The New England Patriots never stood a chance. The Buffalo Bills throttled Bill Belichick, Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham in a 38-9 win at Gillette Stadium in Week 16. Even when the scoreline was (very briefly) tight, a Bills win felt inevitable — which is strange, because, for so many years, it has felt like the Patriots would simply stumble their way to victory. But it’s a sign of how far New England has fallen in 2020, with their offense looking lost for answers and touchdowns under both Newton and Stidham with their lackluster supporting cast.
The good news: New England has just one more game in this painful season. The bad news: there’s no playoffs for the Patriots… and there’s no certainty that they’ll be competitive in 2021 either. But before we get too doomy and gloomy, let’s dive into the winners and losers from this game.