FOXBORO, Mass. — There wasn’t much for Bill Belichick — or anyone on the Patriots, for that matter — to say after Sunday’s 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
New England fell out of first place in the AFC East, forced zero punts (for the first time in the Belichick era), went 1-for-10 on third down and committed two turnovers in its second straight loss. It was a rough, disappointing afternoon at Gillette Stadium for a team that suddenly is reeling after generating Super Bowl buzz only a couple of weeks ago.
During his postgame press conference, Belichick wasn’t nearly as snarky as he was last weekend, but he was terse and quiet while answering few questions.
“Well, little bit like last week, not a lot to say here,” the clearly under-the-weather Patriots head coach said. “Obviously, Buffalo made more plays than we did today. Played better than we did, coached better than we did. We just didn’t perform well enough to really have a good chance to win the game.
“We’ve gotta find a way to do better. Again, they just made more plays than we did. Give them credit.”
Belichick then was asked about the success of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns.
“Buffalo receivers played well, they threw the ball well,” Belichick said. “They ran after the catch well. They did a good job — did a better job than we did, that’s for sure.”
In an awkward moment, Belichick was asked to share his new year’s resolutions, if he has any.
“Yeah, not right now,” he said. “Maybe next week.”
The 9-6 Patriots now must dust themselves off and prepare to face the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday, when New England could clinch a playoff berth.
