Jason Whitlock continued to pound the drum Thursday, three days before the New England Patriots welcome the Buffalo Bills to Foxboro for a crucial AFC East showdown at Gillette Stadium.
The FS1 host has been on the Patriots’ case all week despite New England’s 34-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday, even channeling his inner Max Kellerman in evaluating Tom Brady’s decline at age 42. But Whitlock took his skepticism to another level Thursday by suggesting the Bills could stomp out the Patriots’ Super Bowl aspirations with a Week 16 upset in New England.
“Sean McDermott has the best chance at breaking (Bill) Belichick. Other than Dave Wannstedt’s initial success in Miami, McDermott is the most successful AFC East coach in the Belichick era. Saturday’s showdown with the Patriots is a critical next step in McDermott undermining Belichick,” Whitlock said on “Speak For Yourself.” “The Patriots are vulnerable. Their confidence is waning. A loss on Saturday would knock the Patriots to the three seed in the AFC and, more importantly, I believe it would destroy their confidence in Tom Brady and the offense heading into the postseason. The Patriots lose on Saturday, they’re done.”
Today’s #Whitlogue: Sean McDermott & the Bills can crush Tom Brady & the Patriots’ shaky confidence on Saturday. @WhitlockJason pic.twitter.com/w8ns7G9Eko
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) December 19, 2019
The 11-3 Patriots can clinch their 11th consecutive AFC East title with a win over the 10-4 Bills. A loss, on the other hand, would threaten New England’s quest to secure a first-round playoff bye, which Whitlock doesn’t believe this Patriots team is capable of overcoming because of its shortcomings.
“They know they’re not good enough to advance to the Super Bowl if they have to play in the wild-card round. They know their offense is fatally flawed, fatally impudent,” Whitlock said. “Buffalo’s defense can crush New England’s soul on Saturday by winning an ugly game that leaves little doubt Brady is too old and his supporting cast is too weak.”