Coach Sean McDermott’s approach hasn’t changed, even though his Buffalo Bills have taken control of the AFC East from their long-time rivals, the New England Patriots.
The Bills (11-3) used to be the team trying to catch up to the Patriots during their dominance with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady from 2001 to 2019. Now, the Bills are the ones leading the division after securing their fifth straight division title. They are set to host the Patriots (3-11) on Sunday.
“I don’t think we look at it that way, quite honestly. I think we look at it as this is our standard, this is what we expect from ourselves daily,” McDermott said.
“Certainly respect everyone in the division, in this case, the Patriots. I’m sure they feel the same way,” he added. “They have a certain standard and goals for themselves, and every year it’s up for grabs. It really is.”
In theory, this is true, but in reality, it has been very different. This season, the Bills clinched the AFC East with five games left to play.
This is similar to the Patriots’ dominance over the past 19 years when they won 17 division titles and six Super Bowls. They often controlled the Bills, winning 34 of their 38 meetings during that stretch, including the first six after McDermott became head coach in Buffalo in 2017.
Things have changed a lot since then, with the Bills winning 7 of the last 9 games against the Patriots, including playoffs. The two teams have not met yet this season, but they will play again in two weeks at New England.
While the Bills have bigger goals ahead, the Patriots face several questions as the season ends.
When asked if his team had found an identity, first-year coach Jerod Mayo said: “We are what our record says we are at this point in time. We’ve just got to be better.”
The Patriots have a lot of issues, and much of their future depends on rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s growth. The No. 3 pick out of North Carolina is 2-7 as a starter, throwing 12 touchdown passes, including seven in a six-game streak. However, he’s also thrown 9 interceptions, with seven of them coming in the last six games.
One mixed stat: The Patriots have kept games close but are 2-5 in one-score games, including two overtime losses.
“We’re getting a chance to play against a playoff-level team and really see what it’s like to, ‘Hey, these guys are there and where we want to be at,’” Maye said. “It kind of gives us a level of, ‘Hey, who can make plays for us in these moments?’ and it checks the gas tank for ourselves, where we’re at and what we’re building on.”
For the Bills, who still have a chance to get the top seed in the AFC, the challenge is to keep up their strong play after a tough four-game stretch where they beat Kansas City (13-1), Detroit (12-2), and San Francisco (6-8) but lost to the Rams (8-6).
“There’s still a lot to play for,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. “Obviously, we don’t control our own destiny there. But our approach is the same, 1-0 each week.”
