Nothing will ever make up for all the misery the New England Patriots inflicted upon the Buffalo Bills for nearly two decades. Nothing.
But that 38-9 blowout of Bill Belichick Monday night sure had to feel good for a franchise and a fan base that has dreamed of the day when the fortunes of these two teams finally turned.
The Bills completed their first sweep of the Patriots since 1999, the year before Belichick arrived in New England, and they did it the way they’ve been beating everyone lately – their offense was virtually unstoppable, and their defense continued its improved play, something that will be imperative once the playoffs begin.
If you wanted to pick one moment that stood out more than any other, sure, you could choose any of the four touchdown passes Josh Allen threw. But perhaps it was of Belichick slamming down a phone on the sideline after his replay challenge early in the third quarter failed as badly as most of Cam Newton’s passes.
GAME RECAP LINKS:
- A nearly flawless night as Bills roll over Patriots to complete season sweep (D&C.com)
- Bills Postgame Spotlight | Bills 38, Patriots 9 (BuffaloBills.com)
- Bills sweep Patriots for first time since 1999, dominate in 38-9 win (WKBW.com)
- Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen rewriting Buffalo Bills record book; Buffalo crushes Patriots 38-9: Instant observations (Syracuse.com)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
MEDIA:
BILLS WIN!!!#BUFvsNE | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/dIXPUl1p2n
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
FINAL: The @BuffaloBills are 12-3! #BillsMafia #BUFvsNE
(by @Lexus) pic.twitter.com/NYtmMAFaMH
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2020
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs had record-setting nights in a 38-9 win vs. the Patriots ?
Allen: Most TDs in a single season in Bills history
Diggs: New single-season Bills receiving yards record pic.twitter.com/jqpom7Q5lg— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2020
#Shoutout: The @BuffaloBills have won six road games in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history. pic.twitter.com/5f2I2C0ruZ
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) December 29, 2020
History. ?#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/sk05FmS4b0
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
1️⃣2️⃣-3️⃣#WinFromWithin | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/WNFri0zcYV
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
THAT'S OUR QUARTERBACK‼️#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/O40tZhoDEt
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
…OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/FOaewZuh0E
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
MOOD. ?@JoshAllenQB | @StefonDiggs | @Pepsi pic.twitter.com/BzS2xFhXeS
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
He won’t win it—but @JoshAllenQB is 100% worthy of the MVP this season…he has been flat out unstoppable since week 1.
68%
4000+yds
30-9
400 rush yds/8 tdsSince week 1??♂️
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 29, 2020
The #Bills are a Hail Murray completion away from a nine-game winning streak. They are the hottest team in the NFL, and very well may be the best team in the league.
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) December 29, 2020
Bill Belichick says that the Bills are a very good football team and the Patriots can see why they're the AFC East champions this year. "They deserve to be."
Belichick adds that the Patriots were outplayed and outcoached.
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) December 29, 2020
BILLS WINNNNN!!!
— Matt Barkley (@MattBarkley) December 29, 2020
— AndreSmith.eth (@AndreSmith_9) December 29, 2020
??BIG DUBSSSSS!!!!??
— Jordan poyer (@J_poyer21) December 29, 2020
MVP race after 16 weeks:
AARON RODGERS:
353/502, 4,059 passing yards, 47 total TDs, 5 INTs, 12-3 recordPATRICK MAHOMES:
390/588, 4,740 passing yards, 40 total TDs, 6 INTs, 14-1 recordJOSH ALLEN:
378/547, 4,320 passing yards, 43 total TDs, 9 INTs, 12-3 record— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 29, 2020
GAME PREVIEW:
After a Saturday win against the Denver Broncos, the Bills (11-3) will head back out on the road for the final time during the regular season, visiting the New England Patriots (6-8) on Monday Night Football.
Two weeks ago, the Bills knocked the Patriots out of the AFC East title race, and last week the Dolphins took them out of the postseason in general. That’s the first time since all the way back in 2008 that’s happened.
Earlier in 2020, it took a late fumble by Patriots quarterback Cam Newton for Buffalo to top New England so it’s not out of the question that this game is close.
But at that time, the Patriots had something to play for. Now they’re out of it and we have not seen such circumstances under Bill Belichick… maybe ever? It’s been a long time. Buffalo’s Sean McDermott found ways to motivate his guys in 2018 when they were out of it, but does Belichick have that same type of motivation in him?
GAME WEEK LINKS:
- 8 storylines to watch for during Bills at Patriots (BillsWire.com)
- Five New England Patriots to watch against the Buffalo Bills (BuffaloRumblings.com)
- Top 6 storylines fans need to follow for Bills at Patriots | Week 16 (BuffaloBills.com)
- WATCH: Monday Night Football’s promo is nearly all Bills, no Patriots (BillsWire.com)
- Injury report | Bills rule out Reggie Gilliam for Bills at Patriots (BuffaloBills.com)
- Bills trying to change numbers against Patriots (13Wham.com)
- What Bills fans need to know about the AFC playoff picture | Week 16 (BuffaloBills.com)
- Bills at Patriots: 3 key matchups in Week 16 (BillsWire.com)
GAME WEEK MEDIA:
#LeadingTheCharge: Week 16 (#BUFvsNE) game release: https://t.co/4zrNjUIDb7
? Gillette Stadium
? 8:15 PM EST
?@ESPN (Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, Brian Griese & Lisa Salters)
?@WGR550 / @WestwoodOne pic.twitter.com/k5wLN7Kul6— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) December 22, 2020
Felic Navidad. ?
Best photos from our Christmas Eve practice: https://t.co/Kj2hHpEc3G pic.twitter.com/XcI892hudQ
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 24, 2020
Magic.??
Best #BUFvsNE Practice Photos: https://t.co/hSmFTExTmo pic.twitter.com/9yIxUGuVVG
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 23, 2020
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].