The New England Patriots missed their chance to clinch the AFC East on Sunday, as they allowed the Buffalo Bills to complete a 21-point comeback in the second half en route to their third loss of the season.
It was the Patriots first loss since week three, when they fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers back in September.
New England still controls it’s destiny in the AFC East: they would clinch the division if they win out.
Despite the loss, Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel is maintaining his confidence in his team as they prepare to take on the desperate Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in week 16.
“I love coaching these guys and it’s not perfect and none of us are,” Vrabel said on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday morning. “This happens in the National Football League. It’s been 83 days since we lost, we went 83 days and it was a good run and we have to start another one. We’re going to get back to work here and practice; we’ve got a bunch of good dudes.”
It’s a pretty remarkable achievement to go 83 days without losing a football game, especially when you look back at the 2024 season when New England went 4-13 with Jerod Mayo at the helm.
Now, it’s up to the Pats to regroup after their long winning streak and prove that this isn’t a fluke season.
“This is where you’ve got to pick the pieces back up; we’re 11-3, and we’re going to work our asses off to be 12-3,” Vrabel said.
Patriots Defense Falters in Second Half Against Buffalo
After holding Josh Allen and the Bills offense to just seven points in the first half, New England allowed Buffalo to score 28 points in the second half as they erased the Pats commanding 24-7 lead.
Allen and Co. seemed to move the ball at will in the second half, as James Cook and Dawson Knox each picked up two touchdowns in the final 30 minutes of the game.
Per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN, the Bills comeback in the second half was the largest blow lead by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium since 1978. Buffalo has been one of the best teams in the NFL at battling back from deficits this season, which the most recently did against the Cincinnati Bengals in week14 before doing it again against New England.
Pats Still Control AFC East Destiny With Three Weeks Left
New England has a one game lead over Buffalo with three games remaining for each team in the regular season. The path to winning the division for the first time since 2020 is pretty simple for the Patriots: win out.
It’s not an insurmountable feat. The Baltimore Ravens are the toughest opponent the Patriots have remaining, and though they’ll be desperate as they look to win the AFC North, they’ve proven to be very beatable this season as Lamar Jackson has struggled.
Following Baltimore, New England will finish the regular season against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. New York has been abysmal all season, while Miami has surged through November and early December.
If the Dolphins win their next two games, that week 18 matchup may be highly consequential for them, but if not, then the Patriots should have no problem taking them down at home.
Mike Vrabel Maintains Confidence in Patriots Following Bills Loss