The New England Patriots‘ 10-game win streak was snapped in brutal fashion in Week 15, as they blew a 21-point lead to the Buffalo Bills, suffering a 35-31 defeat when all was said and done. Not only did the Pats lose, but they also missed a chance to wrap up the AFC East division with three games left to play in the regular season.
New England finds itself in a spot that it is not used to being in this year, and that presents a unique challenge for head coach Mike Vrabel moving forward. According to star center Garrett Bradbury, though, Vrabel had a simple five-word message for his team immediately after this loss that he’s hoping will help everyone turn their attention to Week 16.
Mike Vrabel’s Simple Message After Patriots’ Horrific Loss
From seemingly out of nowhere, New England has emerged as one of the top teams in the league this season. During their aforementioned 10-game win streak, the Patriots were jumping out to big leads in the first half, before largely coasting to victory in the second half. Early on against the Bills, it seemed like a similar trend was taking place.
Playing against Josh Allen, though, offers a unique challenge because as long as he’s under center, Buffalo always has a chance to find its way back into a game. The Bills rattled off touchdowns on five straight drives to help shock the Pats, and with that, the win streak came to an end, and the race for the top spot in the AFC East division was made a little bit more intriguing.
New England still has the inside track when it comes to winning the division, but it has a difficult Week 16 matchup looming against the Baltimore Ravens. For a team that has done so much winning this season, their spot atop the division suddenly seems to be a bit unstable. Sometimes, a team needs to get slapped in the face like the Pats just did, and it seems like Vrabel is embracing the adversity his team is suddenly facing.
“Welcome to the NFL, boys,” Vrabel said, per Bradbury, right after the Patriots’ loss to the Bills.
Patriots Looking to Get Back in the Win Column vs. Ravens
GettyDrake Maye and offensive lineman Garrett Bradbury celebrate a play on Monday night.
When you win as much as New England has this season, you can sometimes be lulled into a false sense of security. Buffalo proved that no lead is ever safe in the NFL, and it was an important lesson for the Patriots to learn. While they’d ideally never throw away a 21-point lead, it’s certainly better to have it happen during the regular season than in the playoffs.
The Pats have built up enough of a lead atop the division that they could afford to lose to the Bills. The same may not be true when they hit the road to take on a Ravens team that is desperately looking to stay in the playoff hunt. Win, and New England could wrap up the division in Week 17. Lose, though, and the door suddenly will become wide open for Buffalo. With this game set for Sunday Night Football, kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
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