Bills, Patriots set for critical AFC East tilt

The Buffalo Bills’ 2025 season has been anything but perfect up to this point.

Picked by many to continue their reign over the AFC East for a sixth straight season at the beginning of September, the Bills (9-4 OVR, 2-2 AFCE) currently find themselves looking up to the New England Patriots as the year heads to the middle of December.

It seems unfamiliar, at least to the current iteration of the team that has been led by quarterback Josh Allen since the start of the 2018 season. 

The feeling, though, isn’t that unfamiliar to those in each fanbase.

For nearly two decades the Patriots ruled supreme atop the division, securing 17 division titles from 2001 to 2019 while Buffalo managed to capture zero.

And although many in Western New York probably could have done without such a quick turnaround from an archrival, the current power structure of the division heading into Week 14 is a cold reminder of just how far Buffalo has come and how quickly things can change from one season to the next.

However, the Bills have a chance to do a little reminding of their own this weekend at GIllette Stadium. 

In a three-month stretch that has been marred by injuries and inconsistent play, Buffalo enters December coming off back-to-back, critical victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals that have kept their slim hopes of another AFC East title alive.

Now, heading into a “hats and t-shirts” game for New England (11-2 OVR, 3-0 AFCE), the Bills can hold off their AFC East counterparts’ chances of capturing the divisional crown for at least another week if they’re able to walk into Foxborough, Massachusetts, and grab a victory on Sunday.

It would be a reminder to all that the boys from Buffalo are still here and aren’t going to go down without a fight.

“They do a really good job — Mike (Vrabel) does, and Josh McDaniels — and across their coaching staff. You can just feel a difference in what they’ve done and how they’re doing things, and so, you know, we have a ton of respect, obviously, for the way that they’ve played this year,” Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott said when speaking to the media on Wednesday.

“Every team’s on their own journey, really. We’re on ours, and that’s really where our focus is — our journey, what we’re trying to do as a football team, how we’re trying to improve this week, specifically, and that’s really what we’re focused on is who we are and what we’re trying to do and how we need to improve week to week.”

In their previous matchup — way back on October 5th — the Bills seemingly did everything they could to try to give the game away to New England, turning the ball over three times (two fumbles, one interception), which ultimately led to a 23-20 loss at Highmark Stadium despite outgaining the Patriots in total yards (363 to 338), time of possession (34:31 to 25:29), and total first downs (25 to 21).

In his return to Orchard Park, wide receiver Stefon Diggs torched Buffalo’s secondary under the lights of Sunday Night Football en route to tallying a season-high in catches (10) and receiving yards (146).

It was night to forget, mostly, for the Bills.

The only thing to remember? Despite the turnovers and all the adversity, the team had a chance to win at the end.

For Allen, who has 14 total touchdowns, 302 total yards per game, a 65% completion percentage, a 108.0 passer rating, and just one interception at Gillette Stadium since 2019, a chance is all that he feels is needed for him and his teammates.

“We’re doing everything that we can to prepare as hard as we can to go out there and execute as well as we can on Sunday. You know, we think we understand as a team what’s at stake, but I don’t think that’s going to influence anything — it’s the next game. It’s the biggest game that we have because it’s the next one, and all we’re trying to focus on is putting together the best game plan that we can against a really good team,” quarterback Josh Allen said when speaking to the media earlier in the week.

“We have an opportunity to put ourselves in a better position with going out there (and) playing (in) a really hostile environment against a really good team that’s playing extremely well right now. And, you know, we’re just looking forward to the opportunity.”

With just four weeks remaining in the season, the opportunities that Allen speaks of are certainly dwindling.

A loss on Sunday, and Buffalo will relinquish the right to (most likely) host a playoff game in the final season at Highmark Stadium.

However, a win puts everything back on the table in terms of the Bills being able to obtain all the goals they had set forth for themselves when OTAs began last spring. 

And while it will certainly be easier said than done, especially considering New England is currently riding a 10-game winning streak, there are slivers of hope that seem to be poking through the small holes of the Patriots’ shiny armor. 

Despite their offense continuing to roll behind second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who is among the current MVP favorites after posting a 71.5% completion percentage, 3,412 passing yards, and a 23-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio through 13 games, the other side of the ball has been seemingly underperforming since Week 9, particularly in rush defense — something that may pique the interest of Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady and running back James Cook, who managed just 49 yards on 15 carries in the loss in October.

In the weeks since Week 9, the Patriots rank 31st in the league in run-stop success rate and 31st in run-stop win rate according to ESPN analyst Mina Kimes.

The lack of success in rush defense appears to stem from the loss of prized free-agent acquisition, Milton Williams, who has been on IR since the middle of November after suffering a high-ankle sprain against the New York Jets in Week 11.

With that said, it’ll be up to Buffalo to get the ground game going with Cook and company in order to maintain a more balanced attack on offense. 

Currently, Cook is second in the league in total rushing yards with 1,308, trailing only Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor, who leads the NFL with 1,356 yards on the ground.

Cook’s offensive line hopes to continue paving the way for its “bellcow” come Sunday.

“The Patriots have done a good job this year of playing football the right way. You know, they got that new coach and they’re booming. So, we respect it and we know the energy that is involved and, you know, we just got to just focus on us. Keep winning practices, keep winning, you know, bonding sessions, and go out there and play for one another . . . continue to leave it all on field,” Bills’ offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said during his media availability this week.

“Teams that go the distance late in the playoffs can do all phases — run, pass, screens, deep balls, short balls, everything . . . it’s great that we have a great offensive line, and a great running back to be able to run but, you know, that’s just a phase of football that you have to be able to check that box off with the golden star to be able to win games late down towards the end of the season. But, it just gives us confidence, right? It gives us confidence that we know that there’s a lot of different ways that we can win a football game . . . to see Cook play free and just do his thing and run behind the big boys, you know, it’s a beautiful feeling.”

Whether or not the Bills are able to sustain success on the ground this time around remains to be seen, but if they are able to do so and keep the ball out of quarterback Drake Maye’s hands as much as possible, then it will go a long way in helping secure a much-needed victory over their divisional foe.

Kickoff between the Patriots and the Bills is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Editor’s babble: We are grateful for John Green’s contributions to our blog. You can also find John on Xwitter @JGreen_PRsports.