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The Patriots hung for a quarter against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. The first quarter. From the second quarter on, the Bills proved that the gap between them and the Patriots is wider than the Grand Canyon.

Buffalo didn’t even come close to playing their best offensively and still won by two touchdowns.

The Bills are a complete team in all three phases. They can run the ball, throw the ball, rush the passer, match up in the secondary and they have one of the best kickers in the game in Tyler Bass. Pound for pound, they are much better than the Patriots.

Josh Allen and company toyed with the Patriots and in the process, beat them for the third straight time at Gillette Stadium and for fifth time in the last six meetings between the teams.

The Patriots have dominated the all-time series between the two teams but times have changed. The Bills have flipped the script and it will be a while before the Patriots take control of the series again.

Sadly, the Patriots are a middle of the pack team now. They are not bad enough to land in the top ten of NFL Draft and they are not good enough to contend for a Super Bowl.

No one knows what the future holds but it will be a while before the Patriots get back to contender status. For now, Patriots fans have to accept the fact that just making the playoffs is an accomplishment for this team. Anything more is simply not attainable right now.