The New England Patriots looked a long way from respectability when they went 4-13 in each of the past two seasons.
Not many people predicted New England could be a playoff team this season.
It looks like a lot of people might be wrong about the Patriots.
Mike Vrabel is now running New England and apparently he doesn’t need a rebuilding season to restore order in Foxborough.
Vrabel is getting it done immediately, which was under display on the Sunday night stage when the Patriots recorded a 23-20 road victory over the Buffalo Bills.
New England is a very surprising 3-2, one win shy of matching those consecutive four-win campaigns before we even hit mid-October.
The loss was the first of the season for the Bills and left the NFL with no undefeated teams. The Denver Broncos defeated the Philadelphia Eagles earlier Sunday.
So you know what that means: the 1972 Miami Dolphins were popping champagne bottles and partying late into the night as they continue to be the only NFL team to have notched a perfect season.
That team had bulldozer fullback Larry Csonka and the famed “No-Name Defense” leading the way. These Patriots have an emerging force in quarterback Drake Maye, who held his own with reigning MVP Josh Allen of the Bills.
Maye, the No. third overall pick in the 2024 draft, was 22-of-30 passing for 273 yards and kept his cool while guiding his team to the winning field goal. Allen completed 22 of 31 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Maye, 23, is highly accurate and has completed better than 65 percent of his passes in all five games this season. Twice, he completed more than 82 percent of his throws.
He has thrown seven touchdown passes and been intercepted twice in 153 attempts this season. He has topped 200 yards passing in all five games.
What we are watching is somebody developing into a future standout quarterback. Many people had him pegged for stardom when he was at North Carolina and he appears right on schedule.
Or perhaps ahead of schedule if you listen to Stefon Diggs, the wideout who torched his former team with 10 receptions for 146 yards.
“I saw a young quarterback take a step in the right direction,” Diggs said afterward. “They did a lot of comparisons during the week, and I feel like it’s a helluva comparison to be compared to Josh Allen. But as you come into your own, Drake Maye has to be Drake Maye. I was just so proud of him coming in here and leading the team.”
Allen’s team committed three turnovers and 11 penalties while watching a 14-game home unbeaten streak end. The point total was Buffalo’s lowest of the season after it posted an average of 33.3 points over the first four games.
Allen said the Bills played “sloppy” and shouldn’t have even been in the game due to the turnovers. He did guide Buffalo to 10 fourth-quarter points to tie it before Andy Borregales booted the winning 52-yarder with 15 seconds left for the Patriots.
The Bills (4-1) still are the team to beat in the AFC East – they have won five straight division titles — but it should be noted they played four of their first five games at home this season.
Now comes a stretch where the Bills play seven of their next 10 games on the road. There will be some losses during that span and the return trip to New England on Dec. 14 will make for an interesting rematch.
Still, there is nothing that is going to prevent Buffalo from earning a seventh straight playoff berth. But another AFC East member ranking as a legitimate threat isn’t a bad thing.
We know the Dolphins (the 2025 ones) and the New York Jets aren’t going to scare the Bills. Only the Patriots have a chance to topple the Buffalo division dynasty.
And on this Sunday night, New England was better than the Bills. Something nobody saw coming.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Travis Kelce described what it was like to listen to The Life of a Showgirl with Taylor Swift: “It’s a different feel”
Since Taylor Swift released her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, the world has been talking about it. And of course, her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is no exception. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end lived every Swiftie's dream: listening to her new songs alongside the 14-time Grammy winner. This experience, which gave Travis "a different feel," was shared with his fans on his podcast "New Heights."Taylor Swift finally breaks silence on Super Bowl rumors and her reason involves Travis KelceTravis recounts what it was like to listen to The Life of a ShowgirlIn a new episode of the podcast he hosts with his older brother and Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, Travis shared with his listeners what it was like to listen to Taylor's twelve songs with her: "Does that feel weird when an artist is in the same […]
Travis Kelce described what it was like to listen to The Life of a Showgirl with Taylor Swift: “It’s a different feel”
