Four Takeaways After Patriots’ Tough-To-Swallow Win Against Bills

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots lost winnable games all season long, but won the contest they would’ve benefited from losing.

The Patriots, playing their backups against the Buffalo Bills second- and third-stringers, earned a 23-16 victory at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. New England concluded its campaign with a 4-13 record for the second consecutive season.

Here are four takeaways from Patriots-Bills:

Well, there goes No. 1
The Patriots entered Week 18 one loss away from the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They were one loss away from the having the most valuable asset of the offseason, an asset they could use to build the talent on their roster with a pre-draft trade. Unfortunately, that asset now belongs to someone else. The Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and New York Giants all lost in Week 18 causing the Patriots to fall down the draft board. You can check their standing here. Fans before and during the game clearly knew what was at stake: Many were rooting for a loss. As has been the theme all season, the Patriots didn’t deliver.

Patriots did their best to preserve assets
That’s not to say they didn’t try, though. Veteran tight end Hunter Henry, the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards, was a healthy scratch for the first time. Drake Maye played one offensive series — he was sacked on his final snap of the season — before he was replaced by rookie quarterback Joe Milton III. Neither Kyle Dugger nor Davon Godchaux started the second half for a Patriots defense, which resembled a preseason group during the fourth quarter. The Patriots did their best to preserve their future assets without signing off on a full-on tanking. It just wasn’t enough given the Bills, locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, had nothing to play for. Nothing depicted that more than Josh Allen playing one snap — literally. Chances are Buffalo knew what it was doing, too, with third-stringer Mike White playing the fourth quarter. Well played, Buffalo.

Waiting game for coaching staff
Arguably the biggest development Sunday came before the Patriots even took the field. ESPN’s Adam Schefter seemed to offer some informed speculation regarding Jerod Mayo’s standing with the team. Schefter predicted Mayo would be “out” after the season and shared many inside One Patriot Place are uneasy regarding the situation. The Athletic’s Diana Russini over the weekend reported many around the league believe Mayo and his staff will be out, as well. It’s now a waiting game for Mayo and company with the NFL’s “Black Monday” less than 24 hours away. Patriots fans, though, made their opinions clear when they spoke to NESN.com before the game.

Good for you, Joe Milton III
Those who wanted to see Joe Milton III make his Patriots debut probably saw enough after the first half. And that’s because Milton looked good, too good. Milton completed each of his first nine pass attempts against Buffalo backups. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a run-pass option and then hit Kayshon Boutte (seven receptions, 117 yards) on an on-the-move, cross-body throw for a 48-yard touchdown. His overturned touchdown to DeMario Douglas might not have counted, but it nevertheless was entertaining to watch. Perhaps the performance will prompt a quarterback-needy team to consider an offseason trade for the 2024 sixth-round? Given the Patriots cost themselves one asset Sunday, it would be a welcomed development.