It’s been a tough season for the Patriots.
The New England Patriots enter play against the Buffalo Bills this week with one of the NFL’s worst records. At 3-11, the Patriots are currently in line to pick third in the 2025 NFL Draft, which would be their highest natural draft selection since, well, just last year, when New England finished 4-13.
Prior to this two-year stretch of misery, you have to go back to the early 1990s for this level of futility in Foxborough. The Patriots were 1-15 in 1990, but they rebounded for a 6-10 year in 1991 before stumbling to a 2-14 year that led to the No. 1 overall draft choice in 1993.
Having an all-time great in Tom Brady at quarterback will prevent long stretches of losing, and now that New England is without that level of quarterback play, they’ve plummeted back to earth. This Sunday will be our first chance to see the Patriots play our Bills this season, and the two teams couldn’t possibly be headed in more opposite directions.
Here are our five Patriots to watch this week.
QB Drake Maye
I’m interested to see the rookie, who seems to have had some bright spots from afar. He’s started nine games this year, completing 68.5% of his passes for 1,898 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He’s also New England’s third-leading rusher, carrying 42 times for 359 yards and two scores. Maye has a bright future, and while it hasn’t resulted in wins this season, he has shown the necessary traits to continue on as the starter next season. He’s a good athlete with great toughness, and his ball placement is very good for a rookie. Where he’ll likely struggle this week is in managing the window dressing that comes with reading Buffalo’s defense, as they can throw enough at even the most seasoned veterans to cause confusion at the line of scrimmage. I imagine that the Bills will shift into some different looks that will cause Maye either to hold the ball and take sacks, hold the ball and throw into coverage for interceptions, or throw it too quickly to avoid pressure. Head coach Sean McDermott has done well against rookie quarterbacks, and even though defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s unit has allowed a slew of points over the last two weeks, New England doesn’t have close to the firepower of either the Detroit Lions or the Los Angeles Rams. Look for Maye to have some moments, but to struggle this week.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
I actually like Antonio Gibson, New England’s RB2, as a more dynamic threat in both the passing game and the running game, but the Patriots like the battering-ram style and down-to-down consistency that Stevenson brings. He’s leading the team in carries (193), yards (740), and touchdowns (6) this season. If the Bills can stop him on early downs, they’ll set the Patriots up in obvious passing downs or third-and-long scenarios. That’s a nightmare for a rookie quarterback entering Highmark Stadium for the first time in his career. Slow Stevenson, slow the Patriots offense.
DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
Wise Jr. is a solid, if unspectacular, pass rusher. He’s someone who would fit into Buffalo’s defensive end rotation nicely, as he has five sacks, five tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits so far this season. Wise has 34 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 89 quarterback hits in his eight-year career. Those aren’t All-Pro numbers, but they’re strong, solid numbers for a rotational player who also does a nice job against the run. Right tackle Spencer Brown is on the injury report this week thanks to a neck injury he dealt with last week, and while I think he’ll be ready to go in this one, there’s at least an outside chance that the Bills are rolling with either Ryan Van Demark or rookie Tylan Grable on the outside. Buffalo needs to pay attention to Wise in this one.
DE Keion White
New England’s other main pass rusher has also been a problem for opponents this season, totaling five sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 15 quarterback hits on the season. He’s earned a starting gig in his second pro season, and he has excelled in that role after playing mostly as a reserve in his rookie season. White is 6’5” and 285 pounds, as the Patriots rely on some tremendous defensive ends, especially for players in an even front. Buffalo’s offensive line has been superb in pass protection, and with the playoffs drawing near, they need to be even more perfect to keep MVP frontrunner Josh Allen healthy. Limiting White will go a long way towards achieving that goal.
CB Marcus Jones
The diminutive return man has had a solid season as a slot corner, as well. Jones is second on the team in pass breakups, logging ten so far this season. It hasn’t all been great, though, as he’s allowed opposing passers to complete 63% of the passes thrown his way for a total of 530 yards and three scores. Jones also has one interception. Buffalo loves the mesh concept to free players over the middle, and if Jones finds himself locked up against Buffalo’s top wideout, Khalil Shakir, that’s an advantage for Buffalo. I assume that the Pats’ top corner, Christian Gonzalez, will mostly deal with Amari Cooper, so the Jones vs. Shakir matchup could be one that offensive coordinator Joe Brady looks to exploit. If the Bills are forced to punt, they have to be wary of kicking it to Jones, as he is averaging an absurd 14.8 yards per punt return this season.