Devin McCourty puts Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game in perspective

Author Alex Barth

December 22nd, 2021 10:23 PM

It’s no secret Devin McCourty is one of the biggest leaders in the Patriots locker room. He’s in his 11th season as a team captain, and he’s helped the team navigate from a 2-4 start to potentially finishing with the top seed in the AFC.

Drafted by the Patriots in 2010, McCourty has played been through chasing the top spot in the division and conference plenty of times before. Yet his mindset down the stretch this year involves the lone season he missed the playoffs in 2020.

“I just think it’s so important to keep perspective. This time last year we were just playing. There was nothing to play for,” McCourty told reporters on Wednesday. “We were out here playing as competitors because we love playing our football, because we’ve been doing it for a long time, and we all trying to earn a job for the next year. That was all we had last year. So the opportunity we get this year to come out here and compete and play in a game that matters, I think is enough for every guy to come in and be ready to go.”

There’s some fitting symmetry between the end of 2020 and 2021 for the Patriots. The Bills also visited in Week 16 last year, a week after the Patriots were eliminated from playoff contention. Buffalo would go on to claim a lopsided 38-9 win in primetime at Gillette Stadium.

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  Once again, the Bills come to Gillette for Week 16. This time around, there's much more at stake with Sunday basically serving as a de facto division championship game - which comes just three weeks after the Patriots won a hard-fought wind-dominated game in Buffalo.
  
  "Obviously they were the top dogs last year and we had a heated, game - what was it, 20 days ago? 14-10 game, it was a back and forth game," McCourty recalled. "So you've got a game, I think, where both sides believe 'we're better than this team and we're going to win.' They've got to be sitting there like 'we were two plays away from already winning,' and we're sitting here like, 'yeah, that's true.' So it's going to be, there's going to be a battle."
  
  Having Sunday's stakes laid out in that sense may have Patriots fans ready to run through a wall. But according to McCourty, that shouldn't be the case inside the walls of the Patriots' locker room. He believes it's already ungrained, even unspoken.
  
  "I truly don't believe in - I think the outside world always thinks you've got to like, say, something to guys - I truly believe every guy that makes it to this level, you've played football for a long time. So you've played in big games in youth football, high school, college and you've lost big games. So I think everyone knows how to do that," McCourty said. "I think it's just important to focus on what's next, though. No rah-rah speeches, no anything. To me, everything's about energy. Bring in your attitude and your performance as a leader, as a guy who's been in the league for a while. I think you do that, and I always say, guys follow that."
  
  For more on Sunday's matchup, check out the latest Patriots preview podcast with guest Mike Giardi below.

MORE: Mac Jones is ready to turn the page

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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Author Alex Barth

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