New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills
You can almost feel the snow and stinging cold when you see a matchup between these two on the horizon as both the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills play where it can get excruciatingly cold in the late fall and winter. With a historical rivalry between these two franchises, itās always big fun when they meet as thereās a chance theyāll be playing in the snow or weather cold enough to see their huffing and puffing breath. Of course, this series also features legends of the game like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Jim Kelly, and Bruce Smith.
The History
Starting with New England, they are the cream of the crop in terms of successful NFL franchises as their six Super Bowl titles are tied for the most with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All six of those championships were won between 2001-2019 under Belichick and Brady, who built one of the greatest dynasties in all sports together. The franchise started as the Boston Patriots in 1959 and was one of the original charter teams of the AFL but didnāt find much success until the 2000s.
Buffalo has had great players and perhaps the best team to never win a Super Bowl with the Kelly and Smith-led Bills of the early ā90s. Those teams would dominate the AFC for four years straight en route to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Sadly, not one of those visits resulted in a victory, however, they do have two championships as a franchise when they won back to back in 1964 and ā65.
The Matchup
You have to love any series that has played over 100 games because it means the rivalry is one of the deepest in the NFL, which this one certainly is. The Bills have a bit of a weird connection to Brady aside from the games played. Former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was supposed to be the teamās big-time QB but he got injured early in the 2001 season, paving the way for the greatest QB ever to take over. After the Patriots stuck with Brady the next season, they traded Bledsoe to none other than the Bills.
2003 was one of the better seasons for this fun matchup as both teams would share shutout victories over one another. It isnāt what you think, however, as the season opened up with New England getting demolished 31-0 behind four interceptions by Brady. It would be a crucial game as the Patriots would go on to win 14 of their next 15 and finish the season with another Super Bowl trophy. The Bills, while not winning any Lombardi trophies yet, have one of the most lopsided wins in the series as they hammered the Patriots 47-17 in the first-ever playoff game between them during the 2021 postseason. They would score a TD on every offensive drive of the game without a punt or turnover, the first in NFL history.
Odds and Ends
The Bills are mighty happy that Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay as he went 32-3 against them in his career with the Patriots. Because of the Belichick/Brady dynasty, a lot of the numbers are skewed in New Englandās favor due to their dominance over the AFC East, and the Bills, during that time. From 2015-2019, the Patriots were 5ā0 against the spread playing on the road in Buffalo while holding the Bills to an average of 11.2 points a contest in six games against them between 2017-2019. In eight games between 1990-1993, Buffalo put the clamps down on New England by holding them to only 11.4 points per game. In four contests between the teams from 1994-1996, the Patriots and Bills combined to average 58 points a game with one 1994 showdown going for 73 points.
Why You Should Watch It
These teams have gone at one another now more than 120 times. That is a lot of history between two AFC East rivals that have hated each other from day one. Adding insult to injury, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls whereas the Bills are winless giving some extra muster to this face-off. Besides, a rivalry that frequently plays blistering cold means youāre in for some good television. With Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Singletary, Matt Milano and Von Miller, going against Mac Jones, Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, we see fireworks!
Look for this matchup, especially in late Fall winter so you can cozy up with some hot chocolate and enjoy one hell of a game between the Patriots and the Bills. If both teams remain healthy, we see the Bills dominating this matchup.