With the New England Patriots still reeling from their AFC wild-card game loss to the Buffalo Bills, safety Adrian Phillips believes that the Patriots are closer to their AFC East rivals than many expect.
Buffalo beat New England soundly 47-17 to finish off the Patriots’ 2021 season. In a year that saw the Patriots log a 10-6 record, New England lost twice to Buffalo in roughly a month. It was part of a slide that saw them lose three out of their four final regular-season games — along with their only postseason appearance.
Despite the disappointing ending, Phillips sees the gap between the two teams as rather close. As transcribed by Ryan Hannable of WEEI, Phillips sees New England as comparable to Buffalo.
“Buffalo is a great team and what they’ve got going over there is great and they built up a nice roster, but I don’t think the gap is huge at all,” he said. “They just made the plays that were out there to be made and we didn’t make ours. It’s going to be fun for the next few years, and we’ll look to see how it is at the end of those years. I don’t think it’s a gap at all. I will always ride with what we have on this side. I think we’re better than everybody else. We just have to go out there and prove it.”
Phillips finished the year with 92 tackles, a forced fumble, and four interceptions. His performance against the Miami Dolphins in the regular season finale was his best of 2021. He recorded 11 tackles, including 10 solo tackles. In the team’s loss to Buffalo, he finished with six total tackles.
With the Buffalo Bills enjoying success over the Patriots in the post-Tom Brady era, New England will have their chances to even the playing field.
