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Is the run game the Patriots’ best strategy?
The Bills, for all of their strengths, have had one of the league’s worst rushing defenses this season, ranking third-worst in the advanced statistic DVOA. That could be appetizing to run at considering, since 2017, Patriots quarterbacks have thrown more combined interceptions than touchdowns when facing the Bills, according to an analysis by the Boston Herald.
ShareWill Patriots’ investment in offense pay off?
In the 2025 draft last April, the Patriots left no doubt about the franchise’s priorities. All four of the team’s picks were spent on offensive players, starting with fourth overall selection Will Campbell, an offensive lineman tasked with protecting Maye.
In the second round, they took running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has been used sparingly to start, with only 26 carries.
ShareDiggs returns to Buffalo for first time
Stefon Diggs was central to Buffalo’s rise to an AFC contender while catching passes from Josh Allen for four seasons. Traded by the Bills to Houston before last season, where a season-ending knee injury limited him to eight games, Diggs will be playing in Buffalo for the first time post-trade.
“It’s a little sentimental,” Diggs said this week. “I spent a lot of time there. I’m real familiar with the staff, familiar with the guys there. … It’s going to be a little bit emotional.”
Diggs still holds the top four spots in Buffalo’s single-season receptions record book, with his 127 catches in 2020 the franchise record. No other receiver in team history has had more than 100.
Diggs leads New England with 19 catches and 213 yards this season despite rating his comfort level within a new offense as a “five out of 10.”
SharePatriots’ offseason signings making impact
Defensive tackle Milton Williams and linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane all arrived in New England as free agents in the offseason and have quickly found ways to contribute by combining for 6 1/2 sacks. Landry accounts for 3 1/2 sacks by himself.
Yet whether the Patriots can pressure Bills quarterback and 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen remains to be seen, because after New England combined for nine sacks through Week 2, they’ve registered just one sack combined in the last two games.
ShareHow Allen and the Bills adopted a ‘don’t blink mindset’
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen sits down with Devin McCourty for insight into his decision-making during pivotal moments, the origin of the team’s “don’t blink mindset,” and the significance of Bills Mafia.
ShareVrabel hoping to turn things around in New England
After just one season under Jerod Mayo, the Patriots named Mike Vrabel as the new head coach in January. Vrabel, who played eight seasons as a linebacker with New England (2001-08), won three Super Bowls as a Patriot and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
Vrabel has the Patriots off to a 2-2 start this year. Last season under Mayo, New England did not win its second game until Week 8 (started 2-7 and finished 4-13).
Vrabel previously spent six years as the head coach of the Titans (2018-23). He was fired after the 2023 season and spent last year as a consultant with the Browns. During his tenure in Tennessee, Vrabel won two AFC South division titles, made three playoff appearances, and reached the AFC championship game in 2019. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021.
ShareYear 2 for Drake Maye
The Patriots quarterback entered Week 4 leading all qualified passers with a completion percentage of 74%. He has been excellent in New England’s two wins, completing 82% of his passes, but in losses his accuracy has dropped 13 percentage points.
Maye also has committed all three of his turnovers in New England’s two losses. The young quarterback could use help; he has been sacked 13 times already, third most in the league.
ShareBills’ ‘family-like atmosphere’ important to Allen
Josh Allen speaks to how Sean McDermott has become “a player’s coach” and the “family-like atmosphere” the Bills have established.
ShareBuffalo’s underrated superstar
Josh Allen is the Bills star known by all after his MVP season last year. But James Cook has been incredibly productive and valuable, as well. Last year, his 16 rushing touchdowns tied for the most in the NFL. This season, as defenses focus on Allen again, Cook has rushed for 401 yards (second most in the league) and a league-high five touchdowns. If he rushes for 100-plus yards Sunday, it would be the first time a Bills player has rushed for triple digits in four straight games since Thurman Thomas in 1994.
SharePatriots’ defensive leader diagnosed with cancer
Terrell Williams, the defensive coordinator on Patriots coach Mike Vrabel’s staff, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has not been with the team since Week 2. Vrabel announced the diagnosis two weeks later, and members of the team wore “T Strong” shirts to honor the 51-year-old Williams.
“You know how much Terrell means to me personally and those on this football team,” said Vrabel, who had Williams on his coaching staff for five years previously in Tennessee. “If he feels good enough to come in and contribute and add value, we want him to be able to do that.”
ShareThe big, lingering question: How good are the Bills?
Only two teams entered Week 5 undefeated: Buffalo, and last season’s Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia. It’s not a surprise that the Bills remain unbeaten, and 4-0 for the first time since 2020, after they were picked to be among the favorites to win the AFC this season. As of this week, DraftKings even made Buffalo a heavier favorite to win the 2026 Super Bowl over the Eagles.
Yet it’s also difficult to gauge just how good they are at this stage considering the combined record of their opponents to this point — the Ravens, Jets, Dolphins and Saints — is 2-14. The Patriots aren’t among the upper echelon of teams by record, yet they feature the second-best rushing defense in the league, allowing just 77.5 yards per game.
ShareHard to beat at home
Buffalo enters tonight on a 13-game winning streak at home, including playoff games. It’s the longest active home winning streak in the league and the second-longest in franchise history since 1990-91.
ShareVrabel: Maye ‘wants to be perfect’
Mike Vrabel comments on Drake Maye’s progress this season at quarterback, learning to play in structure and make good decisions that lead to winning games.
ShareDiggs returns to Buffalo
This past offseason, wide receiver Stefon Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots. Diggs spent last season with the Texans after spending the previous four seasons in Buffalo (2020-23).
This will be Diggs’ first game in Buffalo since being traded to Houston before last season.
Through his first four games as a Patriot this season, Diggs leads the team in both receptions (19)Â and receiving yards (213). He is still looking for his first touchdown with New England. Diggs had his best game of the season in the Week 4 win versus Carolina, grabbing six catches for 101 yards (he had 112 receiving yards total in Weeks 1-3).