The Buffalo Bills are preparing for their upcoming Sunday Night Football game against the New England Patriots, marking the second time this season they appear in the primetime slot. The teams last faced each other on a Sunday night in November 2007.
Entering Week 5, the Bills hold a 4-0 record, leading the AFC East, while the Patriots stand at 2-2. Both teams remain undefeated within their division. Buffalo is seeking to continue its winning streak and achieve a 5-0 start for the first time since 1991.
In last season’s regular matchups, each team secured one victory. Buffalo won at home in December with a score of 24-21 but lost to New England on January 5 after resting starters ahead of the playoffs. Players and coaches from Buffalo have noted that New England appears stronger this year.
“[New England’s] a team that’s always played at a very high level … These division games are tough anytime you play each other just because you’re so familiar with each other,” said quarterback Josh Allen. ” … it’s no different this Sunday.”
As practice began for Week 5, several key players returned in limited capacity due to injury: defensive tackle Ed Oliver, linebacker Matt Milano, and right tackle Spencer Brown. Head coach Sean McDermott commented on their progress: “All of them will take on a day by day basis at this point for the week.” This marked Oliver’s first practice since Week 1 and Milano’s since Week 2.
McDermott also confirmed that cornerback Maxwell Hairston, offensive tackle Tylan Grable, and kicker Tyler Bass—all currently on injured reserve—will not yet return to practice. Linebacker Dorian Williams missed Wednesday’s session with a knee issue; tight end Jackson Hawes was limited (ankle), and defensive end Joey Bosa was limited as part of his veteran rest routine.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has shown improvement in his second NFL season. He holds a completion percentage of 74% and an overall passer rating of 109.4 through four games this year, closely matching Allen’s statistics (70.2% completion rate and a passer rating of 109.7). Allen leads with slightly more yards (1,123) and touchdowns (10) compared to Maye’s nine touchdowns over 1,086 yards.
“Obviously, he’s understanding the game more, and that just comes with repetition for anybody, especially at the quarterback level,” said cornerback Christian Benford.
Allen added praise for Maye: “His mechanics are really good, and to be that big and move the way he does, it’s impressive.”
Maye currently leads all NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage overall as well as on third and fourth downs (83.3%). The Patriots’ offense is tied for second in late-down touchdown conversions.
“They got some vets on the outside with receivers, got some good running backs. I see [they’re] coming along,” Benford said. “So, keep making sure we stay tuned to our technique and fundamentals and … make sure we know who [we’re] playing against and not just going out there blind.”
Buffalo has scored on its opening drive in every game so far this season—a trend it aims to continue against New England’s defense led by All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
“Christian Gonzalez and [Carlton] Davis out there, they’re really good at what they do. Bigger, physical corners, not afraid to get up to the line of scrimmage and press you,” Allen said. “So again we [have to] have a good week of practice and game plan extremely well and go out there [and] execute.”
On defense for New England are tackles Christian Barmore—who leads all players at his position with a pressure rate of over sixteen percent—and Milton Williams; both rank among league leaders in generating pressure against opposing quarterbacks.
This week’s matchup will also feature a White Out theme at Highmark Stadium as part of Buffalo’s “Cold Front” Rivalries uniform debut featuring all-white attire worn by both players and fans during primetime action.
“We’re going to need every ounce, every decibel that we can get, every bit of momentum and energy that we can get from the crowd. They’ve been so big for us forcing [a] couple false starts and a couple delay of games,” Allen said. “I don’t think people realize how big of an impact that can make on a game—it really can change the game at any point. So we’re going to need them this week.”
Benford added: “The fans better come out in all white… Bring the noise, bring the juice, bring the energy.”
