New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills Preview: Already Playing Spoiler?

At 1-5, are the New England Patriots already reduced to a spoiler role against the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills?

In Week 7, the reeling New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills in Gillette Stadium. The AFC East matchup features two teams moving in different directions.

The Patriots have dropped three games in a row to plunge to their worst start since 1995 at 1-5. Last Sunday, New England lost on the road to the Las Vegas Raiders in a game that did provide a little optimism.

Quarterback Mac Jones completed at least 70 percent of his passes (24-of-33) for the first time since Week 2's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Also, the Patriots snapped a streak of 12 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown. 

Before that, New England suffered the worst defeats of coach Bill Belichick's career, being outscored 72-3 in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Belichick now faces the tough challenge in the Bills. Buffalo found a way to win in Week 6 on the road against the New York Giants to move to 4-2. The defending AFC East champion Bills are on the tail of the 5-1 Miami Dolphins in the division race.

Quarterback Josh Allen injured his right shoulder during the win on Sunday night football. X-rays were “normal” but Allen is "day-to-day," according to Buffalo coach Sean McDermott. Allen finished 19 of 30 for 169 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the win over the Giants. He leads the league with a 71.7 completion percentage.

"Defense is still on fire," Bills linebacker Von Miller said after Buffalo's win. "We had three sacks, held up tough toward the end of the game. Great win. I'll take them pretty, ugly, they all count the same. It's a good win and we just keep moving."

Buffalo is tied for the league lead in sacks with 24, and third in points allowed per game with 14.8. However, the injury bug has struck the Bills' defense, losing linebacker Matt Milano, tackle DaQuan Jones, and corner Tre’Davious White to injury. 

Josh Allen, Bill Belichick / Photo Cred: Syracuse.com

Falling in line with a lot of post-Tom Brady trends, the Patriots these days struggle against the Bills after two decades of dominance. With Brady at quarterback 2001-19, New England went an astounding 33-5 against Buffalo including a 15-game winning streak at one point. Since he left, however, the Pats have lost six of seven to the Bills including the last four matchups.

INTERESTING: Are the Patriots preparing for life after Jones? New England had a strong contingent scouting the Pac-12 battle between Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix last weekend. 

RECORDS: New England Patriots (1-5) vs. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

ODDS: New England is a 8.5-point underdog vs. the Bills

GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct 22nd, 2023 at 1 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, MA

TV/RADIO: CBS, WGR 550

THE FINAL WORD: Former Patriots and current ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi on Belichick's future:

"I think Bill Belichick is considering it, and I also think Robert Kraft is the one that has to start to consider is it time to move on," Bruschi said. "Right now, if they get a top-five pick, Mr. Kraft has to decide if Bill is the right one to take one of those three or four quarterbacks that you can possibly get and if he wants to start over with Bill."