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

The Bills’ playoff hopes were revived in Week 12 when they found a way to continue the Chiefs’ downward spiral. If they have any ambition about breaking the Patriots’ iron grip on the AFC East title, they’ll have to defend their home turf against Tom Brady on Sunday.

The Bills and Patriots will square off in Week 13 in a showdown that will determine whether or not Buffalo has a puncher’s chance to usurp New England in the standings. The two teams kick off at 1 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast live on CBS (live stream).

The Patriots are on the verge of their 15th season with double-digit wins, and a victory in Orchard Park would give them a four-game lead over the Bills with just four weeks left in the season. However, this 2017 Buffalo team has been feistier than most, finding ways to topple postseason contenders like Kansas City, Atlanta, and Oakland. Beating New England would be the first line on this team’s resume — and it would send a message to the rest of the AFC.

That may be the function of a relatively boring win over a bad Dolphins team, but in general the Patriots hype seems different in 2017. Thousands of words were spilled during the team’s 2-2 start in which the defense was historically bad. Now the franchise’s success has become so commonplace it struggles to qualify as front page news.

So if you’ve missed what is shaping up to be another typical Bill Belichick season in Foxborough, here’s why the Patriots look like the Patriots once again.

In his return as a starter, Taylor completed 19 of 29 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also added 27 rushing yards. It wasn’t a huge day statistically, but it was efficient and mistake-free, which was exactly what the Bills needed to get a much-needed win.

Since Week 5, no defense has been better at keeping points off the board than the New England Patriots. The Patriots have given up 92 points over their past seven games, but seven of those points are the result of an errant snap by back-up center Ted Karras. The defense was on the field for just 85 of those points, a mere 12.1 points allowed per game.

The Bills’ defense proved they were up to the task and held the Chiefs to just 55 yards rushing; their second lowest total of the season. Kareem Hunt, their star rookie running back, was held to his lowest rushing total of the season — just 17 yards. The Bills needed a big day from their defense and boy did they get one.

McDermott yanked Taylor — who was having a better season than the one he had in 2016 — in Week 11 to begin the Nathan Peterman era. It went as poorly as it could have. The fifth-round pick threw five interceptions on just 14 attempts before Buffalo was forced back to its original starter.

Taylor responded last week by leading the Bills to an upset victory over Kansas City. He can prove he deserves to be a starter by upending the favored Patriots at home Sunday.

All of our experts chose the Patriots to win in their Week 13 picks.