New England defense elicits very different reactions from Buffalo

While Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott showered the New England defense with praise, left tackle Dion Dawkins was far less complimentary.

Perhaps someone should inform the Buffalo Bills to all get on the same page with one another.

Asked by reporters on Monday what he thought of the New England Patriots defense – which still has yet to allow a touchdown through three games this season – Bills head coach Sean McDermott didn’t hold back with the effusive praise.

“It’s unbelievable,” McDermott remarked, per NBC Sports Boston. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around that, ever heard of that to this point in the season. You know, I’m very early on my film process at this point, but what they’re doing and how they’re doing it – they’re playing really well with a bunch of good players. (The Patriots have) done some really, really cool things on defense.”

Whether or not McDermott actually feels as in awe of the Patriots defense as he claims to isn’t really the point. Just as his New England counterpart Bill Belichick is wont to do, McDermott knows there’s strategy involved with talking up an opponent in the days leading up to a pivotal clash.

One of his players, left tackle Dion Dawkins, evidently feels differently, though.

“We don’t care what they’ve done the games before because (the Patriots) haven’t played us yet,” Dawkins told reporters following Wednesday’s practice, this time via NBC Sports Boston’s Dave Green. “Once they play us and if it doesn’t change then that’s when y’all could start talking… You guys have seen Josh (Allen), our coaches, really all of us, we’re just on a different mission. We have something going and I don’t really care who it is (that we play).”

Dawkins isn’t wrong to feel confident in his offense. He should actually be commended for praising his own quarterback and standing by his teammates; besides, he knows as well as anyone that the Bills can’t afford to stand idly by in reverential deference of the New England killer machine.

That said, maybe – just maybe – he could have toned down the machismo rhetoric a little bit.

To his credit, Dawkins later admitted that he liked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and respected his game as a football player. So it’s not as if the Buffalo offensive lineman is saying anything sacrilegious about New England or its superstar franchise cornerstone.

The Bills and Patriots will meet Sunday afternoon at New Era Field. Both teams are undefeated on the season, though New England has won 15 of the past 18 matchups between the AFC East rivals – including eight of nine at Orchard Park.