If the Patriots' failure to make any moves ahead of the trade deadline wasn't bad enough, the Bills just made a big splash, sending a second-round pick to the Titans for superstar safety Amani Hooker, who's currently on pace to have his best season by a mile.
Just last week against the Bengals, Hooker recorded 3 interceptions returned for 22 yards, with 3 passes defended and 6 combined tackles. It was the kind of performance that put him on the Bills' radar, especially after squeaking by the Vikings on Monday Night Football, and now the Patriots will have an even bigger challenge when they welcome their divisional foe to Gillette Stadium in Week 13.
This season, Hooker has arguably been the best safety in the NFL, recording 52 combined tackles, 5 interceptions returned for 114 yards (including one 92-yard return), and 6 passes defended.
The opposing quarterback's talent hasn't mattered a bit, and with a depleted offense and a potentially struggling Drake Maye again, the Patriots are in deep trouble just under a month out from their rematch.
The Patriots' offense is not going to have an easy time against the Bills moving forward
After narrowly beating them in Buffalo in Week 4, handing them their first loss in the new Highmark Stadium and their only loss so far this season, the Patriots are hoping to make a clean sweep of the Bills this year for the first time since Tom Brady's last season in New England.
Other than splitting the season with them since Drake Maye became the quarterback, the Bills became the big brother of the AFC East from 2020 to 2024, and they could be back on track to being a major problem for the Patriots now that they have a legitimate weapon in their secondary.
They already had a talented group as it was, but it's clear they weren't satisfied with how they would hold up for the rest of the season, which led them to make a big-time move for Hooker.
It was apparently a priority after Monday Night, as reports claim they were heavily pursuing Budda Baker before reaching a deal with the Titans, but the Cardinals didn't seem all that interested in letting go of the superstar.
Now that Hooker will be on the roster, the Patriots' offense will face an even tougher challenge in just a few weeks, especially with an already beat-up offense with no return date for receivers A.J. Brown or Romeo Doubs yet known.
The same can be said about Rhamondre Stevenson, who suffered a knee injury against the Packers this past weekend and has been a constant part of the passing game, which doesn't bode well for the Patriots' chances.
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