An AFC East battle is scheduled for Sunday Night Football as the undefeated Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots in a game that will have major implications for how the division will pan out this season. The Bills enter the contest after two closer than expected games against the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints, while the Patriots enter after a 42-13 beatdown of the Carolina Panthers. Buffalo will be wearing their new “Rivals” jerseys, and a whiteout is scheduled in the stands. Here’s the breakdown:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-2/AFC East)
vs.
BUFFALO BILLS (4-0/AFC East)
Sunday, Highmark Stadium, 8:20 pm
Storyline #1: Major AFC East implications
Sunday night’s game between these two division rivals means a lot more than just the opportunity to pick up a win. A win for New England would set the Patriots just a half game back of leading the AFC East with the matchup against the Bills in New England still to come in Week 15. A win for Buffalo, on the other hand, would put the Bills in a position where they have a three-game lead (with current tiebreakers against the three other teams) in the division, which is practically unheard of this early into the season.
The Bills are looking to win their sixth AFC East title in a row, which would extend the franchise record and be the second-longest streak in AFC East history, behind the 11-straight division titles the Patriots ripped off from 2009-2020. In 2024, the Bills were the first team since 2009 to clinch a division title with five or more games left in the regular season, and a win on Sunday night would set Buffalo down a similar track.
Storyline #2: What version of New England will the Bills see?
The Patriots have delivered checkered results through four weeks, which is mirrored rather nicely through their 2-2 start. In the two games they lost in Weeks 1 and 3, they scored an average of 13.5 points per game, turned the ball over a combined six times, and converted only 38% of their third down tries. However, in their two wins, the Patriots have been the exact opposite, scoring an average of 37.5 points per game, having no turnovers, and converting 48% of their third-down tries.
The main reason the Patriots have been able to find success offensively has been because of quarterback Drake Maye. Maye is in his second year as the starter in New England and is off to a great start, leading the NFL in completion percentage (74%) through four games while throwing for 988 yards and touting a 7-2 touchdown to interception ratio.
“Very impressed,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said about Maye. “There’s not much that he can’t do. He can throw, it he can run it, he can scramble with it. He’s off to a great start and I’m sure they (New England) feel great about him as an organization as well.”
Storyline #3: James Cook named AFC Offensive Player of the Month
Bills running back James Cook was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September on Thursday afternoon. The University of Georgia product is off to his best start to a season in his young career, rushing for over 100 yards in three of Buffalo’s first four games and picking up five touchdowns in the process. The tailback is currently second in the NFL in rushing yards with 401.
Much of the talk surrounding the Bills this past offseason was centered around the fourth-year running back and whether or not he would ink an extension with Buffalo. Nothing got signed until mid-August, but the two parties eventually agreed on a contract worth $48 million that would keep Cook in Buffalo through the 2029 season. Through four games, the Bills have gotten the return they were looking for.
Key to the game #1: Bills defense needs to deliver splash plays
After two straight games where Buffalo did not pull away from their opponent until late in the fourth-quarter, it’s crucial that the Bills’ defense has some big plays to help spark momentum. Buffalo has forced at least one turnover in each of it’s four games so far, and that has been the key to teams beating New England this season. In Week 3’s loss to Pittsburgh, the Patriots turned the ball over five times. In Week 1’s loss, Maye was sacked four times and threw an interception, while the offense as a whole was held to six points in the final three quarters.
With defensive stars Ed Oliver and Matt Milano returning to practice this week after missing time, the Bills defense is on track to be the healthiest it’s been since Week 1 against Baltimore. The Bills will have the best chance to win on Sunday if they can create pressure on Maye up front and force turnovers.
Key to the game #2: Let Josh throw the ball
Through four games, New England’s defense is the second-best team in the NFL in stopping the run, allowing only 77.5 rushing yards per game. However, their passing defense has been the seventh-worst to open the season, allowing both Las Vegas’ Geno Smith and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa to throw for over 300 yards.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen hasn’t really had to use his arm much after Week 1. Allen threw the ball 46 times for 394 yards in the opener against the Ravens but hasn’t been throwing as much in the past three games, averaging 25 attempts per game and 190 passing yards per game. While much of the gameplan is still probably to give touches to Cook, expect coordinator Joe Brady’s offense to let their MVP quarterback air the ball out under the lights to try and exploit a struggling Patriots’ secondary.
X-Factor: Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs
Former All-Pro and New England wideout Stefon Diggs is making his return to Buffalo on Sunday for the first-time since getting traded from the Bills after the 2023 season. In his four years in Buffalo, he set the franchise records in both receptions in a season (127), 100-yard receiving games in a season (7) and receiving yards in a season (1,535). His 445 receptions, 5,372 receiving yards, and 37 touchdown catches with the team each rank 4th in franchise history despite only playing 66 games in a Bills’ jersey.
“To me, obviously, it’s a little sentimental. I spent a lot of time there,” Diggs told reporters this week about his upcoming return. “I’m real familiar with the staff, familiar with the guys there. The guys that I’ve maintained a relationship with, I’m looking forward to seeing them play. It’s going to be a little bit emotional.
Diggs signed with the Patriots after playing for the Houston Texans in 2024, a season that was cut short after the Maryland product tore his ACL in Week 8. The eighth-year pass-catcher is coming off of his best game in New England, as Diggs finished with six catches for 101 yards in Week 4.
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