The Buffalo Bills (8-6) continue their push for that elusive playoff appearance on Sunday, when the Bills travel to play the New England Patriots (11-3) in a house of horrors: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
With Tom Brady starting at quarterback, the Patriots have gone 27-3 under head coach Bill Belichick against the Bills. Brady owns the record for the most wins against one team in the history of the league.
Not counting a 17-9 Bills’ win in the 2014 regular-season finale, when Brady only played the first half, Brady has won his last 10 starts vs. Buffalo, tossing 23 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions.
It’s been a while since the Bills and Patriots squared off in a game this late in the season that carried major playoff implications for Buffalo. The last time? Dec. 26, 1999, when the Wade Phillips-coached Bills earned a 13-10 win over the Pete Carroll-coached Patriots in Foxboro (before Gillette Stadium opened). The win pushed Buffalo to 10-5, while the Patriots fell to 7-8.
Sunday will represent the 116th meeting all-time between former American Football League rivals. New England owns a 71-43-1 record all-time, including a 26-8 win as the Boston Patriots during the 1963 AFL playoffs, the only postseason meeting between these two teams.
Here’s how to watch the game from home:
New England Patriots (11-3) at Buffalo Bills (8-6)
- Game Date/Time: Sunday, December 24, 1 p.m. Eastern.
- Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
- TV: CBS WIVB 4 in Buffalo, WROC 8 in Rochester, WTVH 5 in Syracuse, WBNG 12 in Binghamton, WENY 36 in Elmira, WYOU 22 Scranton. The game is being broadcast to much of the country, including almost all of the northeast (outside of the metro New York City area), the state of Texas, and much of the pacific northwest (full broadcast map)
- Announcers: Play-by-play Jim Nantz, color analyst Tony Romo, sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.
- Radio: WGR 550AM (Buffalo), WCMF 96.5 FM, WROC 950 AM, and WHAM 1180 AM (Rochester), Fan 590 AM (Toronto), WKTW 99.5 FM/WKTV 105.5 FM (Syracuse) and the rest of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network.
- Radio Play-by-Play: John Murphy and Mark Kelso in the booth with sideline reporter Sal Capaccio.
- Online: NFL Game Pass, NFL.com Game Center
Friday Injury Report: Did not practice: Buffalo: LeSean McCoy (rest/knee). Limited participants: Kelvin Benjamin (knee), Charles Clay (knee), E.J. Gaines (knee), John Miller (ankle), Nick O’Leary (back), Kyle Williams (groin). Full participants: Nathan Peterman (concussion), Deonte Thompson (back). Ruled out: Andre Holmes (neck). New England. Limited participants: Brandon Bolden (groin), Chris Hogan (shoulder), Brandon King (hamstring), Eric Lee (ankle), Matthew Slater (hamstring), Kyle Van Noy (calf), LaAdrian Waddle (ankle), James White (ankle). Full participants: Ruled out: Alan Branch (knee), Rex Burkhead (knee).