Patriots Stars Sound Off on Underdog Status Against Bills

FOXBOROUGH, MA. — The New England Patriots (11-2) are entering Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season with chance to bring home the AFC East division title — a feat which has eluded them since 2019.

The Pats currently hold a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills (9-4) who also enter Week 15 with an extra spring in their step. The Pats divisional foes from western New York earned a Week 14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, their ninth victory of the season. Accordingly, the stage is now set for a showdown with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium — with the AFC East on the line. The Pats will clinch a division title if they defeat Buffalo in what has become a “hat and t-shirt” game in Foxborough.

Still, the Patriots remain a Week 15 underdog at +1.5, per FanDuel.

While some may scoff at the lack of respect with which the oddsmakers have treated them, the Patriots remain uninterested in the opinions of the financial “powers that be” in Las Vegas.

“There ya go …that’s what they are. They’re called oddsmakers, not people,” head coach Mike Vrabel said in response to being asked about his team’s pre-game odds. “There’s a lot of people in Las Vegas, only a few of them that they trust to set the line… those lines and point spreads get brought to attention, but you can see every week that odds and records really don’t mean anything … So, we're just trying to focus on our preparation here and getting back into it.”

After a brief, mid-season sputter, the Bills are back to playing some of their best football of the season. Quarterback Josh 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 weeks — points which are not lost on Vrabel and his coaching staff as they seek to earn a victory over the Bills in Week 15.

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 — putting pressure on their competition, while staking their claim as the sole owner of the top spot in the AFC. Though 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.

Patriots Stefon Diggs: Patriots Must Play with an ’Edge’

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs after a catch. — Dec 1, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs after a catch during the first quarter against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

New England’s confidence heading into this game should be deservedly high, having already defeated the Bills 23-20 in Week 5. In what many consider to be his entrance into the league’s MVP race, Maye put his abilities on full display, completing 22-of-30 for 273 yards. Still, it was his composure under pressure and late-game leadership that allowed him to make plays down the stretch.

His seven-play, 37-yard game-winning drive set up rookie kicker Andy Borregales' 52-yard field goal, putting the Pats on top for good. In total, Maye led five scoring drives for New England against the Bills. All the while, the Pats leaned on their second-year quarterback as he delivered on a national stage.

In that vein, Patriots star receiver — and former Buffalo Bills wideout (2020-23) — Stefon Diggs believes the Pats will thrive in their roles as underdogs.

“Good,” Diggs told reporters before practice. “This team is full of (players) that were castoffs, people who were cut or that didn’t necessarily get the opportunity,” he says.

In what was billed by many as “Diggs’ Revenge” game, the two-time All-Pro took advantage of an injury-plagued Bills’ secondary to put up his biggest numbers of the season in Week 5. Diggs caught 10 passes for 146 yards against his former team — his longest coming on a 32-yard connection with Maye in the third quarter.

For this week’s matchup, the Pats will undoubtedly be pulling some extra motivation from Diggs’ emotional playbook. Though they already play the game with an edge, the Maryland product is confident that the roster has — and will continue — to bond over the method in which they were assembled.

“It’s exciting when you have a lot to prove and are playing with that edge and you’re playing aggressively,” Diggs said. “Nobody believed in us but us. The record is surprising to everybody. All we did is take it one game at a time and I think we’ll do the same thing.”

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