For years, the New England Patriots were the undisputed top dog in the AFC East. The last half-decade, however, has belonged to the Buffalo Bills.
Led by quarterback Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills have won five straight division titles and repeatedly gotten the better of their rivals. That includes a Patriots team that has gone just 8-3 against Buffalo going back to 2020, including a blowout loss in the playoffs.
The goal is clear: for the Patriots to return to the top, they need
to become more competitive against the class of the division. They hope to start this week.
“It’s a great gauge for us,” said quarterback Drake Maye ahead of Sunday’s meeting between the two teams. “See what we’ve got. We’re competing on the road in a tough environment, and it’s one of the first times we’ll do that as a team. Battling through, playing four quarters of football, that’s going to matter. Playing on the road, four quarters matters. You can’t just play a half, and you can’t just show up at the beginning and not at the end, but playing full four quarters, going into hostile environment and bringing our own energy.”
The Bills are not an entirely unfamiliar opponent for Maye, even though the current iteration of the Patriots under new head coach Mike Vrabel has yet to face off against them. The last time they met back in January, mere hours before Vrabel’s predecessor, Jerod Mayo, was fired, both teams relied primarily on their backups.
That day, Maye was pulled after one three-and-out series while his team went on to win 23-16. Two weeks prior to that game, the then-rookie quarterback went wire-to-wire in a 24-21 defeat.
“It was a 4:25 game, so it ended up turning into basically a night game there with how dark it gets up here in the north,” he said. “It was freezing cold, I remember that. Other than that, just the atmosphere. It’s in Buffalo; their fans are very hostile, and I think that’s the energy that they want. The home environment speaks to what their record’s been at home. Hostile environment, it was cold last time we went there.
“I remember we were up in the locker room at halftime, and everybody was regrouping, trying to get back ready for the cold. I think it’ll be a little bit better weather this time, but playing on silent count is going to be huge, knowing that. They’re one of the best teams in the league, so we’ve got our hands full going up to their place.”
Whereas the Patriots are entering Week 5 with a 2-2 record, the Bills have yet to be bested this season. Maye and company being the first to do so would be a statement, especially in primetime, but the young passer knows that one game in October — regardless of result — is not necessarily indicative of future success or failure.
“Just not taking it as an end-all, be-all for this week,” he said. “We’ve got a long season ahead, but this is a great checkpoint to see what we’ve got and what we can handle.”
