Bills take the crown as AFC East favorites

Sean McDermott is known for his stoic and even-keeled approach. But it was impossible not to notice the massive grin on his face following Buffalo’s Week 8 win over the New England Patriots.

- MARK Ludwiczak

The Bills aren’t going to earn any style points for their 24-21 victory. But at the end of the day, that hardly matters. With Tom Brady gone and a new era beginning for the AFC East, McDermott got his first win over the Patriots since taking over as Bills head coach. And the Bills took the unofficial crown as the new leaders of the division.

“It gets me emotional, it does,” McDermott said, reflecting on what the victory means for Bills fans. “All week long we try and go through it, one day at a time, process, process, process. But we know what this game means to our fan base and it’s just really special. I wish they could have been in the building honestly to experience it. It would’ve been crazy, I’m sure. Hopefully everyone at home enjoyed it.”

You could tell that the Bills enjoyed this one. It only represents one win in the standings, but symbolically it meant so much more.

“It feels amazing,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “I was 0-10 against the Patriots coming into this game so it feels good to be 4-0 in the AFC East, it feels good to come out with a victory at home. It was a grind, that was a grind. We didn’t play the way we wanted to but got a victory at the end of the day and it was big.”

With the win, the Bills have entered unchartered territory at the season’s halfway point. It’s the latest the Bills have ever held onto sole possession of first place in the AFC East since 1996. Buffalo (6-2) has a 3 1/2 game lead over New England (2-5) and a 1 1/2 game lead over Miami (4-3). The Jets (0-8) are circling the drain in their own hemisphere and well on their way toward acquiring Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick.