Can the 2026 Patriots Avoid Going 1-3 in Week Four Against the Bills?
Last week, the New England Patriots looked to win their second game of the 2026 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars; instead, the Patriots got pummeled 35-6. New England’s quarterback Drake Maye’s confidence has clearly dipped, and last week against Jacksonville, the 24-year-old delivered one of the most embarrassing performances of his young career. Maye threw for 199 passing yards while being intercepted twice, sacked three times, and fumbling the ball in the first quarter. Now, the Patriots face a tough task as they look to avoid going 1-3 in their Week Four game against the undefeated Buffalo Bills.
The Patriots’ defense has allowed 51 points through three games, which is the third-best in the AFC behind the Jaguars and the Kansas City Chiefs. Mainly, it’s been Maye and the offense that have severely struggled. During the game against Jacksonville, the 24-year-old quarterback sustained a right shoulder injury that head coach Mike Vrabel says isn’t a major concern, as Maye has been a full participant in practice this week. Receiver Mack Hollins was the only target to record more than 50 receiving yards, finishing with 86. Romeo Doubs has only 145 receiving yards through three games and hasn’t looked like the star New England hoped he would be. They paid him nearly 68 million dollars too, and it hasn’t worked well at all for the Patriots
Meanwhile, Josh Allen and the Bills are cruising along through this year’s NFL season. They’ve defeated three teams that appeared in the playoffs last year, and will look to make it a fourth going up against the Patriots. Buffalo’s offense behind Allen and running back James Cook has been superb. Cook racked up more than 100 rushing yards in the past two games, while the Bills QB threw five touchdowns over the first two games of the 2026 season. The Bills defense allowed 31 points to both the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions in Weeks One and Two. They were able to limit the Los Angeles Chargers offense, but Buffalo’s offense struggled as well in last week’s matchup.
In this Week Four matchup, New England’s defense has to show out and shut Allen, Cook, and the rest of Buffalo’s offense down every single time they get down the field. Which is nearly an impossible task when you have Cook and Allen to deal with. Yet, after last week and a rough start to the 2026 season, Maye needs all the confidence he can get. The 24-year-old quarterback needs to clearly see his receivers down the field, while at the same time, receivers like Doubs and DeMario Douglas, as well as tight end Hunter Henry and the dynamic running back duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, need to step it up. Vrabel stated after the horrendous loss to the Jags last week that his concern level for this team is “very high”. New England needs to look at themselves in the mirror and ask what will happen if we go 1-3? The Pats have a lot more heavy challengers in the weeks ahead, where another loss here and there could push New England out of the playoff picture completely. Maye must have the best game this season before he becomes a meme again after one of the most brutalizing fumbles in NFL history.
New England and Patriots fans should 100% be panicking internally after Week Four. As it’s looking, this Patriots team will most likely lose to the Bills in a laughing manner as New England’s offense looks bleak without three-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown. If I had to guess, 31-14 Buffalo, and it would be a miracle if Maye could throw off three or more touchdowns in this game without an interception. Moving to 1-3 should certainly set off alarms for the Patriots organization as they try to pick up the pieces and get to where they were a season ago.
