Bills 17, Patriots 9

One account I read last night described the Patriots effort yesterday as "uninterested". There was certainly no sense of urgency about their game, especially in the second half and the Bills first win ever at Gillette Stadium will need an asterisk beside it to indicate that the Patriots had nothing to play for except for general consistency and avoiding injury. The stadium opened in 2002 and the Bills play there every year so a win there has been a long time coming, but still.

Week 17 in the NFL features 16 Sunday games - the only week where all 32 teams play on the same day - with no Thursday or Monday games and no byes. It was an exciting day in terms of what was at stake in some of the games but the key games themselves generally lacked drama. The Atlanta Falcons were embarrassed at home by the Panthers in the NFC South Bowl and Black Monday will probably mark the end for coach Mike Smith. The Detroit Lions string of losses at Lambeau Field makes the Bills losing streak in Foxborough look tame in comparison as the Lions, who also play there every year, have not won in Green Bay since 1991. They gave up a chance to win their division and host a home playoff game and will now travel to Dallas on Sunday for a first round match-up. The Steelers also won at home and sent the Bengals to Indianapolis on Sunday. Pittsburgh will host Baltimore on Saturday. The Panthers will be home to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

As for the Bills, President Russ Brandon dispelled rumours yesterday that former General Manager and the architect of the Bills Superbowl teams, Bill Polian, would be returning to the team as early as today. Coach Doug Marrone looks secure for another season as the Bills registered their first winning season in 10 years. GM Doug Whaley may be more vulnerable. He has clearly brought in some good talent, especially on defence but he is also responsible for two key moves which look questionable in retrospect: the over-reaching in last year's draft for quarterback EJ Manuel who, after two seasons, has not lived up to his first round draft position. Second was the trading of the team's first round pick in the 2015 draft to get wideout Sammy Watkins this year. Watkins had a good season and will be a key offensive contributor for years to come but the price of a first round pick for him now seems too high as a couple of other rookie receivers (like Odell Beckham) have posted seasons just as good or better than Watkins has but without the steep price. Whaley saw something in Manuel which just isn't there yet and he gambled that drafting Watlkins would create a powerful combination between the two which never materialized. The key question for the team and whoever the GM is, as it has been since Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season, is who will be the quarterback. The fan base will likely not be satisfied if they decide to ride Kyle Orton again and with no first round pick, the draft is less likely to produce the franchise quarterback the team needs. A trade? Jay Cutler will probably be available but he has had character issues - which is why he will be available. With a top ten quarterback, I wonder how well this year's team with its awesome defence would have done.

Overall, the 2014 Bills season has been successful as their 9-7 record indicates. After all, I haven't resorted to political rants even once this year (I don't think). I will post after the Superbowl and possibly beforehand if there's something which grabs me.