Patriots Have Big Litmus Test vs. Bills

The New England Patriots are 2-2 going into their Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the lone undefeated team in the AFC.

The Pats are big underdogs against the Bills, but they are looking forward to the challenge facing off against one of the best teams in the league. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is excited for the test the Bills are set to provide against New England.

"It’s a great gauge for us. See how much – like I said, see what we’ve got. We’re competing on the road in a tough environment, and it’s one of the first times we’ll do that as a team. Battling through, playing four quarters of football, that’s going to matter," Maye said.

"Playing on the road, four quarters matters. You can’t just play a half, and you can’t just show up at the beginning and not at the end, but playing full four quarters, going into hostile environment and bringing our own energy. There are not going to be many Pats fans, but we do travel well, so hopefully there will be. From there, just also not taking it as an end-all-be-all for this week. We’ve got a long season ahead, but this is a great checkpoint to see what we’ve got and what we can handle."

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye calls a play against the Carolina Panthers. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Patriots won't have it easy against the Bills, but in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. The Bills have looked like arguably the best team in the league over the course of the first month of the season, so they need to find a way to learn how to compete against a Super Bowl contender.

The Bills are the toughest opponent the Patriots have faced all season long, so they should be excited about the prospect of pulling off an upset on the road.

The Pats don't need a win to improve their overall progress against the Bills, but it's a good opportunity to see how they stack up. Win, lose or draw, the Patriots will have a good idea as to how good they truly are after the game.

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