Week 6 was pretty good if you were a New England Patriots fan, as you watched your team go on the road Sunday and defeat the lowly New Orleans Saints, 25-19. The Patriots did what they were supposed to do against a team like the Saints and have now won three straight games, putting them on pace to demolish last year's 4-13 record.
Needless to say, the Mike Vrabel era is off to a great start.
Sunday's win also helps the Patriots put immediate pressure on the Buffalo Bills, who were considered the proverbial favorite in the AFC East before the season, to win on Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons. Much to the delight of the Patriots and their fans, the Bills didn’t answer the call, as they lost 24-14 in primetime to the Falcons.
With that in mind, New England is now in first place in the division.
Bills' 2nd Straight Loss Opens Door for Patriots to Take Over AFC East
The Bills were looking to get back in the win column on Monday night after losing in Week 5 on Sunday Night Football to the Patriots. Buffalo was taking on a Falcons’ squad coming off a bye and trying to win their second consecutive game.
Atlanta punched the Bills in the mouth as Buffalo’s defense did not have an answer for Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson, who ran over them to the tune of 170 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He also added six receptions (eight targets) for 68 yards.
The Bills’ defense also got torched for the second-straight week by an opposing team’s No. 1 WR. Last week, it was Stefon Diggs, who went off for 10 receptions (12 targets) for 146 yards. And on Monday night, Buffalo’s defense didn’t have an answer for Drake London, who had 10 receptions (16 targets) for 158 yards.
If the Bills don’t figure out their pass defense issues quickly, it could snowball over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, quarterback Josh Allen was sacked four times and threw two interceptions despite tossing two touchdowns. The reigning MVP has now thrown an interception in three consecutive games, which is not a trend that Buffalo fans want to see.
The Bills were also held without a rushing touchdown for the second-straight game.
The Patriots will hope that the Bills lose again in Week 7 to the Carolina Panthers, who are playing much better football recently. Meanwhile, New England will hope to extend its winning streak to four games as it plays the one-win Tennessee Titans, who just fired their head coach on Monday.
Needless to say, it'll be interesting to see what the AFC East picture will look like when the Patriots and Bills square off for the second time in Week 15.