First Belichick, now Brady for baffled Bills

The rise of the Patriots has coincided with the demise of many of their best challengers.

Not only have the Patriots recovered from a 2-4 start to win seven straight games and take over the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, but the Bills, Ravens, Titans and Chargers have stumbled after fast starts. Only the Chiefs are keeping up, with five consecutive victories after a 3-4 start to take over first place in the AFC West.

The Bills looked like they were the AFC favorite after they whipped the Chiefs 38-20 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5. At that point, the Bills were 4-1 with four straight victories in which they averaged 39 points and outscored their opponents 156-41.

The Bills were the No. 1 team in ESPN’s power rankings. The Patriots were 2-3 and 19th — 10th among AFC teams.

But since then, the Bills are 3-4. They had their chance to reestablish themselves against the surging Patriots at home last week. But instead, it became a showcase for the coaching mastery of Bill Belichick, who devised a game plan perfectly suited for the opponent and windy conditions and won 14-10, frustrating the Bills on multiple levels. The Patriots rushed for 222 yards and passed for just 19,

letting their defense do the heavy lifting.

Bills coach Sean McDermott uncharacteristically bristled at the notion that Belichick outfoxed him. “Let’s not give more credit to Bill Belichick than we need to,” he said.

Now he gets Tom Brady, who is as crafty at playing quarterback as Belichick is at coaching.

Buccaneers 27, Bills 17.