Buffalo Rumblings
It’s been a tough season for the Patriots.
The New England Patriots enter play against the Buffalo Bills this week with one of the NFL’s worst records. At 3-11, the Patriots are currently in line to pick third in the 2025 NFL Draft, which would be their highest natural draft selection since, well, just last year, when New England finished 4-13.
Prior to this two-year stretch of misery, you have to go back to the early 1990s for this level of futility in Foxborough. The Patriots were 1-15 in 1990, but they rebounded for a 6-10 year in 1991 before stumbling to a 2-14 year that led to the No. 1 overall draft choice in 1993.
Having an all-time great in Tom Brady at quarterback will prevent long stretches of losing, and now that New England is without that level of quarterback play, they’ve plummeted back to earth. This Sunday will be our first chance to see the Patriots play our Bills this season, and the two teams couldn’t possibly be headed in more opposite directions.
Here are our five Patriots to watch this week.
I’m interested to see the rookie, who seems to have had some bright spots from afar. He’s started nine games this year, completing 68.5% of his passes for 1,898 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He’s also New England’s third-leading rusher, carrying 42 times for 359 yards and two scores. Maye has a bright future, and while it hasn’t resulted in wins this season, he has shown the necessary traits to continue on as the starter next season. He’s a good athlete with great toughness, and his ball placement is very good for a rookie. Where he’ll likely struggle this week is in managing the window dressing that comes with reading Buffalo’s defense, as they can throw enough at even the most seasoned veterans to cause confusion at the line of scrimmage. I imagine that the Bills will shift into some different looks that will cause Maye either to hold the ball and take sacks, hold the ball and throw into coverage for interceptions, or throw it too quickly to avoid pressure. Head coach Sean McDermott has done well against rookie quarterbacks, and even though defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s unit has allowed a slew of points over the last two weeks, New England doesn’t have close to the firepower of either the Detroit Lions or the Los Angeles Rams. Look for Maye to have some moments, but to struggle this week.
I actually like Antonio Gibson, New England’s RB2, as a more dynamic threat in both the passing game and the running game, but the Patriots like the battering-ram style and down-to-down consistency that Stevenson brings. He’s leading the team in carries (193), yards (740), and touchdowns (6) this season. If the Bills can stop him on early downs, they’ll set the Patriots up in obvious passing downs or third-and-long scenarios. That’s a nightmare for a...
