FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — There was a time in the not-too-distant past when it was a yearly occurrence for the New England Patriots to win the AFC East and go to the playoffs.
But after a run of 11 straight division crowns from 2009 to 2019, the Patriots (11-2) haven’t won the division in five seasons or been to the postseason in three.
They can end both droughts with a win over the Buffalo Bills (9-4) on Sunday.
“This is a great stage that we put ourselves on,” coach Mike Vrabel said.
The last time New England finished atop the division, in 2019, was Tom Brady’s final season with the Patriots before he departed to join Tampa Bay.
Since then, Buffalo has captured the division each of the last five seasons and reached two AFC championship games. During that run, the Patriots’ lone postseason appearance in 2021 ended with a wild-card loss to a Tennessee Titans team coached by Vrabel.
If riding a 10-game win streak that includes one victory over Buffalo already this season wasn’t enough, the Patriots have added motivation this week after being installed as one-point underdogs to the visiting Bills, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“Good,” receiver Stefon Diggs said. “This team is full of (players) that were cast off and people who was cut or didn’t necessarily get the opportunity that they wanted. However you dice it up I feel like that’s good for us being the underdog. People like us have been the underdog our whole life. We’ve got something to prove.”
Quarterback Drake Maye shares that sentiment.
“Any time you’re at home and you’re an underdog, it gives you something to play for a little bit,” he said. “Whatever the underdog and whatever they set the line at, it’s us versus them, regardless.”
As for Buffalo, which has won three of four, quarterback Josh Allen said there's no reason to overhype the game.
“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 that’s our main goal is to to make the playoffs. We have an opportunity to put ourselves in a better position with going out there and playing in a really hostile environment against a really good team that’s playing extremely well right now.”
Vrabel understands why there were comparisons made between Maye and Allen when Maye was drafted in 2024. Maye is 6-foot-4; Allen is 6-5. Both have strong arms and can make plays with their feet.
But Vrabel thinks there's plenty to appreciate about both as individuals. He recognizes that Allen has been playing the position with a skill and acumen that Maye is aspiring to reach.
“I think they’re both really good at what they do,” Vrabel said. “Josh probably has got a couple (pounds) on him and can kind of throw his shoulder in there probably a little bit more than I would want Drake to. But I think they’re both great competitors.”
Allen insists he prepares the same for every game, no matter the opposing quarterback. And yet some of his best performances this season have come against the NFL’s elite.
Allen has combined for nine touchdowns passing and eight rushing in victories over Kansas City (Patrick Mahomes), Baltimore (Lamar Jackson), Tampa Bay (Baker Mayfield) and Cincinnati (Joe Burrow).
“I think it’s a privilege to go against some of these guys in the NFL, and to really even just play in the league,” Allen said.
Bills coach Sean McDermott is perfectly fine with cornerback Christian Benford acknowledging he took the wrong approach by leaving his feet to intercept Burrow’s attempt to lob the ball over his head. It was the outcome, not the technique that counted after Benford returned an interception 63 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
“When you make a play like that, yeah, he gets a pass,” McDermott said with a laugh. “We tell him, ‘Hey, listen, if you do it, you better make the play.’ And he certainly made the play.”
The fourth-year player is Buffalo’s first to score on returns in consecutive games. Benford returned a fumble 17 yards in a 26-7 win over Pittsburgh.
The Patriots played without staring left tackle Will Campbell (injured reserve, knee) and left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) in their Week 13 win over the Giants. Campbell remains on IR this week, but Wilson is on track to return.
That could be big for an offensive line that will be looking to keep Maye a little cleaner after giving up four sacks in the Patriots' Week 5 win at Buffalo.
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AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed to this report.
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