Bills vs. Patriots 2017 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and how to watch online

The Patriots have already clinched the AFC East title, but a win Sunday wouldn’t just push them closer to homefield advantage in the playoffs — it would also cripple a rival’s postseason chances.

New England will host Buffalo in a meaningful December game for the first time since 1999 in a game that will cast ripples over the rest of the AFC playoff picture. The Patriots are the AFC’s top-ranked team, but even one loss over the next two weeks could take them from the top spot to a place in the Wild Card round. The Bills are currently in line to make their first postseason appearance since that fateful year, but a loss would hurt their playoff hopes.

The two rivals meet in Week 16 in one of Sunday’s most compelling games. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS (live stream).

As Brady faded, the opportunity for a first-time MVP winner grew bigger and bigger — but there was no one left to seize it. And now, through a combination of occasionally great play and a lack of worthy challengers, the league is on the precipice of its oldest MVP ever.

Officially we can’t be sure it’s a dildo. It’s being referred to as a “beige object,” which coincidentally is how I’d describe the end table I bought at Pottery Barn.

The stadium brought out Hazmat, because you can never be too careful. Greater attention was shown to the “beige object” than it was last year, when it was up to a ref to kick the flopping phallus off the field.

If Buffalo wins both of their remaining games, it’s very straightforward. They need one of the teams they are tied with to lose. Los Angeles won’t come into play because the best they can do is 9-7.

Buffalo is 4-24 against the Patriots since December 2003, but a look into recent history produces a small silver lining. Cut that window down to the past four seasons, and that record becomes a more manageable 2-5. Limit it to games at Gillette Stadium, and suddenly the Bills are 2-1 against their dynastic foe.

Granted, one of those wins was a Week 17 victory where rookie Jimmy Garoppolo threw more passes than Brady, but it’s a building point. Tyrod Taylor will have to be on point to earn the team’s third win in Foxborough in four years.

Just one of our experts — former NFL defensive end Stephen White — gives Buffalo a chance. The other seven took the Patriots to win in their Week 16 picks.