50yrpatsfan

Don't have to look very far back. The KC Chiefs got blown out in last year's SB 40-22 (down 40-6 midway thru the 4th). And in 2021, the Chiefs again were blown out by Tampa Bay 31-9. Two of the most lopsided losses in SB history. Those 2 KC teams sucked.

I was at the game the week prior, at Fenway Park when the Bills beat the Pats in the division round in a blizzard. Cookie Gilchrist playfully threw a snowball up at the crowd and then the Bills huddle got pelted by a thousand snowballs, maybe 2000. But the Bills got the last laugh.

The Patriots haven't been great running the ball, but have been great moving the ball. The Bills are not going to slow them down. A snow game had me worried but that looks like it'll be over hours before kickoff. NE will score in the 30's. On D they'll focus on Cook and Kincaid, and force Allen to find his WR's. They held Cook to 49 yards the last time and feel they can do it again. Force a few punts and this game will be theirs.

Not looking for anything, and not predicting anything about the Bills who are still a dangerous team. But you can't let that poster's dumb comments to stand unchallenged. He's in the minority here and everywhere, on just about every point he made. Nobody has a crystal ball, but NE's game at Baltimore and the rematch with Buffalo will say a lot. But just last week they beat a comparable Tampa team away, so I'd expect them to compete well in those 2 games.

First of all, McDaniels is no joke. He's got the best resume for an OC probably in league history: 3 SB wins, 3 SB losses (one where Brady threw for 500 yards), 175 career wins as an OC, 18-8 in the playoffs, at 49 years old. Receivers running wide open all over the field every week. Yeah he sucks. Vrabel's career record as a HC is 63-47, 2-3 in the playoffs, and by all accounts a natural leader. Having a bunch of 30-ish starters is great for January football, it's exactly why the Pats went out and got those guys. And Milt Williams turned his ankle, he'll be 100% within 2 weeks. What is this "tape" you speak about? Is that what's causing DC's to get ulcers each week as they get a look at Maye? Physical? Do the Bills look more physical than this NE team, now or when they lost to the Pats?

They won the SB vs the Rams in the 2018 season, went 12-4 and lost a 1st round playoff game to Tenn in 2019, went 8-9 in the Covid year with Cam Newton, went 10-7 and lost a 1st round playoff game to the Bills in 2021, went 8-9 in 2022, 4-13 in 2023, and 4-13 in 2024 Tossing the covid year aside, they've been mucking around at the bottom for 3 seasons (Belichick's final 2 + the Jerod Mayo year).

If the Bills win the rematch with NE and they end up with the same record (both possible), then the loss to Miami costs the Bills the division, assuming NE beats the Jets twice and Miami at home in December (which is likely).

That's how we felt about Allen when he started. Mainly the FA class and draft class they had - 16 new starters. Plus new competent coaches, Maye ascending, and an easy schedule.

Watch him and you'll realize he's already as good as Burrow or Herbet, and he's 23 and still on the rise, and he's surrounded by a very good OC & HC as well as improved OL and weapons. NE's schedule has been crazy favorable, but Maye's talent is undeniable and he's in a near perfect situation for success.

The Chiefs don't look like a SB team this year, and could easily lose their next 2 games (at Denver, vs Indy) which would put them at 5-6 with the Chargers and Denver also left. They could miss the playoffs. But if they squeak in at 10-7 and NE continues to play well and is say 14-3, I'm taking NE.

It's not just Vrabel, McDaniels, and Maye's rise. It's the 14 new starters (rookies and FA's) at LT, LG, C, RT, RB, WR1, WR3, NT, DE, 3 LB's, FS, CB2 - plus CB1 & stud DE returning after missing last season. 16 out of 22. Plus new TE2, FB. WR5, K. There's only 6 guys who played a big role from last year's team who still play a big role. New coaching staff, 16 new starters, a couple of new execs in the front office to assist Wolf. It's like the team plane crashed and they started over.

This thread has aged well. NE is effin good.

omg this is the worst take in the entire thread. Only a matter of time before you walk it back. The Patriots as a team are still a bit of a question mark. Maye isn't, already a top 4-8 talent and rising. In no way does he resemble Lawrence. His closest comps are Herbert and Allen.

The odds are that NE is gonna win the division. They're solid, not falling apart, and the Bills have a much more difficult schedule. The rematch in Foxboro should be very interesting. Everyone knew that KC, Buffalo, and probably LA would be in the AFC hunt, but nobody saw Denver, Indy, or NE. It's a 6 team race. Probably Indy gets the 1-seed, they also have a favorable schedule.

Maye is for real, can make every throw, runs very well, good awareness, mature kid. He's already as good as Herbert or Burrow, all 3 are clones. But you can't really judge much from beating up on Tennessee, they are terrible. The next 3 games are Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa - all good defenses. NE's OL is spotty, the RB's are below average, WR's are average. If Maye plows through those 3 in a similar manner then you'd have to say NE is a threat in the AFC.