Bill Belichick congratulating Sean McDermott proves 2020 has been humbling for Patriots

Bill Belichick lauding Sean McDermott proves how humbling this season has been for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots’ blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in primetime on Monday night served as another humbling reminder in terms of just how far off their roster is from being able to compete with some of the best teams in the NFL.

At this point, you’d be lying to yourself if you can’t admit that Buffalo (12-3) belongs in that category. If not for otherworldly seasons from other quarterbacks, Josh Allen would be a legitimate MVP candidate. Either way, he’ll likely still finish third in the race.

Allen and wideout Stefon Diggs have an unbelievable connection, and the defense, though it’s regressed compared to last season, is stout when it needs to be. Clearly aware of this, Bill Belichick took longer than usual while shaking hands with Bills head coach Sean McDermott at midfield after the game.

According to the latter, that’s because he was showering him with praise for the job he’s done with the Bills in his fourth year at the helm.

"“Yeah, I mean, listen, I’ve been on the other side of it before,” McDermott told reporters. “And so he was very complimentary, and I certainly appreciate that. And as you mentioned, a lot of respect for what he’s been able to do. So I just think it says a lot about the way we’re doing things as an organization, not just on the field what people see, but off the field.”"

This was a class act from Belichick, who doesn’t often stick around dishing out compliments to opposing head coaches after lopsided losses. However, him doing so also proves just how much of a reality check this underwhelming season has been for him and the Patriots, who are guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the first time since 2000 (!) after dropping to 6-9 with one week remaining.

As far as replenishing rosters are concerned, it would behoove Belichick to take a page out of the Bills playbook. After all, McDermott and GM Brandon Beane have done an exceptional job orchestrating the franchise’s turnaround since they were paired together in 2017.

That obviously isn’t to say the Patriots’ rebuild will take four years, because they have some promising foundational pieces to work with. However, fans are kidding themselves if they think it’ll only take one offseason and a bunch of salary cap space to fix the significant holes on their roster.

Patriots: You have to feel for Cam Newton after his rough postgame interview

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