Underdog Patriots Desperately Seeking Signature Win Against Bills
The New England Patriots need a win. Moreover, they need a signature win.
Both can be accomplished Thursday night at Gillette Stadium when they host the Buffalo Bills.
Let's face it, the Pats so far have merely been spinning their wheels. They've absorbed injuries and a quarterback controversy to manage a 6-5 record. But mostly they've played to expectations: winning the games in which they were favored and losing when they've been underdogs.
How predictable have these Patriots been?
The only game they've won as an underdog (albeit slight at just +1.5 points) was against the Browns in Week 6, when they won a blowout in Cleveland. Otherwise, it's played according to form. Which is merely a continuation of the end of 2021.
New England's "best" win of the season was the 22-17 victory at the New York Jets in Week 8. Though the Pats were favored by 3.5 points, snagging a road game against a winning team is to be celebrated. Their season, in essence, has been the two wins over the 7-4 Jets - one in which since-benched quarterback Zach Wilson threw three interceptions and the other when rookie Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with five seconds remaining.
Otherwise, New England has four victories ... all against teams (Pittsburgh Steelers, Browns, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts) currently 4-7.
Matthew Judon on defense and Rhamondre Stevenson on offense are playing at Pro Bowl levels. Outside of them, it's a bunch of average players on an average team.
The Pats enter this AFC East showdown in last place in the division. They need a win to improve to 7-5 and solidify their Wild Card chances. Just as importantly, they need to signal to the NFL that they belong.
It's something they haven't done in almost a year.
The Pats haven't "upset" a playoff contender since beating the Bills 51 weeks ago in a 14-10 win on Dec. 6, 2021 in a freezing hurricane in upstate New York. Since then they are 7-9 with a hole in their resume next to "signature win."
Feels like this is the fork in the road of New England's season.
Beat a Super Bowl contender and its MVP candidate quarterback, and fortify your playoff legitimacy. Or lose to another favored team, and continue trudging along the treadmill as a .500 outfit headed nowhere.
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