Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills (9-4) are in Foxborough, MA for an all-important showdown with the New England Patriots (11-2) this afternoon. It’s a game the Bills need to have if they want to keep their hopes of claiming a sixth straight AFC East championship alive.
Before this Week 15 clash, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 90 players who saw action for both the Bills and Patriots.
Sunday’s game will mark the 133rd meeting all time, with New England holding an 80-51-1 lead in the series. After the Bills won the first two games, the Patriots prevailed in 14 of the next 21 matchups, but Buffalo won the next nine games from November 28, 1971 through December 14, 1975. The rest of the decade saw New England win six of eight in the series. After Buffalo won three of the four games during the 1980 and 1981 seasons, the Patriots rattled off 11 straight wins during the 1983-1987 seasons.
Buffalo’s fortunes in the rivalry turned starting in the 1988 season, with the Bills sweeping the season series to jumpstart a run with 11 wins in the next 13 games during Buffalo’s run to four straight Super Bowl appearances. When Tom Brady joined New England, it was a dark period for the Bills in the rivalry, as New England won 34 of 38 games from November 11, 2001, through December 21, 2019.
But with the arrival of quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills’ fates were reversed, as Buffalo has won eight of the last 12 games from November 1, 2020, through the 2025 NFL season, including a 47-17 drubbing of New England during Super Wild Card Weekend of the 2021 season. In that playoff win, Allen and the Bills’ offense were perfect, with Allen setting a franchise playoff record with five passing TDs as Buffalo scored touchdowns on all seven non-kneeldown drives, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to score on each of its seven possessions that didn’t end with a kneeldown.
In the last matchup, a Week 5 clash at Highmark Stadium on Sunday Night Football, the Patriots capitalized on three Buffalo turnovers to win 23-20 and snap Buffalo’s four-game winning streak to start the season. Former Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs had 10 catches for 146 yards, running back Rhamondre Stevenson had a pair pf rushing touchdowns, quarterback Drake Maye completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards with zero turnovers, and the Patriots won thanks to a 52-yard field goal from Andy Borregales with 15 seconds remaining.
Allen, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns, threw a costly red zone interception, while tight end Dawson Knox and wide receiver Keon Coleman fumbled the ball away as the Bills saw their 14-game home winning streak come to an end.
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