The Bills face the Patriots for the second time in 2025, 10 weeks later. After falling 23-20 in the first contest at Highmark Stadium, Buffalo seeks a win on the road at Gillette Stadium, keeping it in the AFC East race.

In Week 5, turnovers and penalties plagued the Bills and head coach Sean McDermott said they played the game that New England wanted them to. Now in Week 15, McDermott said on Wednesday that Buffalo is focused on controlling what it can control.

"They're one of the top teams, if not the top team in the AFC right now," McDermott said of New England. "We'll have our work cut out for us. If you don't take care of the ball against any team in the league, it's going to be hard to win [against] a particular team this strong."

Here's what else the team is saying about Week 15's matchup:

Injury updates from first practice of Week 15

Buffalo held a walk-through on Wednesday. McDermott gave an injury report and updates on players slowly improving.

Tight end Dawson Knox (personal) was the only player who didn't practice. Linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow), defensive end Joey Bosa (hamstring/wrist), offensive lineman Spencer Brown (shoulder) and wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) were all limited. Safety Cole Bishop (calf) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) were full.

Wide receiver Mecole Hardman, according to McDermott, trends in the right direction and the Bills continue taking it one week at a time with him.

Learning lessons from Week 5 and preparing for Drake Maye

After Wednesday's walk-through, the Bills emphasized the importance of protecting the ball, especially against New England. In Week 5, Buffalo turned the ball over three times on two fumbles and one interception. The Patriots had one fumble.

"Don't turn the ball over against the Patriots," offensive tackle Spencer Brown said. "They're going to run the ball and take care of the clock and not really give it back to you. So, we can't give it to them."

In order to help Buffalo win the turnover battle on Sunday, cornerback Jordan Poyer said forcing quarterback Drake Maye to hold onto the ball for even just one second longer can make a difference. Even if forcing fumbles or intercepting passes doesn't go the way the Bills' defense wants, forcing incompletions and getting Maye and his offense off the field is just as critical.

"The guy's a baller," linebacker Shaq Thompson said of Maye. "He's all-around, special talent at quarterback. He could throw, he's running, he's making great decisions. And he definitely, for me, he definitely got a lot better since his rookie year. That's what you want to see in a franchise quarterback. That's what you want to see in any player. So, he has my respect."

So far in 2025, Maye owns a 71.5 completion percentage, 23 passing touchdowns and six interceptions.

"Just another year of experience, another year of maturity in the NFL and understanding NFL defenses," McDermott said of Maye. "He's a really good player, very athletic, does a really good job in their offense in particular and [Josh McDaniels] does a phenomenal job of developing quarterbacks … is playing at a very very high level."

The Bills' offense evolving

Buffalo's offense is also trending in a positive direction, progressing since the last time it faced the Patriots. Outside of protecting the ball and winning the turnover battle, Allen said getting more names involved in the pass game improved.

Buffalo ranks 5th in scoring offense (28.9 ppg) and 2nd in yards per game (383.7) this season.

"We're getting a lot of people involved in the pass game. It's no secret. Away games, we have to be better in the pass game. That starts with me. So, again, finding easier completions, and especially early in the game, maybe taking some stuff underneath if it's there," Allen said. "Stay on task, stay in front of the sticks and end every drive in a kick away."

Nine Bills players have over 100 receiving yards with wide receiver Khalil Shakir leading the pack with 57 receptions for 585 yards. Keon Coleman, Palmer and Tyrell Shavers are the others in the wide receiver room. While Gabe Davis and Brandin Cooks haven't had as many opportunities on the field, having that high level of play and professionalism doesn't get overlooked by Allen.

In the tight end room with Kincaid, Knox and Jackson Hawes, all three continue impacting the pass game, whether it's blocking on the line or turning into Allen's reliable receiver for the game, like Knox was against Cincinnati. Allen completed 11 passes to his tight ends for 137 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals.

The Bills generated explosive plays in both facets of last week's game. Buffalo netted six explosive gains of 15+ yards in the passing game and five in the run game.

"We want to be able to show that we can win different ways and different styles of games," offensive coordinator Joe Brady said this week.

Christian Benford hands off AFC Defensive Player of the Week award to Rasul Douglas

Cornerback Christian Benford had a pick-six against the Bengals in Week 14 as well as a tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry and the only sack of the day against quarterback Joe Burrow. Despite this impressive stat line, the award went to one of Benford's close friends on another team.

Miami cornerback and former Bill Rasul Douglas was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week one game after Benford earned the award. Douglas had two tackles and five passes defensed in the Dolphins' win over the Jets.

Benford and Douglas developed a special connection during Douglas' time in Buffalo and the two still frequently text or call each other during the week. After Week 14, they were both hyping each other up for the award.

"I actually said he was going to get it," Benford said. "But I was happy, I was texting him all [on Tuesday]. We actually made a bet — He thought I was going to win [the award] … I won the bet."