Bills 'played with their food' vs. Patriots and slip in power rankings

Adam Schultz

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Bills 'played with their food' vs. Patriots and slip in power rankings image

© Gregory Fisher

The Buffalo Bills were the favorites to continue on their winning ways against the New England Patriots, but Sean McDermott's team was their own worst enemy.

Three costly turnovers and the defense's inability to halt Drake Maye and the Patriots' offense late in the fourth quarter doomed the AFC East king to its first loss of the season, and in doing so, showed that they aren't invincible.

Still, at 4-1, it isn't a bad spot to be, but as Eric Edholm writes for NFL.com in his latest power rankings, in which Buffalo slips to No.3, it wasn't a good.

“Playing with their food -- something the Bills began to do against Miami and New Orleans -- finally cost them,” Edholm writes. “It was a grounding loss for a team with big dreams.”

More: The Buffalo Bills don't need the whole chocolate bar, they just need a Hershey's Kiss

Did Bills overlook Patriots?

We will never know the true answer, but I doubt it. This is the NFL, and a division game nonetheless, so to say Buffalo overlooked the 2-2 Patriots doesn't hold any weight. It's worth noting that last season the Bills only beat the Patriots by three points in Week 16, before losing by seven points in Week 18.

It simply could have been one of those games where things don't go your way, both sides of the ball don't play up to their usual standards, and the opposition takes advantage, so we could chalk it up to that.

Plus, the Patriots, on both sides of the ball, played well, Buffalo didn't, and you will be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks New England didn't deserve that win.

Now comes a plucky Atlanta Falcons team on the road for the Bills before their bye. They wouldn't want to head into their break on a two-game losing streak.

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Adam Schultz

Adam Schultz is a freelance writer at The Sporting News. An Australian journalist with years of experience covering the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Adam has interviewed several high-profile athletes in Australia for various sites and brings a unique view on the NFL.