Home

NFL

“We Just Weren’t Very Competitive in the Game”- Bill Belichick on New England Patriots Losing to Buffalo Bills

Published 12/30/2020, 4:28 AM EST

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The Patriots and Bills rivalry is not something new, it has been going on for a decade or more. It is the long-running rivalry between these teams, the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.

For two decades the Bills have been at the receiving end of a lot of heat from the Pats. But last night the Bills put the Patriots on notice. The Bills, after a losing bender that lasted 2 decades, defeated the Patriots in a 38-9 blowout.

The game began with both teams exchanging their field goals and ending the first quarter at a tie with 3-3. In the second quarter, the Buffalos took a lead by scoring first with a 5-yard touchdown run by Zack Moss.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

A comeback by Patriot’s quarterback Cam Newton scrambled for a 9 yards touchdown to get the score to 10-9. Little did he know that that was going to be it for him that night.

USA Today via Reuters

Buffalo Bills destroyed the New England Patriots

Cam Newton got benched and replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the middle of the 3rd quarter. The Patriots replaced Newton as his passes were barely reaching the receivers.

Stidham entered the game with approximately 8 minutes to go in the third quarter trailing, 31-9. Stidham managed a 9 yards touchdown, which was the Patriot’s biggest highlight of the night. That night he completed  4 out of 11 passes for 44 yards.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NFL stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“The game was over about 10, 15 minutes ago. We worked on this game, we played the game. Haven’t made any plans for next week, obviously. Game’s 15 minutes old,” said Belichick.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

USA Today via Reuters

The switch made by the Patriots mid-third-quarter was more of an opportunity for Stidham than a reaction to Newton’s performance on the field.

“We weren’t playing very well, and I felt like that was an opportunity to give him a chance to play. Cam did a good job for us, that wasn’t the problem. We just weren’t very competitive in the game,” said Belichick.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Now that the Patriots have lost their first season since 2000, the more pressing concern and attention will be towards the starter for the next season. Who will it be? Will it be Stidham or will it be Newton?

There is an even more pressing question that is whether either of them will be with the Patriots post Week 17 of 2020.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Milind Bage

62Articles

One take at a time

Milind Bage is an NFL writer for EssentiallySports. During his time at school, he participated in a number of spotrs at both the national and state level. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with decent experience in content writing, client servicing, marketing, and branding.
Show More>