Patriots On SI Staff Predicts Week 15 vs. Bills

The New England Patriots are hoping to sweep the season series against their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills in Week 15.

With the game approaching, some members of the New England Patriots on SI staff predicted how the matchup would go against the Bills.

Arnav Sharma

The Patriots eke out a close win against a Bills team powered by a surging defense and the sheer willpower of Josh Allen.

Mike Vrabel is 6-1 in his career coming off the bye week. In a matchup where the game will have to be won on the defensive side of the ball for New England, the extra week of film preparation should provide some sort of advantage against a red hot Allen.

In their previous matchup, Drake Maye's emergence overshadowed a lot of the defensive woes for the team; the Patriots defense allowed Allen to move the ball fairly efficiently, giving up 363 total yards of offense.

However, they caught a couple well-timed breaks with a fumble recovery at the Buffalo 11-yard-line for a quick field goal and a red zone interception to prevent the Bills from taking a late third-quarter lead.

For New England to complete a sweep of the Bills, they will have to limit Allen's production to a realistic degree. In my opinion, that means somewhere around the ballpark of 30 points — anything above the mid-30s could prove to be difficult to overcome.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots have all the tools to beat a low-thirties figure: an MVP candidate in Maye, a fired up Stefon Diggs, and a renewed rushing attack powered by TreVeyon Henderson should be able to pierce a defense that ranks in the bottom 10 over the last five weeks. In that time frame, in fact, the Bills defense has been one of the worst five defenses against the run.

Though the New England offensive line has been battered with injury, the offense has an opportunity for a statement game that could complete a sweep and steal the divisional crown back to its rightful owner.

Prediction: Patriots 33, Bills 30

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Daquan Jones tries to sack New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Daniel Arwas

Many Patriots fans were up in arms when the team opened as an underdog to the 9-4 Bills, who have not managed to win three consecutive games since September. And, who of course fell to New England 23-20 back in early October. But things have changed since then - Buffalo have fallen two games behind in the race for the AFC East, and they know that a loss in Foxborough will see them surrender the division for the first time since 2019.

The Bills scored an unlikely victory against the Bengals last weekend, when batted down interceptions on successive drives saw them flip the game on its head, but they will not be able to leave it to that sort of chance against the division leaders, who are in fierce competition with the Denver Broncos for the #1 seed in the AFC. Coming off the bye and being at home, it feels like the advantage should be with New England.

At the same time - minus Buffalo New England have had few - if any - strenuous tests since losing to the Steelers back in September. Buffalo need this win to keep it interesting in the East, and Josh Allen and co. have substantial experience playing and winning in the freezing weather; December and January is normally where they get going (before ultimately losing to KC in the playoffs.

The game will be close, but it feels like in this big moment with a lot on the line, the Bills could take this one.

Prediction: Bills 28, Patriots 21

Ethan Hurwitz

The Patriots’ winning streak is bound to end at some point. I mean, 10 straight? Who would have thought? With that being said, it won't end this week when Buffalo comes to town.

Josh Allen and the Bills are coming off a thrilling, snow-laced comeback against the Bengals, while potential MVP Drake Maye had a week off thanks to a perfectly-timed bye. The Patriots will be well-rested and prepared to go for what could turn into their first AFC East clincher since Tom Brady was in uniform.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Bills 27

Jeremy Brener

It's really hard to beat a division opponent twice in the same season, but the Patriots could be up for the task, especially considering they've had nearly two weeks since their last game against the New York Giants.

While the Pats have the advantage of playing at Gillette Stadium, they are facing a hungry Bills team in need of a win. This game will likely come down to one score either direction, but I think Buffalo makes the final play.

Prediction: Bills 30, Patriots 28

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is forced out of bounds by Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mike D'Abate

The Bills are entering this matchup with added confidence, due to their 39-34 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. Quarterback Josh Allen returned to form, solidifying his status as the 2024 NFL MVP.

Allen has completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,083 yards with 22 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Buffalo’s offense is consistently ranked among the NFL's elite for 2025 due to Allen's dual-threat dominance — along with high offensive efficiency and strong offensive line play.

Defensively, Buffalo has been nearly equally as potent when defending the pass as they are against the run. Under coordinator Joe Babich, the Bills have earned a spot among the league's best in expected points allowed per dropback (EPA) in recent week.

Fortunately, New England is seemingly up to the challenge. In addition to becoming the first team in the NFL to reach 11 wins, the Pats are also back atop the conference standings.

The Pats are undoubtedly pleased with their effort in all three phases — from the coaching prowess of Mike Vrabel to the on-field performance of quarterback Drake Maye and ultimately the aggression shown by all three levels of the Patriots defense.

Maye, who has been a front-runner for MVP honors throughout much of the season, has completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 3,412 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. With a win needed to clinch the Patriots’ first AFC East title since 2019, Maye and his supporting cast step up and deliver to the home crowd at Gillette Stadium, in what promises to be a tightly-contested game.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Bills 24

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