Many years ago, when Bill Belichick was a 24-year-old NFL assistant coach in Detroit and 2-year-old Sean McDermott took his meals in a highchair, the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills combined for zero touchdown passes and six interceptions at the old Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough. The late, great Will McDonough, writing for the Boston Globe, lamented that the 1976 game was “hardly a classic contest” — and for 43 years, that long-forgotten matchup seemed safely buried in the archives.



Then came Sunday in Orchard Park. The Belichick-coached Patriots and McDermott-led Bills, both 3-0 before the Patriots’ eventual 16-10 victory, wrought defensive destruction to such a degree that Tom Brady failed to complete even half his passes. The Patriots managed 11 first downs, tied for their second-fewest of the Belichick era. They needed a J.C. Jackson blocked punt and Matthew Slater touchdown return to prevail.



Life was even tougher for Josh Allen.