Getty New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Sports and superstitions seemingly go hand-in-hand. Fans and coaches have their own beliefs while players can sometimes take that to the next level.
The New England Patriots are no different from the norm. In their buildup to a Week 16 tilt with the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots kept things light around the locker room but also remained focused on the task at hand.
New England also has a tradition, Fat Friday, for which the team orders fast food for the players. This week, the Patriots stuck with a superstition that has proven to bring good luck for gameday for awhile.
The Patriots ordered Chick-Fil-A for the players, and while the chain is a fast food champion, it has also been a solid choice for the Patriots. New England is a whopping 32-2 in games played after eating Chick-Fil-A on a Friday, that stat according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Businesslike but loose: Joining @RandyScottESPN for “@SportsCenter Huddle” segment to describe Patriots’ locker-room atmosphere this week, as DT Deatrich Wise Jr. rides a bicycle🚲through the room, Tom Brady is locked in🔒, and hopes that Chick-fil-A🐔is once again a lucky charm.
How he figured out, well no one really knows. But the Patriots should find solace in knowing they at least have luck on their side because of eating Chick-Fil-A. Though it likely won’t have any effect on the actual, it does factor into players using superstitions to succeed.
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Numbers for Week 16 in New England’s Favor
Not only do the Patriots frequently win after eating Chick-Fil-A, but they also have a pretty good record at home in December.
Since 2000, when Bill Belichick took over as head coach and Tom Brady first joined the team, the Patriots are 68-17 in the month of December. With Brady under center, that mark stands at 62-15 with the legendary quarterback missing December in 2008 while injured and in 2000 when he was still a backup.
At home since December 2001, the Patriots are nearly unbeatable, going 36-5 in such games. Of course, the Patriots lost their first of three December home games back in Week 14 against Kansas City with a little help from some questionable officiating.
How about against the Bills at home with Brady in the game? New England has gone 15-0 on these occasions, including Week 16 of last season when the Patriots took down a struggling Buffalo team 24-12 at Gillette Stadium.
Buffalo’s Success at New England is Varied
Buffalo did beat the Patriots in Foxborough in 2016 when Jacoby Brissett started and in 2014 when Brady was pulled at halftime with the game still in hand after going 8 for 16 in the first half with 80 yards passing.
The closest Buffalo came to topping the Brady-led Patriots came in 2009 when New England had one of its worst seasons with Brady and Belichick, going 10-6. The Bills visited New England in Week 1 and led late in regulation before fumbling a kick return in Patriots territory which New England recovered.
A short time later, Brady found Ben Watson in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with under a minute left to play. That was Brady’s first game back after a season-long injury the year prior. In 2008, with Matt Cassell at quarterback, the Patriots still beat Buffalo at home, 20-10.
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