Buffalo @ New England preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 29, 2018 ) New England 25, Buffalo 6

With four games remaining in the regular season, the New England Patriots seemingly were in the mix for the No. 1 overall seed at best and a first-round bye at worst. Then came back-to-back losses in December for the first time in 16 years and suddenly the Patriots could have lost any chance at home field as they prepare to host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.

New England still has a shot to overtake Houston for the No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye but may have to settle for a record 10th consecutive AFC East title if it can complete a season sweep of the Bills. Although the Patriots eased to a 25-6 win at Buffalo on Oct. 29, both teams will feature a different look in the rematch of a rivalry that has been dominated by New England since quarterback Tom Brady took over as the starter. The Patriots will be without wide receiver Josh Gordon after he was suspended indefinitely for violating terms of his drug reinstatement policy while the Bills will have a healthy Josh Allen, their dual-threat rookie quarterback who was hurt in the first meeting. “The quarterback is a big difference," New England coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s a strong guy. ... He’s definitely fast. He can outrun guys. You have to take good angles and obviously wrap him up and try not to let him get started.”

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -13.5. O/U: 44.5

ABOUT THE BILLS (5-9): Allen has been more successful with his legs than his arms since returning from a four-game injury absence, coming up one yard shy of rushing for 100 yards in three straight games before he was limited to 16 in last week's 14-13 win over Detroit. Allen seems to have found a big-play weapon in rookie wide receiver Robert Foster, who has only 19 catches on the season but has put together back-to-back 100-yard games. “He’s averaging 25 yards per catch,” Belichick said. “He’s a very explosive player and gets behind the defense, a catch-and-run player. He’s fast -- really fast." Running back LeSean McCoy said he expects to play for Buffalo, which ranks No. 2 in the league in total yards allowed (292.2 per game).

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (9-5): Brady has had uncharacteristic struggles in the red zone in each of the past two losses and already has more interceptions (9) than last season, but Bills coach Sean McDermott squashed the idea that the three-time NFL MVP is slipping. "No, to me, he looks even better than he has in years past, believe it or not," McDermott said. "I know that the numbers may not support that, but I think his game is strong. ... I think he's as good as ever." Gordon's suspension is a blow to a passing game, taking away a deep threat who averaged 18.0 yards per reception since he was acquired from Cleveland. New England's defense was gouged for 142 yards rushing by Steelers rookie Jaylen Samuels last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brady, who threw for 324 yards in the last meeting, is 29-3 lifetime against Buffalo.

2. McCoy has at least 95 yards from scrimmage in six straight games against New England.

3. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has 12 touchdowns in 14 games versus the Bills.

PREDICTION: Patriots 27, Bills 16