Patriots at Bills: 5 Storylines Heading to Monday Night Football matchup

First place in the AFC East is on the line.

secondThe Bills Mafia doesn't need to be told how the upcoming game between its beloved Bills and the visiting New England Patriots on Monday night is the most important one of the season for the home team.

But as a public service for all, we at Bills Central are chronicling them anyway.

So let's jump right to the top five storylines surrounding this game.

Tight AFC East race

The Bills (7-4) are hoping to sweep the division for the second year in a row. The last time they swept the division before that was 1999, when it took the Music City Miracle to eliminate them from the postseason.

They are 3-0 in division games with three remaining, two against the Patriots (8-4).

Interesting side note: The Bills, at 3-2, are the only team in the division with a winning record at home this year. But the Patriots are the only team in the division that's perfect on the road (5-0).

The Bills' playoff probability sits at 86%, with a 54% probability of winning the division, according to FiveThirtyEight. A win on Monday night would improve those numbers to 97% and 79%, respectively. A loss would downgrade them to 72% and 22%, respectively.

Patriots bring a rookie QB

Having earned a reputation for making life miserable for rookie quarterbacks, the Bills may be thought to have the Patriots and rookie starter Mac Jones right where they want them.

But Jones is no ordinary rookie. He's the frontrunner in Las Vegas to be named Rookie of the Year and making tremendous strides each week.

After losing four of their first six games, the Patriots come into Orchard Park having won six in a row, including a 36-13 thumping over the Tennessee Titans last week. The Titans were 8-3 before that beatdown.

Life without White

Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White suffered the first major injury of his budding career on Thanksgiving night when he wrecked his left knee, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

The Bills will replace him with second-year player Dane Jackson, who lost out to Levi Wallace in a training-camp battle for the other starting outside job.

Coach Sean McDermott says everyone will have to lift their level of play to cover for White because it's unrealistic to expect Jackson to give them the same quality.

Life with COVID-19

All things considered, the Bills have been relatively lucky throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, at least compared to some other teams across the NFL. But they have suffered in recent weeks with offensive lineman Spencer Brown and defensive lineman Star Lotulelei having missed time after being infected.

Both have been removed from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, however, and areexpected to start along with left guard Jon Feliciano, who's still technically on the injured reserve list but has been cleared to start practicing again.

Feliciano is not listed on their injury report only because he's still not back on the active roster. But look for him to be ready to go against New England.

Game wrecker

How will the Bills deal with game-changing Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon, who already has a career-high 11.5 sacks?

Very aggressively. That's how.

"The first thing that pops up is his motor," Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "He plays through the whistle, sometimes even further through. And he gives you his best effort the entire rep, which is hard to honestly do in this league. And ... small-school guys, they just play with the extra hunger, and he's showing it."

Judon played his first five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after being taken in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Grand Valley State.

He signed a four-year, $54.5 million contract with New England this year, after being selected for the previous two Pro Bowls.

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.