The Bills have a chance to do more than just widen the gap in the AFC East when they face the Patriots in Week 4. A win in Orchard Park would put Buffalo three games ahead of New England and give Joe Brady’s team the first head-to-head tiebreaker, but the bigger blow may be to what’s left of the Patriots’ confidence.
It’s early October, which is no time to declare anyone a division winner in a season that stretches and bends for everyone. If Buffalo takes care of business, the talk will turn to the Bills’ grip on the AFC East.
That part matters. But what happens to New England’s mindset may matter even more.
A loss today would land far harder on the Patriots than on their record.
NFL teams bounce back from ugly stretches all the time. Buffalo itself did it in 2023, when the Bills were three games behind the Dolphins entering Week 14 and still found a way to win the division.
The Patriots, though, feel like a different case. They look close to unraveling.
That’s where this game gets dangerous for them, because the foundation of any team starts with the head coach and quarterback, and that pairing looks shaky right now in New England.
Mike Vrabel came into a turbulent offseason with momentum after leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season on the job. Drake Maye, meanwhile, was runner-up to NFL MVP last season.
None of that matters much now. Through three games, the third-year quarterback has one touchdown and six interceptions, and last week’s blowout loss to the Jaguars only turned up the heat.
The story around New England all week has been the growing divide between Vrabel and Maye. Vrabel has been blunt in his postgame comments and in interviews since then, openly taking shots at some of Maye’s decisions and throws against Jacksonville. Maye has suggested a shoulder injury may be behind his rough start, while Vrabel has shown no interest in using that as an excuse.
Patriots insiders have gone on Boston-area radio saying there’s nothing wrong with Maye.
Still, the quarterback showed up on the injury report all week as “full” with a shoulder injury for the first time this season.
New England is already missing Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore, two of its three best defensive players, and that’s no small thing. But the bigger concern is what happens if Maye has another rough outing and the Bills look clearly superior on the field.
That kind of performance would invite a loud media and fan reaction, and the damage could go well beyond the standings. The loss of confidence, the pressure, the noise - that’s the part that could really hurt this Patriots team.
And if nothing else, this is the reminder the NFL keeps offering: talent matters, but so does the human side of it all.
In Other News...
Bills Let Another AFC East Game Slip Away For One Reason
The Bills had enough offense to stay in the fight with New England, but it still came down to a familiar kind of AFC East frustration. James Cook and Josh Allen both helped Buffalo move the ball and put points on the board, yet the back-and-forth game never quite tilted the Bills way as the Patriots kept finding answers.
Drake Mayes night mixed big throws with turnovers, but New England still came up with the plays that mattered most, including touchdowns from Romeo Doubs and Efton Chism III. Chisms late scoring catch helped seal the Patriots 29-26 win, leaving Buffalo with another divisional loss and another reminder that close games in this rivalry keep slipping out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Loss To Patriots Turns On One Infuriating Sequence
A jarring sideline exchange helped flip the flow of a tight game in New England, and the Bills were the ones who benefited in the moment. Mike Vrabel was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after using profanity toward an official, and the flag extended a Buffalo drive that ended with a game-tying touchdown before halftime.
From there, though, the Patriots regrouped and finished with a 29-26 win, powered by Drake Mayes three-touchdown afternoon and a game ball from Vrabel. The penalty became one of the afternoons most talked-about sequences, and both Vrabel and official Bill Vinovich addressed it after the game, leaving Buffalo with plenty to wonder about on a day when a small flashpoint carried outsized weight. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Secondary Concerns Just Got Harder To Ignore After Patriots Loss
The Bills secondary left little room for comfort in the loss to New England, and Maxwell Hairston had a difficult afternoon trying to keep pace with Romeo Doubs. Hairston was beaten for two touchdown catches, a reminder of how quickly coverage issues can swing a game when Buffalo is already dealing with injuries and a thin defensive backfield.
Josh Allens late interception only added to the frustration, even with Keon Coleman giving the offense a bright spot by finishing with 116 receiving yards and a touchdown. The bigger concern for Buffalo is that the defensive questions did not just linger after the defeat, they showed up in moments that mattered most, and now they sit there for everyone to see. [Read more 🡒]