The January wild-card trouncing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills still stings many New England Patriots players.
"We went out there and it was, what, negative-one? Went out there and basically got our face kicked in," safety Adrian Philips said this week of the 47-17 playoff loss in Buffalo, via Mass Live.
On that day, the Bills became the first team not to punt, attempt a field goal or turn the ball over in a game since at least 1950, per NFL Research. The Pats' defense gave up seven TD drives, only interrupted by the end of the half and the final whistle.
"You definitely think about (the loss), but you don't harp on that," Phillips said. "You look at what they did and how they were able to control the game and the plays that they were able to make. You think about them not punting the ball basically for two games. It's a big deal. But at the same time, you can't let that consume you."
Josh Allen torched Bill Belichick's defense in the last meeting, going 21-of-25 passing for 308 yards, five TDs, zero interceptions and zero sacks for a career-high 157.6 passer rating. Allen also added six rushes for 66 yards.
Ahead of Thursday night's rematch in Foxborough, slowing Allen will again be the biggest challenge.
"He's very dangerous out of the pocket, he's dangerous in the pocket," Belichick said on Tuesday. "So just team defense. Playing with our leverage, using our teammates help, them being where they need to be, being aggressive. He's a hard guy to get, and you can't just stand there and watch him throw because he'll throw it pretty good, too. So it'll be a challenge for us."
After starting 0-3 versus the Patriots in his career, Allen is 4-1 against the division rival since 2020. Allen (4-4) needs one win to join Peyton Manning (8-12) and Ryan Tannehill (5-8) as the only starting QBs with five-plus wins versus Belichick as New England's head coach (including playoffs).
