Bills vs. Patriots, Bill Belichick: Another Late-Season Special In Store?
Tom Brady is long gone and so is the New England Patriots' late-season dominance over the Buffalo Bills and the AFC East division.
With head coach Bill Belichick rumored to be a lame duck, the Patriots enter their Week 17 trip to Buffalo already guaranteed to finish in last place. Meanwhile, the Bills appear poised to clinch their fifth consecutive playoff berth with an outside chance to steal a fourth straight AFC East crown.
For a Bills' franchise that was tortured by the Brady-led Patriots for two decades, the Dec. 31 matchup on Sunday presents an opportunity to further exorcise any demons that may linger. It's another chance to replace the pain of the past with the promise of the present.
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“We've had our battles over the years and this we'll be another one,” said Bills’ seventh-year head coach Sean McDermott.
Putting aside the fact that they badly need a win this Sunday, the Bills have already done their best to turn the tide in this rivalry, having won each of the last four late-season meetings, including a perfect offensive game in the 2021 AFC Wildcard round.
Each of the four victories came in style, too, all of them uniquely memorable.
The first post-Brady victory is arguably the most unforgettable. Late during the 2020 COVID-affected season, the Bills went on the road and bludgeoned the Pats, 38-9, on Monday Night Football. Josh Allen (320 pass yards, 4 TD) and Stefon Diggs (9 rec, 145 yards, 3 TD) put on an offensive clinic as Buffalo put an exclamation point on its first division title in 25 years. This is also known as the “Belichick tablet temper tantrum game.”
The Bills never trailed during the 2021 late-season visit to New England in what will forever be remembered for Diggs graciously dishing out NSFW holiday greetings to Pats’ fans in the end zone after his second-quarter touchdown catch that bumped Buffalo’s lead to 17-7. The same two teams met again in Buffalo a few weeks later in a playoff game where the temperature remained in single digits. The Bills scored touchdown on their first seven possessions in a 47-17 rout.
The Week 18 win last season marked the first time the Bills took the field after Damar Hamlin's cardiac episode in Cincinnati. With emotions heightened, Nyheim Hines did the unimaginable and returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Then, he added another one in the second half of the 35-23 victory that allowed the city to feel joy again.
Next, on the final day of the 2023 Gregorian calendar, the Bills can drive one final stake into the heart of this rivalry. Not only are Buffalo’s postseason aspirations on the line, but this is a revenge game. The Patriots defeated the Bills at home in Week 7 with Mike Gesicki making the game-winning TD grab in the final seconds.
“This is a team that beat us up there, earlier in the season, so we'll have our work cut out for us up here in Orchard Park,” said McDermott.
It’s an important task that awaits, and it’s time for the Bills to take care of business one more time against the fading Patriots.
Last Four Late-Year Meetings
Jan. 8, 2023 — BUFFALO 35, New England 23
Jan. 15, 2022 — BUFFALO 47, New England 14 (AFC Wildcard)
Dec. 26, 2021 — Buffalo 33, NEW ENGLAND 21
Dec. 28, 2020 — Buffalo 38, NEW ENGLAND 9 (MNF)
