The New England Patriots suffered a horrific 35-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, as they threw away a 21-0 lead, allowing their top division rival to rally and keep their hopes of winning the division alive. However, a quick look around the league should show Patriots fans that things could be worse.
Heck, just take one look in the division, where the New York Jets suffered a 48-20 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whereas pretty much everything has gone right for Mike Vrabel in his first year in charge of New England, the opposite is true for Aaron Glenn in New York.
After this loss, Glenn decided it was time to make some changes to his coaching staff. Less than a week after he publicly threw his support behind defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Glenn announced on Monday morning that he had decided to fire the veteran coach.
“Aaron Glenn has fired Steve Wilks,” Brian Costello of the New York Post shared in a post on X.
Not only is Wilks considered a strong, defensive-minded coach, but he has experience working as a head coach, which meant he could be someone for Glenn to lean on as he embarked on his first head coaching gig. The Jets’ defense has been among the worst units in the league all season long, though, and it finally ended up costing Wilks his job.
Story continues below advertisement
No matter what happens for the Patriots from here on out, it’s worth remembering that they have already exceeded expectations this season. The bar has been raised significantly throughout the year, though, and New England will look to take a big step towards clinching the division in Week 16 by picking up a victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
