AFC East-leading Bills seek to crack Pats' run of dominance

Published Oct. 29, 2020 11:33 a.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW ENGLAND (2-4) at BUFFALO (5-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

OPENING LINE - Bills by 3

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Patriots 2-4; Bills 3-4

SERIES RECORD - Patriots lead 76-43-1

LAST MEETING - Patriots beat Bills, 24-17 on Dec. 21, 2019 at New England

LAST WEEK - Patriots lost to 49ers 33-6; Bills beat Jets, 18-10

AP PRO32 RANKING - Patriots No. 18, Bills No. 9

PATRIOTS OFFENSE - OVERALL (24), RUSH (4), PASS (28).

PATRIOTS DEFENSE - OVERALL (17), RUSH (27), PASS (11).

BILLS OFFENSE - OVERALL (13), RUSH (29), PASS (6).

BILLS DEFENSE - OVERALL (15), RUSH (21), PASS (15).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — The Patriots have won seven straight and are 35-5 against the Bills since Bill Belichick took over in Foxborough in 2000. Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who’s now in Tampa Bay, was 32-3 against Buffalo and set the NFL record for most wins against one opponent. ... New England’s 76 wins over the Bills are their most against any opponent. ... The Patriots are 2-4 for the first time since Belichick’s first season, when they finished 5-11. … The Patriots are trying to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 2002, when they finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. … The Patriots have committed 11 turnovers in the past three games. ... New England’s defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher in two straight outings. It’s the most since a three-game span in 2005. … QB Cam Newton’s 39.7 quarterback rating against the 49ers was third worst of his career. He has five interceptions and no touchdowns passing in his two games since returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list. … RB Damien Harris led the team with 70 scrimmage yards last week. He has 70 or more scrimmage yards in two of his last three games. … S Devin McCourty had a season-high eight tackles and an interception last week. … CB J.C. Jackson has interceptions in consecutive games. He has had an interception in two of his last three games against the Bills. ... Buffalo hasn’t held sole possession of first place in the AFC East seven or more weeks through a season since a 5-2 start in 2008. The Bills finished 7-9. ... Buffalo hasn’t won at least six of its first eight games since a 7-1 start in 1993, the last of the Bills’ four-year run of Super Bowl appearances. ... QB Josh Allen has topped 300 yards passing four times this season, which matches the total Buffalo players had from 2013-19. The last Bills player with four or more 300-yard passing games in one season was Drew Bledsoe with seven in 2002. ... WR Stefon Diggs leads the AFC and ranks fourth in the NFL with 603 yards receiving. ... Buffalo’s offensive production has taken a severe dip over the past three games, combining for 51 points, 998 yards and 692 yards passing. In Buffalo’s first four games, the offense generated 123 points, 1,639 yards and 1,326 yards passing. ... DE Jerry Hughes earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after two sacks, including his first of the season, and first career interception against the Jets. ... In two games against the Jets, including a 27-17 season-opening win, the Bills allowed a combined 27 points, 344 yards offense, forced 10 punts and had nine sacks. In their other five outings, Buffalo has allowed a combined 151 points, 2,071 yards offense, forced 11 punts and had eight sacks. ... Rookie PK Tyler Bass hit six field-goal attempts against the Jets to match a franchise record. ... Fantasy tip: Belichick’s MO is taking away an opponent’s top offensive threat, which could limit Diggs’ production. Conversely, blanketing Diggs could potentially lead to an uptick in targets for Cole Beasley and John Brown, who is expected to play after missing two of the past three games with a knee injury.

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