607 yards rushing.
What hurts even more is being part of an anemic offense that is doing very little in supporting a defense that limited Tom Brady and the Patriots to scoring four field goals through three quarters.
“It’s tough. And you see the defense out there just grinding, it’s so frustrating,” said McCoy, who did lead the Bills with 82 yards receiving. “We don’t do nothing on offense, and it’s not fair on them.”
Buffalo lost its third straight and dropped to 2-6 in which it has scored just 87 points.
As for New England, Brady was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this season.
And yet the Patriots secured their fifth straight win and improved their AFC East-leading record to 6-2 courtesy of James White scoring on a 1-yard run and defensive back Devin McCourty returning an interception 84 yards for a touchdown four minutes apart in the fourth quarter.
The interception was the turning point.
Trailing 18-6, the Bills responded with what was initially ruled a touchdown, when tight end Jason Croom appeared to make a diving, one-handed catch in the end zone. The 25-yard catch was negated when replays showed Croom never had possession.
Two plays later, McCourty jumped in front of Derek Anderson’s attempt to hit tight end Charles Clay over the middle.
“Those are bonus points. It’s hard to count on those,” Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said. “It was a big play for us.”
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