The New England Patriots can clinch the AFC East division title and earn their first playoff berth for the reason that 2021 season after they host the Buffalo Payments. The Patriots have received 10 straight video games and are coming off their bye week. Buffalo is available in winners of their final two video games and have received the final 5 division crowns. The Payments are additionally attempting to keep away from being swept by a division opponent for the primary time since 2019. That was Tom Brady’s final season in New England, when the Payments misplaced each video games to the Patriots.
Story
Buffalo (9-4) at New England (11-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Payments by 1.
In opposition to the unfold: Payments 6-7; Patriots 8-4-1.
Sequence document: Patriots lead 80-51-1.
Final assembly: Patriots received 23-20 in Buffalo on Oct. 5, 2025.
Final week: Payments beat Bengals 39-34; Patriots beat Giants 33-15 on Dec. 1.
Payments offense: general (2), rush (1), move (11), scoring (5t).
Payments protection: general (10), rush (28), move (2), scoring (14).
Patriots offense: general (8), rush (21), move (2), scoring (7)
Patriots protection: general (7), rush (3), move (14), scoring (5)
Turnover differential: Payments minus-1; Patriots plus-1.
Payments participant to look at
QB Josh Allen. The eighth-year starter is coming off an outing by which he handed for 3 touchdowns and scored one other speeding whereas rallying Buffalo from a 10-point deficit within the closing eight minutes. Allen has mixed for 3 or extra touchdowns seven instances this season — all wins — and is seeking to atone for a sloppy two-TD and two-turnover outing in Buffalo’s loss to New England in Week 5.
Patriots gamers to look at
QB Drake Maye. The second-year standout enters this week first within the NFL with a 71.5 completion share and 111.9 passer score. He’s additionally second within the NFL in yards passing (3,412). Since 1970, three quarterbacks have led the league in yards, completion share and passer score in the identical season: Tom Brady in 2007, Kurt Warner in 2001 and Ken Anderson in 1974.
Key matchup
Allen and RB James Cook dinner vs. Patriots run protection. The Patriots have been stingy towards the run all season and are available in permitting opponents solely 89.5 yards per sport on the bottom. However the Payments have been nice working the ball over their final two video games. In opposition to Pittsburgh in Week 13, Cook dinner (144 yards) led the offense in an outing that noticed Buffalo rack up a season-high 249 speeding yards. Of their win over Cincinnati the next week, the Payments had 183 yards speeding – together with 78 and a landing by Allen.
Key accidents
Payments: Buffalo is getting more healthy with RT Spencer Brown (proper shoulder) anticipated to return after lacking two video games. … DE Joey Bosa (hamstring/wrist) has no damage designation, which means he ought to return from a one-game absence. … LB Terrel Bernard is questionable after lacking two video games with an elbow subject. So is CB Christian Benford after injuring a toe in observe this week.
Patriots: Rookie LT Will Campbell received’t play for the second straight sport after he was positioned on injured reserve Nov. 26 with a knee damage. … LG Jared Wilson started the week as a full participant after sitting out final week with an ankle damage. … RB Terrell Jennings began the week within the concussion protocol.
Sequence notes
The Patriots’ 80 wins over the Payments are their highest complete towards any opponent. … New England is 41-24 all-time at dwelling towards Buffalo, together with 18-5 at Gillette Stadium. … The final time the Payments have been swept by a division foe was in 2019, Tom Brady’s final season in New England, when the Payments misplaced each video games to the Pats.
Stats and stuff
The Patriots will clinch each the AFC East title and a playoff berth with a victory, ending Buffalo’s streak of 5 consecutive division titles. … Together with the playoffs, Buffalo is 12-12 on the street since 2023 and 3-3 this season. … Buffalo is one win shy of its seventh consecutive season with 10 or extra victories. … Payments coach Sean McDermott improved to 95-49, shifting forward of John Madden and Mike McCarthy for essentially the most regular-season wins amongst NFL coaches of their first 9 years. McDermott is one win shy of matching Paul Brown, whereas George Seifert leads the checklist with 106. … Allen improved to 6-0 this season and 38-7 general when not committing a giveaway. The quarterback additionally prolonged his NFL document together with his fiftieth sport by which he has scored a TD on a move and a run. … RB James Cook dinner topped 100 yards from scrimmage for a tenth time final weekend, but in addition misplaced a fumble — his third of the season. The turnover got here within the pink zone, marking the fifth time the Payments have coughed up the ball inside an opponent’s 20 this season. The earlier 4 giveaways have been Allen interceptions. … TE Dawson Knox had season highs with six catches and a team-leading 93 yards — the third most of his seven-year profession — towards the Bengals. … CB Christian Benford scored on a 63-yard interception return towards Cincinnati and every week after scoring on a 17-yard fumble return. He turned Buffalo’s first participant to attain on TD returns in consecutive video games. … Buffalo has scored on a return in three straight, with Ray Davis’ 97-yard kickoff return in a 23-19 loss at Houston. … The Patriots may clinch a playoff berth with a number of combos of tie and losses involving a number of groups. … New England hasn’t received the AFC East since 2019, its closing in a streak of 11 consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019. … An eleventh consecutive victory can be the third-longest single-season streak in crew historical past. The Patriots have had streaks of a minimum of 11 wins in a season two earlier instances: a 12-game streak in 2003 and a 16-game streak in 2007. … A victory would give the Patriots their 14th 12-win season in crew historical past. … Mike Vrabel can turn out to be the third head coach since 1970 to document a profitable streak of 11 or extra video games in his first season with a crew, becoming a member of Jim Caldwell (14 consecutive wins with Indianapolis in 2009) and Steve Mariucci (11 with San Francisco in 1997). … New England is the primary crew in NFL historical past to win 10 consecutive video games with a minimum of 23 factors scored and 23 or fewer factors allowed in every sport. … WR Stefon Diggs leads the crew with 64 receptions and 705 receiving yards. … TE Hunter Henry entered the week second on the crew with 610 yards receiving. He wants 65 yards to set a single-season profession excessive. … LB Harold Landry leads the Patriots with 7 1/2 sacks.
Fantasy tip
Search for the ball to go to Diggs rather a lot on this one. He posted a season-high 10 catches for 146 yards within the Patriots’ victory in Buffalo in Week 5. That was additionally Diggs’ season excessive for catches and yards.
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