3 keys to a Buffalo Bills victory vs. the New England Patriots in Week 5

The Buffalo Bills are looking to stay in the win column against the New England Patriots in Week 5.

The Bills (4-0) host the Patriots (2-2) at Highmark Stadium in prime-time on Sunday night.

They enter as 7.5-point favorites in a game that could propel the Bills into taking a commanding 3.5-game lead in the AFC East just five games into the season.

Here are Bills Wire's three keys to victory against the Patriots:

A clean game on special teams

Patriots CB Marcus Jones is currently leading the NFL in punt return average among players with at least five punt returns with an impressive 28.9 yards. In last week's blowout win over the Carolina Panthers (42-13), Jones had a punt return touchdown which gave his team early momentum and also had a 61-yard return which set the Pats up for a 14-yard TD drive.

In a game where the Bills are favored by just over a TD (7.5) a special teams touchdown could change the dynamic of the game.

The Bills have also allowed free runners in each of the last two games to take a hit on punter Cameron Johnston. Luckily for the team, they resulted in roughing-the-kicker penalties and first downs, but not great for Johnston who was banged up. They'll not only have to clean up their protection but they'll have to be ready to cover Jones in the return game as well.

Take what the defense gives you

The Patriots have performed pretty well in shutting down the run so far this season. They are fourth in the NFL in EPA/rush, first in the NFL in stuff rate (28%), and eighth in run DVOA. In other words, they've made life challenging for opposing runnings backs.

So far this year, they haven't allowed a runner to have 50 yards. They allowed 38 yards on two yards per attempt to Ashton Jeanty, 30 yards and 2.7 per attempt to De'Von Achane, and 47 yards and 2.5 per attempt to Jaylen Warren.

Chuba Hubbard rushed for 4.6 yards per attempt on the Pats last week, but aside from that it's been about as good as it gets. The Bills have run James Cook a lot this year, as he's already at 75 attempts. If the Pats commit to shutting down Cook, the Bills taking what the defense gives them through the air will be a good way to control the game.

Disciplined in the secondary

The Bills currently allow the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL (125.8), which is impressive considering they've spent a lot of the time with the lead.

They'll be tested on Sunday night against a passing attack for the Patriots which ranks seventh in the NFL with 235 pass yards per game. Specifically, money downs will be important.

The Bills rank 25th in defense third down percentage (42%), while Drake Maye has made a living on third and fourth downs this year. On the money downs, Maye has an adjusted completion percentage of 88.2% (first in NFL), he averages 9.9 yards per attempt (first in NFL), and holds a 133.3 passer rating (first in NFL), according to Pro Football Focus.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 3 keys to a Buffalo Bills victory vs. New England Patriots in Week 5