The New England Patriots have dominated the AFC East for what feels like forever. The Buffalo Bills now give the division two legitimate playoff teams.
Matt Barkley couldn’t engineer a fourth quarter drive to lift the Bills to an upset victory over the Patriots on Sunday, but the day wasn’t a total loss for Buffalo. Sean McDermott’s team proved their readiness to become a playoff team in their narrow loss to last year’s Super Bowl champions.
Bills fans will understandably wonder what might have happened in the game if quarterback Josh Allen hadn’t been knocked out of the game by a dirty hit to the head by New England defensive back Jonathan Jones. That’s absolutely a fair question, but it shouldn’t distract Buffalo fans from all the good things their favorite team did in Week 4.
The most important takeaway from the game is that the Bills defense has what it takes to shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense. The Buffalo defense held Brady to just 150 yards passing on 39 attempts in the game. It’s not as if the Patriots’ running game was dominating the match up either. Sony Michel was kept under wraps to the tune of 17 carries for 63 yards. Everyone knew the Buffalo defense was good coming into the game. Their domination of the Patriots offense now raises the possibility that this unit is actually great.
If that’s the case, the Bills suddenly become one of the favorites to snag a Wild Card playoff berth in the AFC. They weren’t able to slay the mighty dragon that is the Patriots, but that’s an honor that eludes a lot of franchises in the NFL. The key for McDermott and his staff will be to coax consistent play out of this team moving forward.
Obviously, Buffalo’s ability to make the postseason does hinge on Allen’s health. The offense desperately relies on his propensity to produce several explosive plays during every game. It’s hard to envision a scenario where this unit moves the ball consistently with Barkley at the helm. The Bills might be able to survive without their starting quarterback for a week or two, but anything more might sink their 2019 campaign.
That’s a short-term concern though. The Bills are clearly primed to be the team that can challenge the Patriots for division supremacy as soon as Bill Belichick’s team starts to slip. They may need to wait until Brady retires to really overtake New England, but that still puts Buffalo in a position well ahead of the rest of the AFC East.
Bills fans can leave Orchard Park disappointed on Sunday, but they need to gain perspective quickly. Their favorite team is firmly on the rise. They announced that fact to the rest of the NFL with their narrow 16-10 loss to the Patriots.