Ten weeks ago the Buffalo Bills hosted the New England Patriots.
These two teams have ruled the AFC East Division for a quarter of a century. The New England Patriots won the division nearly every year during Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame career beginning in 2001 and concluding with his move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The Bills have won the AFC East the past five seasons while quarterback Josh Allen has been the dominant force in the division.
When the Bills and Patriots met in the first week of October, the Bills entered the game with a perfect 4-0 mark and the Patriots were 2-2 with losses against the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. Their two victories were gained against two suspected weak teams: the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.
Few figured the Patriots would close in on the division leaders in their first 2025 meeting, and the homestanding Bills were favored by 7½ points.
The Patriots did win that day … and they have won every game they have played since.
In a surprise reversal of fortunes, the Patriots have become the preeminent team in the AFC East in Mike Vrabel’s first year as their head coach. New England has done some pretty amazing things this season, including establishing a record for teams that score 23 or more points and allow 23 or less points. Why does that stat matter? Well, no team that has done that at least seven straight weeks hasn’t gone on and won their league championship.