Buffalo Bills incentivized in Week 18 loss to New England Patriots

Did HC Sean McDermott play a masterful game of chess?

The Buffalo Bills dropped their final game of the regular season to the New England Patriots, losing a 23-16 decision reminiscent of August football. Yet unlike those preseason affairs where nothing outside of roster construction is relevant, this wasn’t a meaningless game.

We can of course discuss the accolades, bonuses, and streaks that were on the table for the Bills. For many — namely quarterback Josh Allen, running back James Cook, edge rusher Von Miller, wide receiver Mack Hollins, punter Sam Martin — Week 18 was truly meaningful. (On a side note, I tried in vain to inform Adam Schefter that Allen was making his 115th straight start, not his 105th.)

It wasn’t a memorable day of Bills football outside those superlatives of note. In fact, the moment that stands out most for me was when the camera caught Patriots owner Robert Kraft sound asleep, bathed in the late-day sun from within his cozy suite.

In truth, I was disappointed this team didn’t establish a new high-water mark for wins in a season with 14. I hoped they’d sweep the AFC East. I wanted Cook to put Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson’s touchdown record to bed — after all, the terrible things that Simpson will forever be tied to happened five months and two weeks after the Bills’ last Super Bowl appearance.

And yes, Simpson deserves to be honored for his play with Buffalo. But I can’t help feeling as though Cook passing Simpson to set a new record at 16 rushing touchdowns in a single season would help to put any supposed, yet seldom discussed, curse behind the franchise. (That is, of course, is you believe in such things.) But the Bills’ 2024 season and today’s game shouldn’t be further weighed down by talk of Simpson.

Buffalo will have an important decision to make regarding Cook’s long-term future. There’s going to be money available for general manager Brandon Beane and his team to retain Cook. When that time comes, I won’t be ready to discount what Josh Allen has to say about the situation.

Aside from the records and salary bonuses, there was an interesting chess match happening between head coaches Sean McDermott and Jerod Mayo. With a loss, the Patriots would have locked up the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Winning cost New England dearly — dropping them to a scheduled fourth-overall selection in April.

While many within Bills Mafia wanted that 14th win and sweep of the East, it’s possible that McDermott’s play all along was to lose an essentially meaningless game to prevent the Patriots from claiming the draft’s top selection. Even if New England has its quarterback situation solved with Drake Maye, there would be plenty of talent to choose from other than another quarterback — and even more should they have found reason and way to pull off a trade for a windfall of picks.

So while the Bills head into Wild Card Weekend having saddled Josh Allen’s MVP-worthy campaign with an undue “L,” McDermott’s long game may prove to be the most fruitful outcome for the team during Incentive Week. You see, by winning, New England still lost — and a Patriots loss is a Bills win.

You can be certain that Pats Faithful will be a salty bunch in the days and weeks to come. Well, not those who expect Jerod Mayo to usher in a Super Bowl berth with a wasteland of a roster. Unfortunately for Mayo, it appears that Kraft’s nap caused him to lose sight of the real problems in Foxborough, MA. (And yes, I understand that, clearly, a move this quick was planned no matter the result of Week 18):