Sean McDermott admits quiet part out loud about Patriots winning AFC East

If anyone suggested at the start of the 2025 season that the New England Patriots would win the AFC East in Week 17 with an NFL-high 13-3 record, they would have surely been laughed at, and not just because they were coming off back to back seasons with just four wins, but also due to the expected continued rise of the Buffalo Bills, who have owned the division since 2020.

At the beginning of the season, it looked like that would still be reality, until the Patriots went on a 10-game win streak and snuck into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. Now going into their season finale game against the Dolphins, they're AFC East Champions, while the Bills are hoping to move up from the seven seed.

It's a twist of fate that Josh Allen and Co. are having to accept after winning five straight divisional titles and doing absolutely nothing with it, which actually set an NFL record, and not a one they'll want to put on a banner in their stadium (unless they were the Colts).

And now, head coach Sean McDermott is having to explain their new yet familiar stance in the division after Allen's failed 2-point conversion lost them their crown, and he stated the quiet part out loud that Patriots fans will love to hear.

Sean McDermott acknowledges that the Bills have a tough road ahead in the division

When asked about losing the division by their own hand after losing to the Eagles on Sunday, McDermott didn't mince words about his disappointment, while also admitting their long-term future is no longer in their control, a major sign they know the Patriots are legit.

“It doesn’t make me happy. We focus on getting better. That’s the piece we can control.

It is important that we win the division. It’s something we’ve taken a lot of pride in, that’s obviously not in our control anymore. So we’ve got to focus on, as I said before, here’s where we’re at. What are we going to do to sure things up? What are we going to do to learn from this game?”

The rise of Drake Maye under the guidance of Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels has quickly become an absolute nightmare for the Bills and now, the rest of the AFC.

While it was clear the quarterback would be good throughout his rookie season, the development and progression we've seen from him in his second season are incredibly rare in the NFL, which explains why he's in the MVP conversation at just 23 years old.

He has put the AFC East and the league on notice, and what the Bills thought was going to be a wide-open division for years to come has abruptly closed, leaving them looking down a road of stiff competition for the divisional crown moving forward.

It's too early to suggest there's another dynasty in the making, but it doesn't seem premature to say that the Patriots are in the best shape to be a competitive team since Tom Brady left in 2020. That's part of what makes the Bills' loss even better.