Back to the New England Patriots Newsfeed

How do you explain the Patriots’ late-season collapse

Not that it’s going to linger to the mythical level of whatever offense Malcolm Butler committed that would have Patriots head coach Bill Belichick willing to surrender a Super Bowl title, but we’re probably always going to wonder what happened during that bye week.

Indeed, the weekend of December 11, 2021, is the line of demarcation in a mostly-enjoyable Patriots season, one that ended in epic fashion during Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game in Buffalo. Ever since the Patriots “broke” the Bills on Monday Night Football, just before the bye in question, Josh Allen and friends have made sure to pour on the comeuppance.