The Bills defeated the Patriots 35-31 in Week 15, surging back from a 21-point deficit. They face the road again in Week 16, their final away game of the 2025 regular season, heading to Cleveland. It will be the 24th meeting all-time between the two teams.
Quarterback Josh Allen is 1-1 against Cleveland, winning against the Browns at Highmark Stadium in 2022. He and the Bills seek another win against Cleveland to extend their current three-game win streak.
The 3-11 Browns are coming off a loss to the Bears from Week 15, 31-3 on the road. The last time they won at home was Oct. 19 against the Dolphins. The Ravens, 49ers and Titans beat Cleveland at Huntington Bank Field since then.
Injury updates from first practice of Week 16
Buffalo held a walk-through on Wednesday. Head coach Sean McDermott gave an injury update prior to it.
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (ankle), kicker Matt Prater (right quad), tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) and left tackle Dion Dawkins (illness) did not practice. Cornerback Christian Benford (toe) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow) were limited. Cornerback Taron Johnson (quad) and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (calf) were full on Wednesday.
McDermott said Benford is "moving in a good direction," and that the team is assessing his progress throughout the first two days of practice.
Buffalo also opened wide receiver Mecole Hardman's (calf) 21-day practice window on Wednesday. He was limited.
Veteran defensive players show up for the Bills
Against the Patriots, linebacker Matt Milano led the defense with 10 tackles and two sacks for 16 yards. Before Week 15, Milano hadn't reached double digits in tackles this season with his closest being six total. He also had one sack all the way back in Week 1 against Baltimore.
One of his sacks against New England was for a loss of nine on third-and-seven in the third quarter. Milano's second was in the fourth quarter, bringing quarterback Drake Maye down for a loss of seven yards on second-and-five. Both sacks eventually forced the Patriots to punt.
McDermott credited Milano's surge in production to his mentality.
"He has an elite mindset … he knows who he is, and he has a goal and a vision for himself," McDermott said of Milano. "Nothing's going to get in the way of that … I have a ton of respect for him and how he goes about his business day in and day out."
Another veteran, cornerback Tre'Davious White, also came up with a critical play against New England, picking off quarterback Drake Maye in the third quarter on third-and-25. The Bills' offense converted this interception into a touchdown to take the lead.
It was was White's first interception of the 2025 season.
"This past week in particular he really did it a great job of playing at a high level. Very few if any players have been more dedicated, more determined," McDermott said of White. "Let's just zoom out and go here's a young man that tears his knee up comes back off of that, the next season midway through, roughly give or take, ruptures his Achilles. Some people don't come back from one of those let alone two of those. And he continues to work."
Reggie Gilliam gets his flowers
Fullback Reggie Gilliam might be quiet on the field in terms of production, having just one reception in 2025, but his impact doesn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Bills.
Buffalo's run game is No. 1 in the league in rush yards per game (158.5) and second in yards per rush (5.0). A key part of the success that the running back room has is the willingness of all other skill players to block. Gilliam is dedicated to his role as a blocker on offense, whether his impact is logged on the stat sheet or not, opening space for the running backs.
"Unsung Hero … He's physical at the point of attack," McDermott said. "More and more, I think there's an increased level of fullbacks around the NFL. Things evolve and kind of go in circular fashion here. What goes around comes around. So, [fullbacks] went out of style for a while now. I think they're coming back. [Gilliam] has done a really good job for us and he's a true team player."
Bills are in arm's reach of the playoffs
There are four different scenarios where Buffalo clinches a playoff berth after Week 16's slate.
"It matters a lot," offensive tackle Spencer Brown said of making it into the postseason. "Hopefully this all goes well and take one game at a time … we have three left here, but winning out does do us a favor, so hopefully do that."
Aside from Cleveland, the Bills have the Eagles and Jets remaining on their schedule. The final two weeks of the season will be home at Highmark Stadium.
Safety Cole Bishop said it's exciting having a comfortable shot at making the playoffs, noting how difficult it is to not only win, but punch their ticket into the postseason.
Josh Allen believes the ups and downs of the season have brought the team closer together.
"We've been tested in terms of being in some close games and some tight games, and we found ways to win some. We've lost a couple, but I feel like we've learned a lot from those losses," Allen said. "This is an extremely tight unit. We do practice what we preach when we say we love each other and we care about each other and we don't want to let each other down."
