Patriots Come Away as Big Winners Following Bills Loss to Falcons on 'Monday Night Football'

Key Points

The New England Patriots benefitted greatly from the Buffalo Bills’ loss on ‘Monday Night Football’.

The Patriots are finding success with the head coach-quarterback combination of Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye.

Josh Allen and the Bills are struggling at unprecedented levels during the MVP QB’s tenure with the team.

Through the first six weeks of the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots are enjoying a resurgent campaign. Following their Week 6 win over the New Orleans Saints (25-19), the Patriots have already equaled their win-total from 2023 and 2024 (they finished 4-13 both seasons).

While the Patriots’ franchise has become synonymous with winning since the turn of the century, thanks to Tom Brady, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing since he took his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring following the 2022 season.

Since Brady’s departure from the Patriots in 2019, the search for their next franchise quarterback has gone on a wild ride. From Cam Newton to Mac Jones, the Patriots have made the playoffs just one time since 2019, seeking to find consistency at the most integral positions of a successful football team — head coach and QB.

Patriots Return to Familiar Spot in AFC East Rankings

With former Patriots player, Mike Vrabel at the helm as their first-year head coach, and Drake Maye now in his second season under center, they seem to have found a winning-formula once again. And following a 24-14 loss by their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills, on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, the Patriots find themselves in familiar territory.

With the Bills loss, the Patriots currently sit atop the AFC East with a record of 4-2. While they hold an identical record as the Bills, they hold the division tiebreaker thanks to the Patriots 23-20, Week 5 victory over the Bills.

The last time the Patriots won the AFC East was 2019. With Brady as the full-time starting-QB in New England, the Patriots failed to win the division just two times (2002 and 2008).

The Patriots appear to have found a real talent in their current QB, Maye. Through six games of his sophomore-season, he’s completing 73.2% of his passes (second only to Jared Goff, 75.9%) while having thrown for 1,522 yards (fifth in the league).

Allen-Bills Era Reaching Unprecedented Struggles

The Bills and Josh Allen on the other hand, are struggling on an unprecedented level. Their loss to the Falcons on ‘Monday Night Football’ stands as their second consecutive loss on the season. The last time the Bills lost back-to-back games was Week 4 and Week 5 of the 2024 season.

Allen, fresh off his MVP award, has brought an incredible amount of success to the Bills franchise since his arrival in Orchard Park, New York. He has helped lead the Bills to AFC East division titles every year since 2020. He has also led his team to the playoffs in every year outside of his rookie season.

While there may be a new sheriff in town, for the moment, the Bills will look to regroup during their Week 7 bye. They’ll resume play in Week 8, on the road, against the surging Carolina Panthers.

The Patriots will put their perfect road-record (3-0) on the line when they head to Tennessee to take on the 1-5 Titans for their Week 7 matchup.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Patriots Come Away as Big Winners Following Bills Loss to Falcons on ‘Monday Night Football’

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