Patriots vs. Bills: Why New England's Defense Is in Big Trouble

Well, Patriots fans, don't push the panic button just yet. But don't stray far from it, either.

Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills came back from a 21-point deficit to take down the Patriots on Sunday. It was Buffalo's first win over New England in 15 tries, and it was quite the win. Buffalo's defense certainly shined (four interceptions, including Drayton Florence's pick-six in the fourth quarter), but it was their offense that did the heavy lifting.

And that's exactly why the Patriots have to be worrying right about now.

New England managed to win both of their first two games despite giving up 860 yard of total offense and 45 points. On Sunday, they weren't so lucky. Buffalo racked up 448 yards, including 369 through the air. That's an alarming number for New England's secondary.

The Pats are likely going to be racking up points early in games, putting the pressure on the opposing offense to put up points in a hurry. This spells bad news for the secondary. Although New England has to know the passes are coming, they still can't stop them. Never a good sign, especially early in a game.

I know that Patrick Chung was out Sunday, but that's no excuse. Belichick has to figure out what's going wrong in his secondary, and in a hurry. It's great for a team to capture an early lead, but definitely puts more pressure on the secondary. And with a group as young as New England's, that pressure isn't easy to handle.

It's still early, but the Bills are 3-0 and the Jets are 2-1. New England had this game in the palm of their hand early and let it slip away. These early division games are often the ones that make all the difference at the end of the season. The Pats better hope that's not the case here.