The 2024 season offered more of the same for Patriots fans as the team finished with a 4-13 record for the second straight year. This season should be more exciting, especially with these three matchups.
Week 5 at Buffalo Bills
This contest will be one of three prime-time games for the Patriots after playing in just one last season. New England ended the 2024 season with a 23-16 home win against Buffalo, snapping a six-game losing streak when another loss would have guaranteed them the top pick in this year’s draft.
After spending a league-high $365M on 16 free agents including former Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams (four years, $104M) and Texans receiver Stefon Diggs (three years, $63M), the Patriots hope to improve their 3-7 record against the Bills since quarterback Tom Brady left New England in 2020.
Diggs had 1,535 yards and eight scores for the Bills that year, his first in Buffalo after five years with the Minnesota Vikings. He’d spend four Pro Bowl seasons with the Bills before being traded to Houston, where he suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of the 2024 season.
The 31-year-old receiver also had a tumultuous relationship with the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen in particular. He had six catches for 82 yards against his old team last season and will look to do even better on “Sunday Night Football.”
Week 7 at Tennessee Titans
Former Patriots linebacker and new head coach Mike Vrabel started his head coaching career with the Tennessee Titans in 2018, leading the team to four winning seasons while being named AP Coach of the Year in 2021. He was replaced with former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan in 2024 after a pair of losing seasons in 2022 and 2023.
