With the Buffalo Bills having a whiteout in the stands this Sunday night in primetime, Highmark Stadium will be electrifying. The team is now 4-0, looking to stay undefeated against a 2-2 New England team that could cause them an interruption.
The team will also wear all-white uniforms and helmets to represent the cold and snow in Buffalo, which should transform the stadium into a mystical winter wonderland that the Bills are ready to defrost and conquer.
As the team is looking to go 5-0 and take a big lead in the division, there are several key matchups between the two teams that fans should be aware of before the big divisional rivalry.
Key matchups between the Bills and the Patriots that could alter the result of the game
Bills defense vs. QB Drake Maye
While the Bills' defense has done enough to keep its opponents off the scoreboard, it will have to wreak more havoc on the young quarterback Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.
Maye made some strides in his rookie year last season despite a 4-13 record. He's made definite strides in his second year under head coach Mike Vrabel and his smashmouth style of football.
Before there was Maye the NFL young prospect, there was Maye the college superstar with the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. There, he lit up ACC defenses, throwing for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his final year in college
He also ran for 449 yards and nine touchdowns, showing why he was going to be a top NFL draft pick in 2024.
Some compare the young budding star to a young Josh Allen when he first entered the league. Maye's a prominent 6-foot-5 inch, 220 pound physical leader with a rocket arm and runs with mighty speed.
Therefore, the defense must be able to contain Maye in the pocket with a quarterback spy and have our interior defensive linemen ready to tackle him when running.
CB Tre White vs. WR Stefon Diggs
To avoid incurring any additional penalties for their respective teams, both Tre White and Stefon Diggs will need to contain themselves and keep their emotions in check after the whistle. Bills fans know White is a lockdown corner and also is a tackling machine, but they also know Diggs is a hothead who is a nagging ball hog.
This is a matchup you'll want to keep an eye on all night because it's going to be very entertaining. Overall, it should be a heavyweight fight between the skilled cornerback and the superstar receiver, but let's hope White makes Diggs regret playing for a team within the division.
Sean McDermott vs. Mike Vrabel
This is a coaching matchup that will hopefully be a fun AFC East showdown heading into the new Highmark Stadium for years to come. Both men are tough and gritty coaches who want their teams to be physical, running the ball, and stopping the run.
McDermott took over a Buffalo Bills team that fired Rex Ryan after a 17th straight season of missing the playoffs. He wanted to change the culture because the team was talented, but also very undisciplined. His mottos were "trust the process" and "playoff caliber."
The Bills went 9-7 in their first year with McDermott and made the playoffs. Since 2020, they have won five straight AFC East titles, with a chance to secure a sixth consecutive.
As for Vrabel, many New England Patriots circles thought he should have been hired as the coach in 2024, right after Bill Belichick retired. Unfortunately, that job went to Jerod Mayo, who was eventually fired after one season, during which they went 4-13.
Luckily, the wait was over as Vrabel was the next coach hired for New England. He is well known in New England as a former player and leader for the Patriots.
His first head coaching job came with the Tennessee Titans, where he introduced a physical style of play, characterized by smashmouth football, led by current Baltimore Ravens superstar running back, Derrick Henry.
After a 6-11 season, Vrabel was let go by the Titans, but his impact on the Titans franchise has lasted a long time since then. One of the highlights of the meeting between the two coaches was when Henry ran all over the Bills during the 2020 COVID-19 season, handing the Bills their first loss of the year while en route to a 13-3 season.
This game should be entertaining, and it's another game where the Bills will put their undefeated home winning streak, dating back to the regular season and the playoffs, on the line.