The New England Patriots can win their first AFC East title this decade by taking down the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.
The Patriots will be seeking their 11th straight victory, a streak that includes a 23-20 triumph over the host Bills on Oct. 5.
Buffalo (9-4) has won the past five AFC East crowns but the Patriots (11-2) have improved in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season and quarterback Drake Maye’s second with the club.
Maye, an NFL MVP candidate, is ready to facilitate a changing of the guard.
“They’ve won the division for five years,’ Maye said Wednesday. “We have something that we need to go take, and know it’s going to be hard to do.”
New England went just 4-13 in Maye’s rookie season but has been a season-long surprise this year.
The Patriots lost two of their first three games before beginning their impressive winning streak. Now they are one of the hottest teams in the NFL as they eye their first season sweep of the Bills since 2019, when Tom Brady was the team’s quarterback.
Buffalo has won five of its past seven games but a loss to the Patriots will leave them unable to win the division.
“They’re one of the top teams, if not the top team in the AFC right now,” Bills coach Sean 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.”
The blossoming of Maye has been a major ingredient of New England’s success.
The 23-year-old has completed a league-best 71.5 percent of his passes and is on track to break Brady’s franchise record of 68.9 percent set in 2007. Maye has thrown for 3,412 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.
For comparison, reigning MVP Josh Allen of the Bills has passed for 3,083 yards and 22 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, while completing 70.1 percent of his throws.
“Obviously, Drake is playing at an extremely high level right now,” Allen said Wednesday. “He’s extremely fun to watch and he’s put his team in a very good position.”
Maye passed for 273 yards in the October road win over the Bills. Allen threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted once.
Maye’s improved play has led to comparisons with Allen and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel sees why there is such chatter.
“I think they’re both really good at what they do,” Vrabel said. “Josh probably has got a couple (pounds) on him and can kind of throw his shoulder in there probably a little bit more than I would want Drake to, but I think they’re both great competitors. (I have) a lot of respect for Josh and just his ability to make something out of nothing.
“I’ve enjoyed watching Drake’s growth here, but I’m not going to say one’s a certain way and one’s the other. Just a huge challenge going against a quarterback that’s under control, he’s got command and just doesn’t look panicked or rattled when you rush him. Just an excellent, obviously, MVP quarterback.”
The Bills held a walk-through on Wednesday and tight end Dawson Knox (personal) was the lone player to miss it. Star linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow), defensive end Joey Bosa (hamstring/wrist), receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) and offensive lineman Spencer Brown (shoulder) were limited participants.
New England running back Terrell Jennings (concussion) sat out practice on Wednesday. Linebacker Harold Landry (knee), defensive tackle Christian Barmore (not injury related) and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (abdomen) were limited.