Since Taylor Swift released her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, the world has been talking about it. And of course, her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is no exception. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end lived every Swiftie's dream: listening to her new songs alongside the 14-time Grammy winner. This experience, which gave Travis "a different feel," was shared with his fans on his podcast "New Heights."Taylor Swift finally breaks silence on Super Bowl rumors and her reason involves Travis KelceTravis recounts what it was like to listen to The Life of a ShowgirlIn a new episode of the podcast he hosts with his older brother and Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, Travis shared with his listeners what it was like to listen to Taylor's twelve songs with her: "Does that feel weird when an artist is in the same […]
Tom Brady shifts focus from Geno Smith to Drake Maye amid Raiders’ struggles
The New England Patriots have finally started to see returns on their investment in Drake Maye, even though it took some time to assemble the right pieces around him.Before their prime time clash with the Buffalo Bills, few expected the Patriots to cover the spread, let alone secure a win.Mark Wahlberg's reveals his Boston athletes GOATsStill, Maye capitalized on his opportunities and led the team to a 23-20 victory. This marked the Patriots' first 3-2 start since the days of Tom Brady, and the former North Carolina quarterback's performance is beginning to echo some of Brady's early achievements.After reigniting hope in the Foxborough fanbase, Brady had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old, confirming the growing comparisons to Josh Allen. "The comparisons to Josh Allen are very real," Brady shared during a recent interview with Colin Cowherd. For Maye, who admired […]
How Aaron Judge positioned himself to save the Yankees’ season — and his postseason legacy — with one swing
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge called time and picked up some dirt, rolling it between his right index finger and thumb.Not for feel. But for sight.Sight of what could be.What it could mean to lift his team -- and himself -- from the ashes, even for one more day. It could be imagined, if not yet believed because could is hope. Would is what's felt.It was the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 3 at Yankee Stadium Tuesday evening. Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland blew a 100 mph middle-middle heater past the Yankees' 6-foot-7 MVP, putting Judge in an 0-2 hole. The warm October night felt like summer. The kind of night that's turned him into the mythical figure his peers and opponents have known him to be.New York was still down by three runs before 47,399 at Yankee […]
USMNT’s versatile striker Haji Wright returns with a point to prove amid prolific scoring season
Few forwards in the world have scored as many goals as Haji Wright for Coventry City this season, as he has the Sky Blues atop the Championship nine games into the campaign. They have an astonishing plus-20 goal difference as Wright has scored eight of their 27 goals this season, leading the goal scorer charts. That form has earned Wright a spot in Mauricio Pochettino's United States men's national team squad to face Ecuador and Australia this month, where he could make his first USMNT appearance since the beginning of the Gold Cup, where he picked up an injury while facing Trinidad & Tobago in June.Wright was on the World Cup squad in 2022 and scored the lone goal for the USMNT in their round of 16 defeat to the Netherlands, and like everyone in Pochettino's team, he wants to […]
Deset gólů za poločas! Čeští mladíci řádili, trhli rekord
Výběr do sedmnácti let totiž od roku 1993, kdy Česko působí samostatně, tak masivním rozdílem žádného soupeře nezničil. Což platí i o ostatních kategoriích. Vyjma U19. Ta v říjnu 2001 v Uherském Hradišti porazila Andorru také 13:0. Čtyřmi góly se tehdy blýskl Tomáš Jun, v tehdejším výběru se objevili (a skórovali) i další pozdější „áčkoví“ reprezentanti Tomáš Sivok s Václavem Svěrkošem.Nynější fotbalisté mužstva do sedmnácti let, kam spadají borci ročníku 2009 a mladší, tehdy ještě ani zdaleka nebyli na na světě. I tak ale počin svých předchůdců zopakovali v rámci první fáze kvalifikace na Euro, která se hraje v Severní Makedonii.13:0 je opravdu unikátní výsledek. Svěřenci trenéra Tomáše Kulvajta navíc hned deset branek nasypali do sítě bezmocného Gibraltaru už v prvním poločase!Hattrickem k tomu přispěl Filip Zahálka, jenž kope za mládež německého Dynama Drážďany. Po dvou gólech zapsali talentovaní borci ze Sparty Viktor Švec s Lewisem Azakou, šikovným křídelníkem s kořeny v Nigérii.Zlí jazykové by mohli namítnout, že šlo „jen“ […]
Related
Travis Kelce described what it was like to listen to The Life of a Showgirl with Taylor Swift: “It’s a different feel”
Since Taylor Swift released her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, the world has been talking about it. And of course, her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is no exception. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end lived every Swiftie's dream: listening to her new songs alongside the 14-time Grammy winner. This experience, which gave Travis "a different feel," was shared with his fans on his podcast "New Heights."Taylor Swift finally breaks silence on Super Bowl rumors and her reason involves Travis KelceTravis recounts what it was like to listen to The Life of a ShowgirlIn a new episode of the podcast he hosts with his older brother and Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, Travis shared with his listeners what it was like to listen to Taylor's twelve songs with her: "Does that feel weird when an artist is in the same […]
