This week, the Buffalo Bills play the New England Patriots, with the AFC East title on the line for the Pats. If New England wins, they clinch the division for the first time since 2019, as well as a spot in the NFL Playoffs. If Buffalo wins, they simply improve their chances of snagging a Wild Card spot, though the door does open for a highly unlikely and chaotic scenario in which they steal the AFC East.
Nonetheless, it’s a regular-season game between two of the top teams gunning to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX. Both teams have a less than one-percent chance of missing the postseason regardless of the outcome.
Should they meet a third time, rubber-match or no, it’ll be a win-or-go-home scenario for both teams. Fittingly, that’s the scenario that one Patriots beat reporter seems to fear most.
Patriots beat writer warns a potential third matchup with Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen could be New England's nightmare scenario
Andrew Callahan, a Patriots beat reporter for the Boston Herald, picked out the Patriots’ toughest potential playoff matchup, narrowing his selection to a choice between the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills.
“It comes down to this: if you’re the Patriots, do you have more confidence in Drake Maye leading a game-winning final drive versus the Texans defense or your defense stopping Josh Allen in the same scenario? I’m taking Maye,” Callahan wrote.
It’s probably fair to say that most of the AFC playoff field feels the same way after watching Allen orchestrate the comeback against Cincinnati last week, all but crushing their playoff hopes. Considering every other team currently in the field lacks the successful postseason experience Buffalo carries, they all must have an eye on Allen and the Bills as January approaches.
“Allen is a wrecking ball, a force and the reigning MVP for two more months,” Callahan wrote. “There are few quarterbacks I would fear in a shoot-out quite like Allen, especially after he’s carried Buffalo to the divisional round five years running.”
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Allen and Maye turned their first matchup of the season into a late shootout. Maye had the ball last and drove the field to set up a game-winning field goal.
But that was the first Sunday of October, and Maye was still catching the NFL by storm with his Year 2 leap. Now it’s December, and all cards are on the table. Next time would be January, and there’s no hiding on that stage either.
How Buffalo handles the matchup with New England this week will dictate the probability of the two rivals meeting a third time in the postseason. Regardless of the outcome, Buffalo will likely head back to Foxborough for that potential third meeting. But whether they carry the momentum to make Callahan’s fears become reality rides on handling business in Foxborough this Sunday first.