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On cusp of an AFC East coronation, Patriots were given cold reality check by Josh Allen
"That’s why they pay him $60 million."
COMMENTARY
FOXBOROUGH — Despite the boxes of “AFC East Champions” memorabilia that were likely shipped to Gillette Stadium this past week, Mike Vrabel recoiled at any talk of Sunday’s rematch against the Bills being a trademark “hat and t-shirt” game for his team.
Rather, New England’s head coach set loftier expectations with his choice of words when describing the stakes involved against Buffalo.
“No, I don’t use the hat and T-shirt,” Vrabel said. “We’re just trying to play for the championship that we have available this week, and I think it’s a great testament to our players that have put us in this position to be able to do that.”
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A win against the Bills at a snowy Gillette Stadium would have secured New England’s first AFC East crown since 2019, back when Tom Brady was commanding the offense in Foxborough.
During the Patriots’ two-decade reign atop the NFL, divisional titles were often brushed aside as participation ribbons amid a feeble AFC East field — finding no spot on the mantle place when compared to six Lombardi Trophies.
In that same vein, a victory over Buffalo over Sunday would have represented no guarantee that this upstart Patriots roster would inevitably represent the AFC at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 9.
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But for a New England roster that has developed a knack for proving doubters wrong all year along, an AFC East title would have at least removed all doubt about the Patriots’ standing as a viable power in the league once again.
No more talk about a soft schedule. No more barbs delivered by ESPN pundits about Drake Maye’s viability as an MVP candidate.
And with established juggernauts like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow now outside of the playoff picture, no more discourse over the hurdles that await the Patriots from now until February.
That enthusiasm and revelry rooted in a Patriots coronation were evident on Sunday as New England padded a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
As Travis Scott blared over the speakers, Stefon Diggs stormed down the sideline — beckoning a riled-up crowd that needed little extra motivation to stand and shake off the snow that littered the stands in Foxborough.
Across New England’s stadium, chants of “MVP!” echoed whenever Maye took to the field. The Patriots were seemingly back.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
No hats and T-shirts on Sunday. Likely no MVP trophy for Maye. And no assurances that the road to the Super Bowl runs through Foxborough.
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Especially not with Josh Allen and the Bills still standing in the way.
As poised as the Patriots have been in Vrabel’s first year at the helm, Sunday stood as a much-needed check against the hive mind percolating across the region that New England — fresh off of back-to-back four-win campaigns — was destined to seize control of a wide-open AFC field.
Yes, Buffalo’s 35-31 win on Sunday didn’t leapfrog the Bills ahead of the Patriots in the divisional standings.
But it stood as a reminder that — at least for now — the Patriots are playing the role of “little brother” in an AFC East still run by Allen and Bills team boasting five-straight divisional titles.
“He’s accurate, strong arm. I’m giving you a dissertation on a league MVP. … That’s why they pay him $60 million,” Vrabel said postgame of Allen. “I don’t know what to tell you. Just exactly what we knew it was going to be, that we were going to need to get a stop or be able to tackle him.”
Those sought-after plays were hard to come by for New England in the second half, with the Patriots coughing up a 17-point halftime lead en route to a crushing loss in their own building. Entering Sunday, New England boasted 120 consecutive wins when holding a lead of 17 or more points at home — the longest streak in the NFL.
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Now no longer, courtesy of one of the last true roadblocks standing in front of New England this season.
“That’s a fantastic team,” Allen said postgame of the Patriots. “I think you said they won ten straight. You don’t win ten straight by not being a really, really fantastic football team. So, again, it just kind of sometimes comes down to who makes more plays. Tonight, that was us.”
Pleasantries aside, Allen’s praise will likely be undercut with the pain that awaits during Monday’s film review at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots fans groaned as Maye and the Patriots’ offense stalled out in the second half — and resorted to hurling snowballs on the field amid the parade of flags tossed to the turf by John Hussey and his officiating crew.
But few excuses could be made for how New England’s defense handled itself against one of the most potent playmakers in the league during the second half.
At one point during Sunday’s game, Buffalo rattled off five consecutive touchdown drives — with New England unable to stop the bleeding as Allen and the Bills controlled the clock and gashed the Patriots’ defense down the field.
New England presumably could have clawed back into Sunday’s game had they prescribed even more reps for TreVeyon Henderson (14 rushes, 148 yards, two touchdowns). But as noted by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth, New England simply didn’t have an opportunity to steady itself on offense — with Buffalo running 46 offensive plays in the second half … to New England’s 18.
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In total, Buffalo’s offense converted on six of its nine third-down opportunities in the second half and accumulated 273 total yards of offense over those final 30 minutes of play. Alen completed 13 of his 20 throws for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.
Add in those aforementioned penalty woes and lapses in execution on special teams, and a Patriots team riding high for months was grounded in devastating fashion amid their toughest test of the season.
“We weren’t able to get any stops,” Vrabel said. “When we had an opportunity to make a play, we weren’t able to make it. Penalties. And that’s how this game goes. A few small plays make the difference.
“We were very prepared for this team to — we were going to need 60 minutes to beat this team. This is a good football team. We had a lot of good football in there. And we had a lot of plays that, a few plays we’d like to have back that we’ll have to learn from.”
Despite Sunday’s setback, the mood in New England’s locker room was upbeat.
The Patriots — with a road win against the Bills still on their ledger — are not losing confidence in themselves, especially with another daunting matchup against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens next up on the schedule.
And as Allen stressed postgame, the standings in the AFC East remained unchanged despite Sunday’s results.
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“We’re not in first place right now so I can’t say we’re the standard bearer,” Allen said of the Bills. “Obviously, the last five-ish years, we’ve found sustained success. But never been able to punch our ticket to the Super Bowl. .. That’s every team’s dream.
“And our goal is not just to win AFC Easts. You’ve got to get into the playoffs to give yourself a chance to win a Super Bowl. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Patriots have their sights set on the same goal — one that became just a bit tougher after Sunday’s letdown.
“This definitely can be a kind of kick in the butt,” Hunter Henry said. “We’ve had things go our way and everything go our way the last 10 weeks, so this is definitely a reality check. That’s a good football team. We went toe to toe with them in every aspect, but we have to give them credit. We’ve got to get a lot better from this fast.”
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