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.
In the wake of that humiliation – in which the Bills scored touchdowns on each of their first seven attacking drives – a big question is in need of an answer.
Where do the Patriots go from here?
It has to be noted that things this season were far better for the team than they were in 2020, and the coaching staff deserve huge credits for their roles in that.
Cam Newton was a solid option to replace the departed Tom Brady in theory, but a season in which his side lost more games than they won and a failure to qualify for the playoffs showed he was not the answer.
That problem appears to have been solved by the draft pick of rookie Mac Jones. Selecting him as the starting quarterback and allowing Newton to leave was a risk, but one which has paid off so far.
There have been mistakes from the youngster, but overall he has proven himself a worthy starter in 2021. His stats vastly outshone other rookie QBs, and he quickly became a favourite among the Pats faithful.
That's not to say he doesn't need to get better, though. Josh Allen showed him exactly what a quarterback for a team with Superbowl ambitions needs to do when his Bills side ran riot in the Wild Card game.
But even despite his many years of service and the incredible success Belichick has brought to this team which was once counted among the minnows of the NFL, at what point does his position come under scrutiny?
Losing Brady would have been a massive blow to any team, but he has had two cracks now at creating a successful side without his great quarterback. Both attempts have failed.
Belichick, who turns 70 in April, recently said he has no intention of calling it quits just yet.
"I'd say that would be accurate," he responded to a question asking if he wants to continue in 2022.
He later added: "Nobody ever said it was year-to-year or something else. I enjoy the job that I have and trying to do everything I can to help the team. That's what I've always done and that's what I'll continue to do."
There has been no concrete talk to this point of team owner Robert Kraft considering heading in a new direction, but it's something he should at least be considering.
Across many sports, there are countless examples of teams suffering because they were under the control of someone whose past glories were keeping them in their position rather than their future prospects.
For fans of English football, Arsenal under Arsene Wenger is the example which springs to mind – the Frenchman brought incredible success to north London, but eventually outstayed his welcome and the club suffered for it.
Several years on, and the Gunners are still recovering. The Patriots must do everything they can to avoid following that lead, even if it means making some tough choices.
Whether or not they decide to stick with Belichick or those currently occupying key roles within the team, that is of course up to the powers-that-be in Foxborough.
Such decisions impact on all aspects of the franchise, including commercially and reputationally – but for the sake of the supporters which are the lifeblood of the team, the head has to overrule the heart.
If not, the Patriots might find themselves fading once again into obscurity.
