Week 15 features a matchup we've all been waiting for – round two against the New England Patriots. The Bills will head to Foxborough, Mass. for Sunday's battle.
Here are five storylines to follow as Buffalo gets ready for their second to last regular season road game.
1. A look at the division race
Sunday's game is quite important as it relates to playoff implications. If the Bills win, they hold off the Patriots from taking the AFC East in Week 15. If the Patriots beat Buffalo, they secure the division title and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Buffalo must beat the Patriots and get a little help from other teams in order to win the division. The Bills would have to win out, and the Patriots would need to drop two of their final three games in order for Buffalo to take the crown.
"This coming Sunday is obviously the game," ESPN NFL Analyst Dan Orlovsky said of the magnitude on One Bills Live. "If they find a way to go to New England and win, they've got a chance to have people come to their place."
After beating the Bengals and with how the rest of the AFC fared in Week 14, the Bills jumped up one spot in the AFC playoff standings. Here's a look at the top seven leading up to Week 15.
- Denver Broncos (11-2)
- New England Patriots (11-2)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
- Buffalo Bills (9-4)
- Houston Texans (8-5)
The Bills have two more division games left, including Sunday. They finish the regular season against the Jets at home.
Due to the fact that quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow aren't currently in the playoff picture, Orlovsky believes Allen has a clearer path than ever before to reach their ultimate goal.
"Not having to beat those guys puts added expectation and pressure on it," Orlovsky told One Bills Live. "I think if this offense is healthy, I look at matchups. Can they go on the road and beat an Indy team in Indy? Yes.
"Can they go on the road and beat a Jacksonville? Yes. I would tell you they match up well versus Denver because to throw the ball against Denver you got to have backs and tight ends, and that's they're focus point. Can they go on the road and beat a Denver? Yes. Can they go on the road and beat the Chargers? Absolutely. The Chargers offensive line is decimated by injuries."
2. Round 2 vs. New England
The Bills seek revenge after falling to the Patriots in Week 5, 23-20. After starting the season 4-0, New England handed Buffalo its first loss of the season and forced an uncharacteristic game out of the Bills at Highmark Stadium. Ten weeks later, Buffalo hopes to take over Gillette Stadium and even out the 2025 record between the AFC East rivals, 1-1.
Neither team had a clean night in their first matchup with quarterback Josh Allen completing 22-of-31 passes for 253 yards and quarterback Drake Maye completing 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards. Allen threw one interception while Maye escaped pick free. The Bills had the advantage in the run game, putting up 118 yards to the Patriots' 71, but didn't win the turnover battle as they committed three to the Patriots' one.
After the game, head coach Sean McDermott said Buffalo played the game New England wanted it to, and even a last-drive effort to tie the game wasn't enough. The Patriots kicked a 52-yard field goal to walk away with the win.
Heading into Sunday's 1 p.m. battle, the Bills are determined to establish an offensive rhythm early, whether that's in the run game, pass game or both. On the ground, Buffalo will have a tough defense in front to overcome.
The Bills have the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL, leading the league in both rush yards per game (157.8) and yards per rush (5.1). New England, though, has a top 10 defense. The Patriots are third in rush yards allowed per game (89.5) and 10th in yards allowed per rush (4.0).
"This is a [Reggie] Gilliam game. This is a Jackson Hawes game," ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said on One Bills Live. "You got to stop my run with five defensive backs on the field on a consistent basis."
The teams are matched even at fifth in this stat -- the Bills average 28.92 points per game and the Patriots allow 18.5 points per game.
As for Buffalo's defense, it faces a top passing offense led by quarterback Drake Maye. New England is second in both pass yards per game (249.7) and pass yards per attempt (8.8). Maye has been one of the most efficient passers this season as he leads the NFL in completion percentage (71.5%). The Bills' defense is second in pass yards allowed per game (171.8) and ninth in pass yards allowed per attempt (6.7).
3. Christian Benford is heating up
Cornerback Christian Benford has made his presence known as of late. The cornerback has asked for some of the toughest matchups and has come away with takeaways.
Benford is playing smart and physical football, and it's thanks to his preparation. The fourth-year player is the first Bill ever to have defensive touchdowns in consecutive games.
"He's just a pro and wants to be really good," Babich said of Benford. "He works at it, and it's just who CB is. If you were to tell me…'He's going to have a couple defensive touchdowns,' wouldn't shock me.'"
