The New England Patriots sport an 11-2 record and are on their way to the NFL playoffs. Where they are seeded will depend on how they finish the final four games of the season. That will depend mightily on their MVP candidate, quarterback Drake Maye. Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald thinks their most formidable opponent in the playoffs will be the Buffalo Bills, and he's probably right.
The Bills are a tough matchup, no matter where or when you play them. They have the NFL's current King of the Hill, 2024's MVP, quarterback Josh Allen. Allen is a 6'5', 237-pound battering ram who's also completing 69.4 percent of his passes. That's the highest clip of his career. He's getting better with age, a truly frightening proposition.
Allen has 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. When he's not carving you up like a Thanksgiving turkey with his passes, he gouges you with his legs. He has 409 yards and a massive 11 more touchdowns to his credit in 12 games. He and running back James Cook, who has 1228 yards with a 5.3 yards per carry average and eight touchdowns, will torch you on the ground.
The Patriots will probably face a familiar foe in the playoffs this year
Andrew Callahan believes that it's Buffalo and everybody else on the list of toughest possible playoff contenders for the Patriots, and its hard to argue with him.
1. The Pats’ most dangerous playoff opponent is … Buffalo, but it’s close. The Texans’ defense is the most fearsome unit — offense, defense or special teams — of any in the AFC.. Houston ranks first in points allowed...Yet I can’t slot them ahead of the Bills. It comes down to this: if you’re the Patriots, do you have more confidence in Drake Maye leading a game-winning final drive versus the Texans defense or your defense stopping Josh Allen in the same scenario? I’m taking Maye."
Josh Allen is a force all by himself. Added to solid receivers Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, and tight end Dalton Kinkaid, facing them at any time is a defensive coordinator's nightmare. But there is good news for the Patriots, and it has and will come before the playoffs even begin.
The Patriots have already beaten the Bills on the road, and have a chance to sweep them this Sunday
On the plus side, should the Patriots face the Bills in the playoffs, they'll have some very positive things going for them. The first is that they went into Buffalo and beat the Bills, 23-20. Vrabel and his team know they can beat the Bills. Any mystique to the contrary is history.
Another plus is they'll have another regular-season opportunity on December 14 to try to do so again, this time at home. That game will be a key, if not the absolutely determinant, of who'll win the AFC East. If the Patriots prevail, you can bank on their reclaiming the title that's resided in Buffalo since 2020.
The other arrows in the Patriots' quiver are many, but the two most important men on the field are the two most important men on the field. The first is Head Coach Mike Vrabel. After a wobbly start in the first three games, the prediction that no other NFL coach would outcoach Vrabel has rung true. He's one of the best, and that advantage shifts to Foxborough.
The other most formidable Patriots' asset is Josh Allen's counterpart and now nemesis, Patriots' emerging MVP competitor, Drake Maye. Maye is on track to wrest the NFL's MVP award from Allen in 2025. He'll need to finish what he's started in the first 13 games to do so. A big win against Allen and company in Foxborough will help him do just that.
Maye leads the league in completion percentage, passer rating, and passing yards, three key determinants of a possible MVP. The Patriots have a flawed but still productive offense, led by Maye, that can beat you in any number of ways. With his upgraded offensive line, improved wide receiving corps, and explosive running back TreVeyon Henderson, he's taken the offense to a whole new level.
In addition, the Patriots' defense is playing well, and they'll have to, whether it's Allen or anyone else on the other side of the field. The AFC title may wind up going through Foxborough, but as Callahan noted, the Patriots will probably have to trample the mighty Bills in the playoffs to get there. The December 14 game will tell more of the story, but the final chapter will likely come later in the playoffs.