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If a team has been able to best New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the past two decades, it normally hasn’t happened again. Actually, in the past 20 years, it never has, until Monday night when the Buffalo Bills dominated the Patriots in a 38-9 victory.
In beating up the Patriots on Monday Night Football, the Bills became the first team to sweep the perennial AFC East powerhouse in the regular season since 2000, which was Bill Belichick’s first season with the team. The Patriots were also the only NFL team to not be swept by a divisional foe since the 2002 realignment.
Josh Allen & Stefon Diggs Connect for 3 Touchdowns
It was quite the historic win for the Bills as quarterback Josh Allen threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, three of which went to wide receiver Stefon Diggs who caught nine passes for 145 yards.
“It feels great and it’s hard enough to win in the NFL, regardless of who you are playing,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in his postgame video conference call. “This is an organization, being the Patriots, that has given the Bills fits over the years so to win both games this year against the Patriots and then to win the way we did tonight, it just speaks volumes about our players and the coaches.”
The Bills dominated from the first whistle and scored on their first five drives as Zack Moss, Lee Smith and Diggs all found the end zone and jumped out to a 31-9 lead.
With the victory, Buffalo moved to 12-3 on the year and have started to prove themselves as true Super Bowl contenders. They trail just the Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) in the AFC. It hasn’t always been this way for the Bills and as this season has gone on, they proved that they aren’t the underdogs anymore. They are a team that takes the field each week with a target on their back.
“You can ride that underdog deal for some amount of time, but when you become good you always have to learn how to be good and I think that comes over time,” McDermott said. “So I think what you’re seeing is the maturation and the professionalism and leadership of our players.”
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Sean McDermott, Bill Belichick Embrace at Midfield After the Game
Belichick has tortured the Bills for a long time and it seems like the tables in the AFC East are starting to turn in 2020. After the Bills finished off the victory on Monday, McDermott and Belichick shared an extended embrace in the middle of the field.
Could have this been a passing of the torch in the AFC East?
We’ll never know, but McDermott said that it was a pretty special moment for him and that Belichick was very complimentary during the handshake.
“I’ve been on the other side of it before and he was very complimentary and I’m certainly appreciative of that for sure,” McDermott said. “I have a lot of respect for what he’s been able to do and I think it says a lot about what we’re doing as an organization not just on the field but off the field as well.”
The Bills have come a long way since McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane took over and now they are looking to prove it in the postseason.
Bills Hand Belichick Worst Home Loss of Patriots Tenure
The Bills put up a lot of points in Week 16 and handed Belichick the worst home loss of his Patriots coaching career. Before Monday, Belichick and the Patriots suffered a 27-point home loss to the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, but the Bills topped that mark with their 29-point win.
Monday night was also Buffalo’s biggest win over the Patriots since 2003 when they earned a 31-0 win over their division rivals at then-Ralph Wilson Stadium. Drew Bledsoe threw for 230 yards and one touchdown while Travis Henry rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns that day.
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