Will Buffalo Bills Continue Sudden Dominance Over New England Patriots?
Don't look now, but the dynasty has deteriorated into a doormat.
With Tom Brady at quarterback from 2001-19, the Buffalo Bills went an almost unfathomable 5-33 including a 15-game losing streak against the New England Patriots. But Brady's gone, and with him went the Pats' dominance over the Bills.
Buffalo has won the last three AFC East division titles and are 6-1 against coach Bill Belichick in Brady's absence. Almost unthinkable, the Bills - despite coming off a couple of shaky performances - are 8.5-point favorites at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
"We've got great respect for the Patriots and what they've accomplished," says Bills coach Sean McDermott said. "They have a deep history of winning and that's not easy to do in this league."
Fortunately for Buffalo, New England's "deep history" is also ancient history.
Once mere fodder for the proud Patriots, the Bills have now won six of the last seven meetings.
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The Pats are 1-5, off to their worst start in 30 years. With a glaring lack of playmakers, they are burdened with one of the most anemic offenses in the league this season. They haven't scored more than 20 points in a game and have been held under 30 in 22 games started by Mac Jones. The quarterback, who has twice been benched during games, ranks near the bottom of the NFL in passing yards (1,208) and touchdowns (five).
A defense that last year led the league in touchdowns and was Top 10 in yards allowed has been decimated by injury. Both Pro Bowl pass-rusher Matthew Judon and September NFL Rookie of the Month Christian Gonzalez suffered season-ending injuries in a demoralizing 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bills are saying all the right things about not taking the Pats lightly. But there's no doubt the balance of power in the division has completely flipped.
"After you watch the film, you realize that they could easily have won a few of these games," Buffalo center Mitch Morse said. "For us, we understand it's in the division. It's a Bill Belichick-coached team [and a] Bill Belichick-coached defense. For us, we know that we need all hands on deck."
The Bills have won four in a row in the series, including a 35-23 victory in Week 18 last season that kept the Patriots out of the playoffs.
