Monday night wasn't quite an official changing of the guard, but it certainly was a statement to the entire NFL.
These Bills are no longer a pushover, and they're here to stay. Buffalo decimated New England on national television Monday, dealing the longtime big brother the beating the AFC East bully has deserved with a 38-9 win. The victory also completed a season sweep of the Patriots, the Bills' first time doing so since 1999, way back when Pete Carroll was still the head coach in New England, Wade Phillips was the man in charge of the Bills, Tom Brady was still in college and Josh Allen was a toddler.
Times, they are a changin' in the East, where the Bills had already clinched the division before Monday and are now handing out whoopings typically delivered by the Patriots. A product of a multi-year rebuild under general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo's turnaround reached a new level after the acquisition of receiver Stefon Diggs, who shredded New England on Monday, catching nine passes for 145 yards and three straight touchdowns to take the contest from a 17-9 score to a 38-9 blowout.
Each time Diggs hauled in a pass, one could almost feel New England's will evaporating. By the time he scored his third touchdown, the only thing left to resolve was the expiration of the remaining game clock.
"He's a playmaker, he comes back to the ball better than any receiver in the league," said Patriots corner J.C. Jackson, who has the second-most interceptions in the NFL but struggled to contain Diggs on Monday. "He's got great hands. You've got to almost be perfect when you're guarding somebody like that. You've got to almost have perfect coverage in man-to-man."
No one has been perfect against Diggs this season. The receiver has been held under nine yards per reception just three times this season, and Buffalo still won two of those games by eight points or more. Diggs leads the NFL in receptions with 120, breaking Buffalo's all-time single-season record (previously held by Eric Moulds with 100), and is No. 1 in the league in receiving yards (1,459), also a Bills single-season record. He also broke Brandon Marshall's record for most receptions in a player's first season with a new team, and can break Marshall's receiving yards mark with 50 in Week 17.
These Bills are hotter than ever, scoring 24-plus points in eight straight games -- yes, that's half of a season -- tying the Packers for the longest active streak in the NFL and setting the longest streak in Bills history. Since Week 8, Buffalo has lost just once (going 7-1), is scoring nearly 34 points per game and ranks second in total yards per game (406.4), third in passing yards per game (285.6) and fourth in passer rating (110).
Allen now owns Buffalo franchise records in completion percentage, passing and rushing yards combined (4,738), passing and rushing touchdowns combined (42), and passer rating (106.4). He also took a revered total for his own Monday: passing touchdowns in a season (34), a mark owned by legendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly since 1991.
There's no question Diggs' involvement has a whole lot to do with this, with Buffalo's first sweep of the Patriots in 21 years, and with the Bills running out to their best winning percentage since 1991. If it wasn't for a miracle finish in Arizona in Week 10, the Bills would be on a nine-game winning streak, and would own an even better winning percentage that, if history serves correct, would put them on a path to a Super Bowl appearance.
December 29, 2020 at 08:56PM
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Buoyed by another big night for Stefon Diggs, Bills make statement with decimation of Patriots - NFL.com
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