Patriots-Bills Week 16 matchup flexed to 4:25PM
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills will be taking over the NFL's afternoon window in Week 16. Sunday's Patriots-Bills showdown has been flexed to a 4:25 p.m. start, the league announced on Monday.
The game was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. But the NFL likely wants to highlight Josh Allen and the 11-3 Bills, who will probably have a field day going against the 3-11 Patriots.
Buffalo currently sits as a 14.5-point favorite for Sunday's game.
The Bills have won eight of their last nine games, including Sunday's thrilling 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions. Allen threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran in a pair of scores in Detroit. Buffalo amassed 559 yards of offense, as James Cook ran for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Patriots, meanwhile, have lost four straight and have yet to score more than 25 points a game this season. But with rookie Drake Maye off to a promising start to his career (despite his 2-7 record as a starter), the NFL likely wants to showcase the Maye-Allen matchup at quarterback.
But Maye is going to have a tough time keeping up with Allen and company. The Bills rank second in the NFL at 31.8 points per game, and haven't scored less than 30 in a contest since Week 6.
Patriots vs. Bills
The Patriots and the Bills will meet twice over the final three weeks of the regular season, with New England hosting their second matchup in Week 18. The Patriots and the Bills split their two meetings last season, but Buffalo swept the series in 2022.
The Patriots pulled off a massive upset in Buffalo in 2021, when Mac Jones threw the ball just three times on a windy night at Highmark Stadium. The Patriots ran for 241 yards to earn a 14-10 win on Monday Night Football that year, but lost their other two games against Buffalo: A 33-21 loss in Foxboro and a 41-17 drubbing in Buffalo in the AFC Wild Card round.
It's a far cry from when Tom Brady was leading the charge for New England. He absolutely owned the Bills, going 32-3 against the Patriots division rival. Since 2020, the Bills hold a 7-2 edge over the Patriots.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Bills game on WBZ-TV, the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
