The Buffalo Bills demolished the New England Patriots.
Destroyed, battered, thrashed … “assault.” or whatever word you (or Adam Schefter that one time) might want to use, it happened on Monday Night Football with everyone watching. Buffalo won 38-9 over the Pats… and boy, it felt good.
Even despite priding oneself on analyzing the Bills (12-3) subjectively, watching that unfold was a pleasant sight to see. It’s not to say that this needs a grain of salt or anything.
The Bills have won five-straight games by 10-plus points. Without a Hail Mary prayer of a pass, the streak would be even longer, too. While this is very, very fun, we’re here to remind you to not dance on anyone’s grave just yet.
Yes, the Jets lost the No. 1 pick in recent weeks. The Dolphins themselves might now put their playoff hopes on the line, in Buffalo, and trust Ryan Fitzpatrick to get the job done. We saw such a scenario play out a few years ago while Fitz was with Gang Green, and regardless, a Week 17 QB controversy don’t exactly make one believe that the team in South Beach is setup to succeed for the long-term just yet.
And of course, there’s the Patriots. That looked like a team getting a reality check from hell last night. Pushing their face in the snow after this one will feel all too good. But don’t go overboard.
Take the right approach, in fact, take the one that Sean McDermott is sending his team right now: They’ve won nothing yet.
OK, they did win the AFC East, but for Buffalo truly to even the score, that discussion starts and ends with the Lombardi Trophy. This could be the year, but the NFL is such a week-to-week league. We’ve seen it from the Bills themselves throughout just this year.
Remember how Josh Allen was the league MVP after four games? Then couldn’t even sniff Russell Wilson’s jock in that race? Only for him to beat Russ a few weeks later and now vault himself up the QB rankings to make talking heads on television even call him the MVP again?
And that’s only one guy on the Bills, let alone all the other storylines and narratives following them around week-to-week.
Enjoy this, but the Bills haven’t won anything. The Chiefs are in their way… and heck, let us serve ourselves a piece of humble pie first and foremost.
The Chiefs are in the way? Kansas City is still several weeks away. Teams like the Titans, who’ve beat Buffalo this year, or the Ravens, who have a reigning NFL MVP on their roster, could sit in the way first. While the Bills walk through most parks (or stadiums) and grab a big win in recent weeks, they call the playoffs a whole new ball game for a reason.
Rejoice, yes… point to the scoreboard shining bright at Gillette Stadium right now, hell yes. But don’t just ignore what’s in the corner of your eye when doing so. Several of those Super Bowl banners hanging nice and high in Foxborough and it sure feels like it’s time for one in Buffalo.
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