The Patriots are about to embark on one of the more difficult endings to the 2024 season any team will have, starting with a road game against the Bills and ending the year at Gillette Stadium against the Chargers and the Bills (again).
It's far from an ideal schedule, especially given the Patriots' position and how much they could benefit from stacking a few wins before the offseason, but it appears they're more on track to lose out than anything.
It's the unfortunate reality that the team has gotten themselves into not just this year but since Tom Brady decided to leave in 2020. Despite the changes made to the coaching staff and the roster, they're not in a better spot than they were just one year ago, leading many to lose all optimism heading into an offseason with a lot of cap space to use.
It surely doesn't help that they'll be playing the Bills after suffering an embarrassing loss to the very beatable Cardinals last Sunday. It's a loss beyond devastating simply because it was another checkmark in the L column.
It couldn't be a worse time for the Patriots to be playing the Bills this week
It was the latest display of an undisciplined team that, to some, looks like they have already checked out for the year. That can't happen against a team like Buffalo, who are on a legendary streak right now led by MVP candidate Josh Allen.
To make matters worse, the Bills' rollout of their new uniform combination looks like they're trolling the Patriots. They look almost identical to the Patriots' throwbacks, which doesn't feel like a coincidence.
The @BuffaloBills are debuting a new uniform combo for this Sunday’s game against the Patriots and it is elite pic.twitter.com/02fl7B3rPD
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 17, 2024
While it doesn't stray too far from one of their throwbacks, using it against the Patriots this week feels like a premeditated decision.
But the Patriots have a good comeback if they want to go that far. Buffalo was a team that Brady personally owned throughout his New England tenure, and the only reason the Bills are seeing so much success now is because the legendary quarterback left the division.
So, at the end of the day, they should thank Brady for the gift he gave them as they become the new leaders of the AFC East. Hopefully, it won't be for too much longer now that the Patriots have Drake Maye under center.