You can expect a playoff-like atmosphere in Foxborough, MA this Sunday. There’s a lot at stake for both the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots weeks before the playoffs begin. After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, the Patriots have turned things around under hard-nosed head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel.
Now 11-2 and in first place within the AFC East, New England welcomes their Buffalo rivals to Gillette Stadium for a pivotal game that could decide the division winner.
With a win against the Bills on Sunday, the Patriots will officially retake the division, being crowned 2025 AFC East Champions.
Quarterback Josh Allen and One Bills Drive should be extra motivated this week, interested in spoiling the planned “hat and t-shirt” party at their expense, but a win won’t come easy. Games between Buffalo and New England haven’t been this competitive in decades, and second-year quarterback Drake Maye, an NFL MVP front-runner, is a key reason the Patriots are once again the talk of the league.
To be certain, there’s nothing team owner Robert Kraft and everyone inside the Patriots’ organization would love more than to re-claim the AFC East from Buffalo, where the title has remained the last five NFL seasons. New England is in prime playoff position, currently the AFC’s two seed and with an identical record to the one-seed Denver Broncos. The Patriots haven’t lost since Week 3, and are riding a 10-game winning streak.
When Buffalo and New England met in Week 5, the Bills failed to contain Maye and former Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs outside the red zone. Though neither player finished with a touchdown of any type, Maye went 22-0f-30 for 273 yards while Diggs caught 10 passes on 12 targets for 146 yards to keep the chains moving.
It’s been an impressive two-week stretch for Bills cornerback Christian Benford, who has returned turnovers for a touchdown against both the Pittsburgh Steelers (fumble-return TD) and Cincinnati Bengals (pick-six). Buffalo could look to have Benford follow Diggs around next Sunday in hopes of slowing down what hurt the defense in Week 5.
There’s no doubt head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane hope to avoid watching Diggs put on a division champions hat and shirt in a different shade of red, white, and blue.
