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Buffalo Bills’ week one victory is harsh reminder for Patriots

By Lou Scataglia

Dec 6, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buffalo Bills’ week one drubbing of the Los Angeles Rams is an unfortunate and harsh reminder for the New England Patriots.  When the Patriots went 10-7 in 2021 and made the playoffs, things were looking up in New England, just being two years removed from losing Tom Brady.

The Buffalo Bills finished just one win better at 11-6, and the Patriots had split the season series that year as well.  Perhaps the new-look Patriots and the Bills were closer than we thought?  Well, as the teams met in the Wild Card round, that clearly wasn’t the case.

Buffalo won that game by thirty points.  The Patriots’ defense got gouged and their offense couldn’t move the ball well enough with a rookie Mac Jones.  On Thursday night, against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Bills put on an absolute clinic.

The Los Angeles Rams, filled with star-studded power, simply couldn’t hang.  A team that won the Super Bowl, improved their roster in the offseason, and were still largely seen as NFC Super Bowl favorites, got blown out at home by 21 points.

Watching this game should be an unfortunate and harsh reminder for the Patriots, and the rest of the AFC East.  New England has owned this division for the better part of 20 years, and the second place finish in 2021 could have put some cautious optimism in the fanbase that the Bills might not be as dominant as we think.

After their week one performance, I’m wondering if any team in the AFC East has even a sliver of a chance to beat the team in 2022.  Hopefully, seeing the Rams get blown out prompts the Patriots to kick it into high gear when the season starts, especially when they play the Bills.  Buffalo still has their weaknesses, but it’s clear that their roster is arguably the best in the NFL.

The Patriots have good players on their roster and appear to have solid depth as well.  However, I’m not sure this team is equipped to take on Buffalo.

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