When it comes to talent, Tom Curran from NBC Sports Boston doesn’t believe it’s a contest between Buffalo and New England: The Bills have the upper-hand, but head coach Bill Belichick closes the gap.
In an interview on Tuesday with the Howard and Jeremy Show on WGR, Curran says he thinks the Patriots are back on track following their $175 million free agency spending spree, but fall short of the Bills.
“I think they’ll be a 10- or 11-win team this year,” Curran said. “I don’t think overall they’re better than Buffalo.”
The biggest reason, of course, is quarterback.
Josh Allen is coming off an MVP-caliber campaign, whereas Cam Newton struggled to throw the ball in the air. However, Curran thinks the Patriots can compete even with Newton under center, thanks to Belichick’s gridiron brilliance.
“No team in the NFL is ever going to be better coached than the Patriots are — period, end of story,” Curran said. “As good as Sean McDermott is, the Patriots are just always going to have that very, very high floor with Bill Belichick. They’ll win games they’re not supposed to.”
While the Bills blew out the Patriots on Monday Night Football last December, they barely escaped with a victory over New England back on Nov. 1, only securing the win when Newton fumbled in the red zone towards the end of the fourth quarter. The Patriots were in perfect position to win, but their quarterback just couldn’t get it done.
“It’s life and death until Cam fumbles, at the end," Curran said. "And Buffalo is so much better. ... The problem is quarterback. [Newton] is just not good enough."
In case you missed the interview, you can listen to it in its entirety below: