Blatant, league-wide disrespect helped fuel the New England Patriots to their first NFL championship some 23 years ago, and those same vibes are back entering Super Bowl LX.
It’s not even all the national “experts” randomly casting the Seattle Seahawks as a juggernaut ahead of this year's big game, or dismissing the Patriots’ current run of 16 wins in 17 games as “lucky.”
No, leave it to the delusional AFC East rival Buffalo Bills to throw some strays the Patriots way.
To be clear, we’re not talking about Bills Mafia here. This is a tough time, with Sean McDermott laughably being replaced by Joe Brady as head coach, and the 23-year-old Drake Maye reaching a Super Bowl before Josh Allen. Bills fans have every right to vent their feelings on social media, and behind all the laughter, Patriots fans might actually feel a smidge of sympathy for them (maybe).
But the delusion down in Orchard Park is painfully real right now. It’s embarrassing enough that, after seven consecutive seasons with double-digit wins and playoff berths, the Bills’ “new direction” is to promote their offensive play caller and OC of the past two-plus years.
But as Allen proved following Brady’s introductory press conference on Thursday, it actually can get worse.
Josh Allen tossed a cringy stray at the Patriots after latest playoff failure
For the record, the Bills did not reach the AFC Championship Game this year. They turned the football over five times in a 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs, and then proceeded to cry about the officiating, a classic move for any loser franchise.
To Allen’s credit, he showed a ton of leadership following that brutal loss in Denver. He put the loss on his shoulders, and was visibly upset during his post-game press conference. Had McDermott struck a similar tone — instead of “standing up for Buffalo” and ranting about the officials — he might still be head coach of the Bills.
The Joe Brady introduction was the first time we’ve heard from Allen publicly since McDermott’s firing, and Allen gave reporters a candid breakdown of his reaction and involvement in that process.
In fact, he might’ve been a little too honest after falling three points shy of clinching a berth to the AFC Championship Game, which would've been against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
“Very, very emotional. I’m sitting in my house. I woke up to a call from Mr. Pegula, telling me what had transpired, and I called Coach McDermott immediately. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Coach McDermott. The last eight seasons, eight years of my life, he’s been through ups and downs of me as a player, as a person. You know, he’s seen me grow up in a sense. And to know that, again, we’ve had a lot of success here, and I’d be lying to you if I’m sitting here saying that I feel like I had a part in it, because if we made… if I make one more play that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now. We’re probably not making a change. And, in all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game. That’s the hard part to take in from my perspective, but that’s reality.”
Actually, the “reality” seems to be that Allen’s living in the same fantasyland as Bills Mafia these days.
Yes, had Allen protected the football better, the Bills might’ve found a way to get through Denver and book a date in Foxboro. But the idea that Buffalo would have just waltzed past the Patriots and on to the Super Bowl is, in all honestly, laughable.
The Patriots went into Orchard Park and beat the Bills in Week 5. It then took an epic comeback from 21 points down, and some fortunate breaks down the stretch, for Allen and company to escape Foxboro with a 35-31 win in Week 15.
That’s not to mention that the AFC Championship Game might’ve been played in a literal Nor’Easter inside Gillette Stadium, and Buffalo had one of the worst rushing defenses in football in 2025. The Patriots? They were top-five.
Hey, it is what it is. The Patriots clearly “lucked” their way to a Super Bowl by winning the AFC East, beating everyone in their path, and avoiding vaunted Buffalo on Championship Weekend.
We’ll see if the Joe Brady Bills can prove their quarterback right in 2026. In the meantime, the Patriots will prepare for their NFL-leading 12th Super Bowl appearance, while Allen and crew embark on their “new era” and chomp on sour grapes.