It was, perhaps, the darkest moment in Bill Belichick's long-running tenure as head coach of the New England Patriots.
No team had ever managed to score 47 points against a team coached by the NFL veteran. Never in his 27 years of leading football teams had his defence been so porous.
And yet that's what happened in Buffalo, when the Bills romped to a 30-point victory to ensure their AFC East rivals' post-season hopes fell at the first hurdle.