Just like the past five years, the Patriots were not expected to do much of anything during the 2025 season, making it another year for the Bills to dominate the AFC East and make their way to their first Super Bowl appearance since the 90s. And at the start of the season, it looked like that would be true once again.
That is, until the Patriots went on a 10-game win streak, which included beating the Bills in Buffalo, and eventually won the divisional title and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
They went on to have one of the most difficult routes to the Super Bowl in NFL history, facing all top-5 defenses in their three playoff games, and will now face another when they take on the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
Seeing them accomplish this in Year 1 under Mike Vrabel has stirred Bills fans, and they are not accepting what the Patriots' success means all that well, with some losing their minds on social media once their win was made official.
Bills fans are having a hard time accepting that their rule over the AFC East is over
Although it's not unexpected for fans of divisional rival teams to express their distaste for a team that is their direct competition, it is funny to see a fanbase, like that of the Bills, focus so much on what the Patriots are doing while simultaneously still complaining about how they lost their divisional round matchup.
It didn't take long for all the excuses to make their way to Twitter about why the Patriots were the AFC representative in this year's Super Bowl, as several accounts immediately dismissed what they accomplished and chalked it up to their schedule.
Then some believe their Super Bowl appearance is "flukey," which doesn't make a lot of sense, considering teams don't just get handed wins to reach the game. That's where the current narrative is in Buffalo regarding the Patriots.
Most fluky Super Bowl appearance I have ever seen
— SleeperBills (@SleeperBills) January 25, 2026
It's an unfortunate reality they have dealt with all season long, not just from rival teams but also a majority of the loudest voices in NFL media.
From being called "fool's gold" to "not facing legitimate opponents," the narratives continue to follow this Patriots' team and surely won't stop, despite their way to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season.
While it may have been unpredictable, it has now become reality, and the Bills are staring down several years of having to compete for the AFC East title again, hoping they won't face the same fate as the Belichick-Brady era.
It will only be made worse if the Patriots manage to sneak out of Santa Clara with a win.