Travis Kelce described what it was like to listen to The Life of a Showgirl with Taylor Swift: “It’s a different feel”
Since Taylor Swift released her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, the world has been talking about it. And of course, her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is no exception. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end lived every Swiftie's dream: listening to her new songs alongside the 14-time Grammy winner. This experience, which gave Travis "a different feel," was shared with his fans on his podcast "New Heights."Taylor Swift finally breaks silence on Super Bowl rumors and her reason involves Travis KelceTravis recounts what it was like to listen to The Life of a ShowgirlIn a new episode of the podcast he hosts with his older brother and Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, Travis shared with his listeners what it was like to listen to Taylor's twelve songs with her: "Does that feel weird when an artist is in the same […]
Tom Brady shifts focus from Geno Smith to Drake Maye amid Raiders’ struggles
The New England Patriots have finally started to see returns on their investment in Drake Maye, even though it took some time to assemble the right pieces around him.Before their prime time clash with the Buffalo Bills, few expected the Patriots to cover the spread, let alone secure a win.Mark Wahlberg's reveals his Boston athletes GOATsStill, Maye capitalized on his opportunities and led the team to a 23-20 victory. This marked the Patriots' first 3-2 start since the days of Tom Brady, and the former North Carolina quarterback's performance is beginning to echo some of Brady's early achievements.After reigniting hope in the Foxborough fanbase, Brady had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old, confirming the growing comparisons to Josh Allen. "The comparisons to Josh Allen are very real," Brady shared during a recent interview with Colin Cowherd. For Maye, who admired […]
How Aaron Judge positioned himself to save the Yankees’ season — and his postseason legacy — with one swing
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge called time and picked up some dirt, rolling it between his right index finger and thumb.Not for feel. But for sight.Sight of what could be.What it could mean to lift his team -- and himself -- from the ashes, even for one more day. It could be imagined, if not yet believed because could is hope. Would is what's felt.It was the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 3 at Yankee Stadium Tuesday evening. Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland blew a 100 mph middle-middle heater past the Yankees' 6-foot-7 MVP, putting Judge in an 0-2 hole. The warm October night felt like summer. The kind of night that's turned him into the mythical figure his peers and opponents have known him to be.New York was still down by three runs before 47,399 at Yankee […]
USMNT’s versatile striker Haji Wright returns with a point to prove amid prolific scoring season
Few forwards in the world have scored as many goals as Haji Wright for Coventry City this season, as he has the Sky Blues atop the Championship nine games into the campaign. They have an astonishing plus-20 goal difference as Wright has scored eight of their 27 goals this season, leading the goal scorer charts. That form has earned Wright a spot in Mauricio Pochettino's United States men's national team squad to face Ecuador and Australia this month, where he could make his first USMNT appearance since the beginning of the Gold Cup, where he picked up an injury while facing Trinidad & Tobago in June.Wright was on the World Cup squad in 2022 and scored the lone goal for the USMNT in their round of 16 defeat to the Netherlands, and like everyone in Pochettino's team, he wants to […]
Deset gólů za poločas! Čeští mladíci řádili, trhli rekord
Výběr do sedmnácti let totiž od roku 1993, kdy Česko působí samostatně, tak masivním rozdílem žádného soupeře nezničil. Což platí i o ostatních kategoriích. Vyjma U19. Ta v říjnu 2001 v Uherském Hradišti porazila Andorru také 13:0. Čtyřmi góly se tehdy blýskl Tomáš Jun, v tehdejším výběru se objevili (a skórovali) i další pozdější „áčkoví“ reprezentanti Tomáš Sivok s Václavem Svěrkošem.Nynější fotbalisté mužstva do sedmnácti let, kam spadají borci ročníku 2009 a mladší, tehdy ještě ani zdaleka nebyli na na světě. I tak ale počin svých předchůdců zopakovali v rámci první fáze kvalifikace na Euro, která se hraje v Severní Makedonii.13:0 je opravdu unikátní výsledek. Svěřenci trenéra Tomáše Kulvajta navíc hned deset branek nasypali do sítě bezmocného Gibraltaru už v prvním poločase!Hattrickem k tomu přispěl Filip Zahálka, jenž kope za mládež německého Dynama Drážďany. Po dvou gólech zapsali talentovaní borci ze Sparty Viktor Švec s Lewisem Azakou, šikovným křídelníkem s kořeny v Nigérii.Zlí jazykové by mohli namítnout, že šlo „jen“ […]
Be the first to leave a comment