Benford's 63-yard pick six against the Bengals increased Buffalo's win probability by 60.8% (16.2% to 77%), which is the single biggest swing in win probability on a play outside of the final two minutes since 2016 according to Next Gen Stats.
In the last two weeks, Benford has combined for two defensive touchdowns, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one sack. He is the only player this season who has recorded two interceptions, two sacks and two defensive touchdowns.
"It's been really a joy to watch him get more and more comfortable in this position in terms of how we use him as a corner and what he does week-to-week for us," head coach Sean McDermott said. "And not just the pass game but the run game as well."
According to Next Gen Stats, Benford allowed just two targets and zero catches across 16 matchups against Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Benford is just the third cornerback (Greg Newsome II, Kevin Byard) to have held Chase without a catch in a game this season. The CB has now held Chase, Emeka Egbuka, DK Metcalf and Drake London to zero receptions this year (min. 10 matchups).
McDermott believes this type of play has elevated the standard of the entire defense.
"Those guys ride with him. They do," McDermott said of his corner. "They have a ton of respect for him, he has a ton of respect for them…Coming from Villanova, wasn't a first-round draft pick. Came in right away, started in his first season, and the way he's worked. Got a contract this off season and that has not changed him."
Buffalo's defense has six takeaways in the last four games, which ties for the third most over that span.
4. Josh Allen's "it" factor
Allen was 22-of-28 (78.6%) on Sunday against the Bengals for 251 yards and three touchdowns. On top of the pass game, he also rushed nine times for 78 yards and one score.
On fourth-and-four at the Cincinnati 11-yard-line, the Bills were down 14-3 in the second quarter. Searching for an option, Allen and wide receiver Khalil Shakir connected for some magic. Allen threw the ball just past two defenders and hit Shakir for a much-needed touchdown.
Head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that he's relatively past the point of questioning Allen's decisions, whether it's going for it all on fourth down or wisely throwing the ball away to resettle and regroup on the next play. On the fourth down play to Shakir, McDermott still appreciated using the word "audacity" to describe the throw. He also mentioned Allen's decision at the end of the game, specifically too, opting to scramble for the first down on third-and-15 to close out the game.
"Even the last play on the third-and-15, he's just got this 'it' factor that is hard to question and hard to defend … as a bigger-picture item, though, is within those plays that everyone is saying are 'wow' plays and only he can make those plays are the check downs that were thrown when they needed to be thrown or the ball that got thrown away earlier," McDermott said.
"I'm speaking like a true coach, I know, but that's the balance of discipline and him being so special … It's one thing to run around and make these special plays, it's another thing to go, 'Hey, when the situation calls for it, there's my check down. I'm throwing this ball away in the high red zone when we get another chance to play another play.' So that is to me, the combination of an elite player playing on a high level."
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady also said he trusts Allen to make whatever decision looks and feels right to him.
"It's way more times than none that he's in a flow state. When you can call any play and you think he's going to make it work. When he's asking for plays, you know he's going to make it work. He might ask for a play that in my head I'm like, 'I may not see it in that situation, but I'm going to give him the ownership if Josh is asking for something,'" Brady said. "That's the flow state and those were situations he was in [on Sunday]. I don't ever want Josh Allen to be conservative."
Allen has the second-most touchdowns in the NFL through 14 weeks with 34. He's now had three straight seasons with at least 12 rushing touchdowns. After his four touchdowns against the Bengals, Allen became the first player in NFL history to record three straight seasons of at least 20 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns.
5. Taking advantage of New England's weakness
Points could be at a premium in this Week 15 matchup against the Patriots, that's why it'll be important for Buffalo to punch it in in the red zone and limit New England when they get into scoring territory.
In the Bills and Patriots' first meeting of the 2025 season, both struggled in the red zone. They were two-of-four in red zone efficiency, and Buffalo mildly improved in comparison, going three-of-five against the Bengals in Week 14. New England had a bye while the Bills played Cincinnati. In Week 13, the Patriots were one-of-five in the red zone.
Still, the Bills have a top 10 offense in the red zone. They are ninth in red zone efficiency (61.7 percent). Meanwhile, New England's defense is the worst in the NFL at allowing touchdowns in the red zone at 73.1%.
Buffalo has an opportunity to take advantage of New England's weakness, not only in red zone defense, but also on offense. Despite the Bills' defense being only 20th in red zone efficiency (59.5 percent), the Patriots don't have the edge on Buffalo that it has on them. New England's offense is 24th in the NFL with a 51.1 red zone efficiency percentage.
