The New England Patriots have owned the AFC East for more than a decade, winning six straight titles and 11 of the past 12. Oftentimes the battle hasn't even been close -- the last time the Pats won the division by fewer than three games was 2009 -- but this year the AFC East is set up to potentially be the most competitive division in the NFL.
Patriots vs. Bills 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
If the trash talking this week is as good as the game on Sunday, we could be in for an epic matchup in Buffalo.
The Patriots are the favorites as the reigning Super Bowl champs, but the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills each made key upgrades this offseason, bringing unprecedented parity to the division. All four teams won their season opener, the first time that the AFC East had a clean sweep in the same week since Week 10 in 2010.
Now the Patriots head to Ralph Wilson Stadium for a crucial Week 2 matchup against the upstart Bills, who already dispatched of one AFC favorite in beating the Indianapolis Colts last week and are getting ready to knock off another one on Sunday.
Expectations in Buffalo are as high as they've been since the 1990s, and Rex Ryan is pulling out all the punches this week in getting his team prepped for the divisional showdown. The trash talking started on Monday as Ryan took the first jabs when he opened his news conference by calling on Bills fans to welcome the "hated Patriots" to town, and the players followed suit on Tuesday with Marcell Dareus saying "don't nobody likes the Patriots."
Now the Bills have to translate those fighting words into winning actions on the field, where this rivalry has been one-sided for the past 15 years. Bill Belichick has won 26 of his 30 meetings with the Bills since becoming the Patriots' head coach in 2000, and Tom Brady owns a 23-3 record against Buffalo. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only Brett Favre -- who won 26 games against the Detroit Lions -- has more wins vs. a single opponent since the NFL-AFL merger.
The Bills had one of the most shocking wins in Week 1, shutting down the explosive Colts’ offense and causing a ton of problems for Andrew Luck. They held Indianapolis scoreless until the final minute of the third quarter and Luck averaged less than 5 yards per attempt. The Bills last year had one of the best defenses in the league -- ranking in the top-five in points allowed, yards allowed, interceptions and third-down conversion rate -- and this year they’ve shown no signs of regression.
One of the keys to the Bills' domination was their ability to bring constant pressure with a variety of blitz packages. While that tactic seemed to work against Luck, the Bills might want to dial it down against Brady. The future Hall of Famer has thrived when teams bring extra rushers and leave the defensive backs on an island in man-to-man coverage. In Week 1 he torched the Pittsburgh Steelers when they blitzed him, completing 8 of 10 passes for 108 yards with four touchdowns; last year he was nearly just as good, posting a passer rating of 100.0 against the blitz.
Another key question heading into this game is how the Bills will try to slow down the unstoppable force that is Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots’ tight end has a touchdown catch in seven straight games, including three in the season opener last Sunday. The Bills just might have the personnel to make life difficult for Gronk, though. The Bills allowed only two passing touchdowns to tight ends last season, and had the second-ranked pass defense versus tight ends per Football Outsiders ratings.
There probably hasn’t been this much hype for a Bills-Patriots battle in years, and there is no doubt that it is one of the marquee games of the week. Here’s all the info you need to watch this must-see matchup on Sunday afternoon:
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
Online: NFL Game Pass
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