The NFL’s Week 15 slate will continue on Sunday afternoon with an epic, AFC East showdown taking place in Foxborough, Mass. Looking to secure their first division title since 2019, the Patriots will welcome the Bills to Gillette Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
Buffalo enters this one amid what many would consider a down year for them—just 9–4 and stuck in the middle of a crowded AFC wild-card race—while also having won their last two games in relatively convincing fashion. Josh Allen, meanwhile, has continued to show why he’s the best quarterback in football, even with plenty left to be desired around him in the wide receiver room.
Across the sideline in New England on Sunday will be a Patriots team fresh off their bye and riding an impressive 10-game win streak. While their schedule hasn’t exactly been daunting, Mike Vrabel has this squad rolling as they enter the final quarter of the season—and with a chance to take down a Bills team that’s owned the division for the last half-decade, has Pats fans already thinking Super Bowl just one year removed from a 4–13 finish.
More: Mike Vrabel Gave a Relatable Answer on the Patriots Being Home Underdogs vs. Bills
Here are three bold predictions for Patriots vs. Bills:
Drake Maye will once again be held under 300 yards passing
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has been nothing short of outstanding throughout his second NFL season, throwing for 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions, notching a passer rating of 111.9, and amassing 3,412 passing yards—the second-most in the league behind only Dak Prescott.
Despite this, however, Maye has yet to record a 300-yard passing game in his career—even as he’s averaging 262 yards per game this season and has not dipped below the 200-yard mark in a single contest.
Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, he’ll be matched up against the NFL’s second-best pass defense on Sunday afternoon—one that allows just 171.8 passing yard per game—and because of that, I’m predicting Maye will once again fall short of the 300-yard mark.
James Cook will lead Bills in both rushing and receiving yards
James Cook has been the bell cow for the Bills out of the backfield all season, rushing for 1,308 yards (second in the NFL behind only Jonathan Taylor) and eight touchdowns. Additionally, he’s added 31 receptions for 267 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Needless to say—outside of Allen, of course—Cook has become the pace of Buffalo’s offense in 2025, and I expect do be exactly that, and more, on Sunday against the Patriots.
Sure, New England has been stout defending running backs through the air—allowing just 26.7 receiving yards per game to targets out of the backfield—but the Bills are still yearning for a true top target in their passing attack. And with cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones matched up against Buffalo's wide receivers, Allen may be forced to look Cook’s way more often than he’d prefer.
That’s why, in true dual-threat fashion, I’m predicting Cook to lead the Bills in both receiving and rushing yards on Sunday.
Patriots will win by two scores to capture first AFC East title since 2019
Given the above two predictions, you may think (that I think) this one is shaping up to be a classic, late-season win for the suddenly streaking Bills.
Think again.
This Patriots team is rolling right now. With the way their offense is humming, they clearly don’t need to rely on Maye to throw for 300 yards, and if a running back is Buffalo’s leading receiver, well that likely means New England has done something right to stop one of the league's best signal callers in Allen from taking the game over.
That’s why I’m going with Sunday to be New England’s true coming-out party. In a 30–17 win, the Patriots will capture their first AFC East title in five years, and ensure that a home playoff game will be played at Gillette Stadium next month.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bills vs. Patriots: Three Bold Predictions For Sunday’s AFC East Showdown in Foxboro.
