1. Bills paying close attention to detail prior to matchup against the Patriots
Stefon Diggs has been a major catalyst for the Bills offense this season and is a big reason for their improvement on that side of the ball. He has set new single-season career highs in receptions (111) and yards (1,314) and has broken numerous franchise records through 14 games. With this being Diggs' first year in Buffalo, he is not too familiar with the team's history with their AFC East rivals. The wide receiver was on The Michael Irvin Podcast and explained how this team prepares to go against the rival Patriots, why paying close attention to detail is crucial in order to come out with a win.
"I saw the attention to detail from the first game and then the second time we play them it's the same thing," Diggs stated. "The attention to detail is really there and then nobody is getting ahead of themselves. Everybody knows we need to focus on this week, we need to play our best ball, and we need to continue to play our best ball because we don't have time to be getting rusty. We don't have time to be taking steps back, we're going in the right direction so, let's keep going in the right direction. We're focused on not having penalties, not turning the ball over and things like that. Things that are going to make your team better in the long haul and trying to make this push."
2. Milestones within reach tonight
Tonight, will mark the 121st matchup between the Bills and the Patriots as Buffalo looks to improve to a 12-3 record and No. 2 in the AFC playoff standings. A win tonight would mark the Bills first five-game win streak since 2004, and here are five other milestones to keep in mind tonight as the game unfolds.
- With a touchdown on the Bills first drive, they would have an opening-drive touchdown for the seventh time in 2020. That would be the most for the Bills since scoring seven in the 1990 season.
- With a win, the Bills would record a season sweep against the Patriots for the first time since 1999. It would mark the first time New England was swept by an AFC East foe since Miami and N.Y.J. each did it in 2000.
- With his next win, Sean McDermott will have his 37th career regular-season victory and would tie Chuck Knox for third-most in Bills franchise history.
- Josh Allen needs 360 passing yards to establish a new team record, eclipsing the 4,359 yards set by Drew Bledsoe in 2002. He also needs four passing touchdowns to surpass Jim Kelly's record of 33 set in 1991.
- Stefon Diggs enters the game with 5,937 career receiving yards and he needs 63 yards to reach 6,000 and become the 35th player in NFL history with 6,000+ yards within the first six years of a career.
3. Jerry Hughes: "We know coach Belichick will have those guys ready."
Jerry Hughes will be playing in his 127th career regular-season game with the Bills tonight and is one of only five players with 50+ career sacks in franchise history. The other Bills defenders on the list are Bruce Smith (171.0), Aaron Schobel (78.0), Phil Hansen (61.5), and Cornelius Bennett (52.5). Hughes has played the Patriots 17 times throughout his career and knows that even though New England is eliminated from the playoffs; they will still bring their A-game against Buffalo.
"It's very important for us because it's the next game," Hughes said. "We always get excited for that opportunity to go out there and play any opponent on any stage so we're excited for this game. We know it's a division game so it's gonna be a hard-fought game but those are the kind of games that we really get up for. Those slobber-knockers where you got to show up for all four quarters, we like that. We know we are going to get the Patriots best. We know coach Belichick will have those guys ready, so we got to answer the call at their home stadium."
