Bills Focused on Execution, Not Just AFC East Bragging Rights, Ahead of Showdown with Patriots
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - For Dion Dawkins and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday’s clash with the red-hot New England Patriots isn’t about defending the AFC East crown - it’s about playing their brand of football and executing at the highest level when it matters most.
Sure, the stakes are clear. The Patriots are 11-2, the Bills sit at 9-4, and a New England win would not only complete a season sweep of Buffalo but also lock up the division for the first time since 2019.
That would push the Bills into wild-card territory, a steep fall for a team that’s ruled the AFC East for five straight seasons. But Dawkins isn’t getting caught up in the drama.
“We play the game to win. So our goal is to win everything,” Dawkins said Wednesday.
“But it ain’t about defending the title. We just got to be the best version of ourselves.”
That mindset - focusing on internal standards rather than external pressure - is one echoed throughout the locker room. Head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen both emphasized that while the implications of this weekend’s matchup are obvious, the Bills' approach won’t change.
“We think we understand as a team what’s at stake. But I don’t think that’s going to influence anything,” Allen said.
“At the end of the day, [winning the division] doesn’t guarantee you anything other than making the playoffs. And that’s our main goal.”
Still, the reality is hard to ignore. If Buffalo loses, they’ll be chasing a wild-card spot - and history hasn’t been kind to them in that scenario.
The Bills have dropped six straight playoff games on the road, including three with Allen at the helm. You have to go back to 1992 to find the last time Buffalo won a postseason game away from Orchard Park - an AFC title win over Miami before a lopsided Super Bowl loss to Dallas.
That’s why, while the team isn’t obsessing over the standings, there’s a clear understanding of how crucial this moment is. Receiver Gabe Davis didn’t shy away from it.
“Can we still go to the playoffs if we’re not the AFC East champs? Yeah,” Davis said.
“Now do I believe that we are going to be AFC East champs? Yeah.
I believe that. And I believe everyone here still has the goal to be an AFC East champ.”
After a midseason slump - four losses in seven games - the Bills have started to look more like themselves over the past two weeks. They gutted out a win in Pittsburgh and followed that up by beating Cincinnati at home, showing flashes of the physical, resilient team they’ve been trying to rediscover.
“We’re getting there,” McDermott said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction. It’s maybe happened a little bit later than we would have liked, but I really appreciate how the players and the staff have persevered through it all.”
That perseverance has shown up in tangible ways. In Pittsburgh, Buffalo racked up a season-high 249 rushing yards - and they did it without either of their starting offensive tackles. Against the Bengals, the defense - missing key pieces like Joey Bosa - dialed up pressure at just the right time, leading to a game-changing pick-six by cornerback Christian Benford.
These are the kinds of gritty, team-wide efforts that Buffalo will need to replicate - and then some - when they head into Foxborough this weekend. The Patriots, led by rookie quarterback Drake Maye, have been the surprise of the season, and they’re playing with the swagger of a team that believes its time has come.
But for Buffalo, it’s not about stopping someone else’s rise. It’s about reclaiming their own identity - one forged over years of playoff pushes, divisional dominance, and hard-earned lessons.
They know what’s on the line. Now it’s about proving they still belong in the AFC’s top tier.