Everything you need to know about Patriots-Bills in Week 7
FOXBORO -- Remember when a visit from the Buffalo Bills was an automatic victory for the Patriots? Good times, good times.
The Patriots have more wins over the Bills than any other team. For two decades, the Bills were their punching bag, with the Pats ripping off 15 straight wins from 2003-2010. And when that streak ended, they rattled off six straight wins over their AFC East counterpart.
Those good times are over. The Bills have swept the Pats in two of the last three seasons, and the one season they didn't sweep, Buffalo ended New England's campaign with a 47-17 postseason dismantling in 2021.
New England's only win over Buffalo since Tom Brady left town was a fluky and funky 14-10 win on a super windy Monday night at Highmark Stadium in 2021. Maybe Saturday's rain will stick around into Sunday and help the 1-5 Patriots even the playing field just a tad. Yes, it has come to the point where we're hoping for rain to help out the Patriots.
Here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's matchup at Gillette:
Patriots vs. Bills
-Sunday will be the 128th overall meeting between the Patriots and the Bills, with New England holding a 77-49-1 edge in the series.
-New England's 77 wins over Buffalo are the franchise's most against any opponent.
-The Patriots are 39-24 in home games against the Bills, including a 16-5 record at Gillette Stadium.
-The Patriots won 13 straight over Buffalo in Foxboro -- including 12 straight at Gillette Stadium -- from 2001-2013.
-New England swept Buffalo for seven consecutive seasons and won 15 straight against the Bills from 2003-2010. That streak is tied for the longest streak over a single opponent, matching the Patriots' current win streak over the New York Jets.
-Bill Belichick owns a 103-41 record all-time against the AFC East as head coach of the Patriots.
-Josh Allen is 5-4 in his career against New England. He's thrown 16 touchdowns to seven interceptions against the Pats, with a pair of rushing touchdowns and three fumbles lost.
-The Bills are 5-1 against the Patriots since Stefon Diggs joined their receiving corps. Diggs has six touchdown receptions in his six games against the Patriots as a member of the Bills.
Connections
-Running back Damien Harris is the only former Patriot on the Buffalo roster, though he is currently in concussion protocol and likely won't play Sunday. Harris spent the first four years of his career in New England before signing with the Bills over the offseason.
-Two Bills players went to college in Massachusetts: Linebacker Matt Milano went to Boston College while receiver Andy Isabella caught passes at UMass Amherst.
Everything else you should know
-Buffalo managed just 14 points against the Giants in Week 6, but are averaging 28.8 points per game for the season, which ranks third in the NFL. New England ranks 31st at just 12.0 points per game. Buffalo has scored 21 touchdowns on the season, while New England has found the end zone just eight times.
-The Bills have five quarters this season where they've scored 14 or more points. The Patriots have scored more than 14 points -- total -- just three times this season.
-The Bills rank fifth in total offense at 374.8 yards per game, while the Patriots are 27th at 282.7 yards per game.
-The New England defense ranks 10th in the NFL, allowing 306.7 yards per game. The Bills aren't far behind, ranking 12th at 323.8 yards per contest.
-Buffalo is a plus-4 in the turnover differential department, tied for 10th in the NFL, while the Patriots are tied for 31st at a dreadful minus-8.
-The Patriots had 10 penalties accepted against them last weekend in Las Vegas and are up to 39 for the season. Surprisingly, that is only tied for the eighth-most in the NFL. The Bills are right behind the Pats with 37 penalties on the year.
-The Patriots have punted twice as much as the Bills this season, with 33 punts to Buffalo's 16.
-New England rookie Bryce Baringer has put 16 of his punts inside the 20-yard line to lead the NFL. He's on pace for 45 punts inside the 20, which would be tied for third-most in NFL history.
-If Kendrick Bourne follows up his 10-catch game against the Raiders with another 10-catch effort this weekend, it will be just the fourth time a Patriot has back-to-back 10-catch games and the first since Julian Edelman did so in 2015. Wes Welker has the three other instances; twice in 2009 and once in 2012.
-Ja'Whaun Bentley is on pace for 113 tackles this season, which would be his third straight season with 100 or more tackles. It would be the most since Jerod Mayo had five straight 100-tackle seasons from 2008-12.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Bills showdown on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots! Coverage begins Wednesday night with Patriots 1st Down at 9:30pm on TV38, and continues Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7pm on WBZ. Start your Sunday with Patriots GameDay at 11:30am on WBZ, the Pats and the Bills will kick off at 1pm, and get full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38 after the game.
