The New England Patriots head into Week 4 still trying to find their footing, and Sunday’s trip to Buffalo brings another tough test. The Patriots will face Josh Allen and the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
It’s been a rough opening stretch for New England. Drake Maye has thrown six interceptions, lost two fumbles and managed only one touchdown through the first three games. The Patriots are 1-2 after a blowout loss to the Jaguars, and now they have to deal with a Buffalo team that has looked every bit like a Super Bowl contender.
Allen has been electric through three games, piling up 786 passing yards and five touchdowns while adding 114 rushing yards and six more scores. The Bills have won all three of their games, taking down the Chargers, Lions and Texans.
The teams split their two meetings last season. New England won on the road early in the year, and Buffalo answered with a win later in the season.
This will also be the Patriots’ first game in Buffalo’s newly opened stadium.
For fans looking to watch, the game can be streamed in certain markets on Paramount+. NFL+ is another option for viewers outside the market, and NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV, along with Hulu + Live TV, are also available out of market.
On cable, the game will air on WBZ-TV in the Boston market and on WIVB in Buffalo. Ian Eagle will handle play-by-play, Ross Tucker will be the color analyst, and Evan Washburn will report from the sideline.
Boston-area pregame coverage starts at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV. After the final whistle, Patriots 5th Quarter on WSBK-TV/myTV38 will provide reaction and analysis, including news conferences from Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye.
The betting line reflects the mismatch on paper. According to CBS Sports, the Patriots are 6.5-point underdogs, with the over/under set at 48.5 points. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports is picking Buffalo to win 30-17, and the Bills are the popular choice among ESPN experts as well.
After Buffalo, New England returns home for two straight games. The Patriots’ remaining schedule includes the Raiders on Oct. 11, the Jets on Oct. 18, a Thursday night trip to Chicago on Oct. 22, a visit to Miami on Nov. 1, a home game against Green Bay on Nov. 8, a game in Munich against the Lions on Nov. 15, a bye in Week 11, road games at the Chargers on Nov. 29 and the Chiefs on Dec. 21, home dates with the Bills on Dec. 6 and Vikings on Dec. 10, a trip to the Jets on Dec. 27 and a Week 17 matchup against the Broncos that is still to be determined.
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The Patriots 1-2 start has been defined by an offense that has struggled to generate much of anything, which makes any steady development up front worth noticing. One of the few encouraging signs came in Week 3 against Jacksonville, where Jared Wilson handled his work well and gave New England a cleaner look along the interior than it has often had through the first month.
Wilson has been working mainly at center this season, and the progress he has shown from earlier games is part of why his latest outing stood out. He did not allow a pressure or commit a penalty, and that was enough to land him on PFFs Team of the Week, a small but meaningful bright spot for a line trying to help stabilize an offense that badly needs it. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Let Another AFC East Game Slip Away For One Reason
The Patriots walked out of Buffalo with a 29-26 win in a game that had plenty of the usual AFC East friction, plus a few swings that kept it from feeling settled until the final stretch. New England got touchdowns from Romeo Doubs and Efton Chism III, while Buffalo answered with a Josh Allen strike to Keon Coleman, and the game had the kind of back-and-forth edge that has made these matchups so hard to separate in recent years.
What stood out, though, was how often the Bills were able to lean on James Cook on the ground and still never fully take control of the game. Buffalo also had chances fueled by multiple Drake Maye turnovers, but the Patriots kept finding enough offense and enough answers to leave the division rival still searching for what slipped away in another one-possession AFC East result. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Bills Matchup Just Got More Complicated In The Secondary
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Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford is unlikely to play, which adds another wrinkle to a matchup that already looked like it could turn on coverage and communication. For the Patriots, a game that might have been about establishing control in the AFC East now comes with more moving parts in the defensive backfields on both sides, and that could make Sunday feel a lot less predictable than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]