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Drake Maye changes the AFC calculus

The second-year QB is already winning with his brain. In the wide-open AFC, the New England Patriots can make noise before anyone expects. We recap Week 5 of the NFL inside.

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Tyler Dunne
Oct 06, 2025
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We explored the ugly fall of one dynasty and how both Mike Vrabel and Maye are trying to reconstruct their own.

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PATRIOT REIGN? How Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye can restart a dynasty of their own

PATRIOT REIGN? How Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye can restart a dynasty of their own

Tyler Dunne
·
Oct 5
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The last time Sean McDermott was this pissed after a regular season game, his team also lost to the New England Patriots. It was a wacky night when those 40 mph winds swirled. Four years ago, his Buffalo Bills lost at home to an offense that threw the ball all of three times in a professional football game.

Those 60 minutes of football easily set the sport back four decades.

McDermott minced no words that night in ripping his team’s offensive approach. Coaches on staff were not pleased. After his team’s 23-20 loss to the Patriots on Sunday night, McDermott took aim at his offense again in (repeatedly) lamenting the team’s three turnovers.

Of course, he’s correct. It is hard to win when you turn it over three times.

At one point, the Bills’ ninth-year head coach also hinted at the playcalling.

“This is a pivotal learning opportunity for us right here,” McDermott said. “There were some other moments where I feel like maybe we were too cute at times. Overall, we need to look at some things and be honest with ourselves and learn from it holistically.”

Chances are, McDermott will compel his offensive staff to get back to more simplistic power football. Bludgeoning defenses with more regularity has been a welcomed evolution for these Bills. Yet, to quote a certain NFC GM, those two words — “too cute” — sure make my chest tight. Blasting off against the Jets, Dolphins and Saints (a combined 2-13) is one thing. Against the best, NFL teams still need to take chances down the field. It’d be foolish for the Bills to ever morph a league MVP with the strongest arm in the league into a Handoff Machine.

Striking a balance with Josh Allen’s virtuosity still remains the challenge.

But there is one massive difference between these 2021 and 2025 defeats.

The L to Mac Jones was more of a circus. New England swiftly crashed back to earth. Losing in this humiliating fashion said much more about Buffalo.

The L to Drake Maye, however, is more of a scary omen.

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