Joe Brady gets another shot at NFL history in Week 4, and this one comes with a divisional wrinkle the Buffalo Bills can’t ignore.
Buffalo is 3-0 heading into today’s matchup with the New England Patriots, and Brady is looking for his first win against an AFC East opponent as a head coach. He’s already put together a sharp opening stretch with the Bills, even if last week’s comeback over the Chargers came with some messy moments that had more to do with five turnovers than anything Brady drew up.
The bigger picture, though, is what a win would mean for Brady’s place in league history. After Buffalo’s victory over Los Angeles, he became the fifth-youngest head coach in the Super Bowl era to start his coaching career 3-0. A win today would push him into even rarer company.
According to the Buffalo Bills’ PR X account, Brady can become the second-youngest head coach to open his tenure 4-0. That would put him alongside Josh McDaniels, who is currently the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. McDaniels reached that mark when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos and won his first six games as a rookie head coach.
It’s been a clean start to Brady’s run, with Buffalo handling a tough Texans defense, delivering a strong home debut in the new Highmark Stadium against the Lions, and then rallying past the Chargers. Now comes the Patriots, the team that made life miserable for Bills Mafia for nearly two decades.
That history still hangs over this matchup. New England beat Buffalo in primetime last season in the old Highmark Stadium, in what turned out to be the final meeting between the two teams there. For Brady, taking his first loss against the franchise that once controlled the AFC East would not be the kind of milestone anyone in Buffalo wants attached to his name.
The Bills should have the edge, especially with New England off to a rough start and dealing with injuries. But they still have to play clean and keep the Patriots from hanging around.
If Buffalo comes out the way it did a week ago, there’s a real path to 4-0. If they don’t, the Patriots are more than capable of turning this into a fight.
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 🡒]