Arguably the most impactful win of the New England Patriots’ 2025 season came against their biggest rivals. In Week 5, they managed to upset the Buffalo Bills 23-20 in primetime — a win that ended up setting the tone for the rest of the season, and for the AFC East title returning to Foxborough for the first time in six years.
Fast forward to 2026, and the Bills and their 3-0 record again look like a serious contender for the division title. The Patriots, on the other hand, are facing an uphill battle:
not only did they start the season 1-2, their offense around MVP runner-up Drake Maye has struggled playing consistent football and holding onto the ball. If there ever was a get-right game for the team, this week’s might be it.
The Patriots, after all, are headed to Buffalo for a rematch of that Week 5 battle last season. Will the outcome be the same this time around, and the 6.5-point underdogs according to FanDuel Sportsbook manage another upset in Orchard Park? Let’s find out what Pats Pulpit’s staff and community think.
Patriots vs. Bills score predictions
Bernd Buchmasser: The Patriots have had their fair share of struggles and will be heading into a hostile environment on Sunday. An upset would be monumental and, just like last year, might have a lasting effect on the team and it’s confidence. However, unlike in 2025, the gap between them and the Bills feels very much too big to be overcome at this point in time. While the game should be more competitive than last week’s shellacking in Jacksonville, New England’s issues and injury woes will be too much to overcome versus one of the best teams in the NFL. | Patriots 17, Bills 21
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Matt St. Jean: Drake Maye looks broken, as does the Patriots offense as a whole. The Bills have been rolling and just won easily despite losing the turnover differential badly. It’s hard to imagine this being competitive with the version of Drake Maye we’ve seen this season. | Patriots 10, Bills 27
Dylan Klayman: The Bills, as they often do, look unbeatable to start off the year. Drake Maye is completely flustered and lost right now. The defense also did not perform last week, and got very little pressure on the quarterback. Penalties have also been racking up. Based off what we have seen from the Patriots this season, this game won’t be very close. | Bills 34, Patriots 17
Pat Lane: I’m doing this based solely on hope, because, if the Patriots get blown out, I will consider the season essentially over. They have to show some fight, and being able to score 20+ on offense would be huge. The Bills are a wagon, so I’m expecting this to most likely be a loss, but how they play is incredibly important to me. A close loss like this could be a springboard for them moving forward. Based on what we’ve seen so far this year, this outcome might be a surprise, but I’m hoping to see some growth from Maye this week. We’ll see how far that hope takes me. | Bills 24, Patriots 21
What do you think? Do you agree with our assessment? Or do you feel differently one way or the other? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts with the rest of the community.
