Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots all-time series history

The Buffalo Bills (9-4) are in Foxborough, MA for an all-important showdown with the New England Patriots (11-2) this afternoon. It’s a game the Bills need to have if they want to keep their hopes of claiming a sixth straight AFC East championship alive.

Before this Week 15 clash, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 90 players who saw action for both the Bills and Patriots.

Bills vs. Patriots series history

Sunday’s game will mark the 133rd meeting all time, with New England holding an 80-51-1 lead in the series. After the Bills won the first two games, the Patriots prevailed in 14 of the next 21 matchups, but Buffalo won the next nine games from November 28, 1971 through December 14, 1975. The rest of the decade saw New England win six of eight in the series. After Buffalo won three of the four games during the 1980 and 1981 seasons, the Patriots rattled off 11 straight wins during the 1983-1987 seasons.

Buffalo’s fortunes in the rivalry turned starting in the 1988 season, with the Bills sweeping the season series to jumpstart a run with 11 wins in the next 13 games during Buffalo’s run to four straight Super Bowl appearances. When Tom Brady joined New England, it was a dark period for the Bills in the rivalry, as New England won 34 of 38 games from November 11, 2001, through December 21, 2019.

But with the arrival of quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills’ fates were reversed, as Buffalo has won eight of the last 12 games from November 1, 2020, through the 2025 NFL season, including a 47-17 drubbing of New England during Super Wild Card Weekend of the 2021 season. In that playoff win, Allen and the Bills’ offense were perfect, with Allen setting a franchise playoff record with five passing TDs as Buffalo scored touchdowns on all seven non-kneeldown drives, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to score on each of its seven possessions that didn’t end with a kneeldown.

In the last matchup, a Week 5 clash at Highmark Stadium on Sunday Night Football, the Patriots capitalized on three Buffalo turnovers to win 23-20 and snap Buffalo’s four-game winning streak to start the season. Former Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs had 10 catches for 146 yards, running back Rhamondre Stevenson had a pair pf rushing touchdowns, quarterback Drake Maye completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards with zero turnovers, and the Patriots won thanks to a 52-yard field goal from Andy Borregales with 15 seconds remaining.

Allen, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns, threw a costly red zone interception, while tight end Dawson Knox and wide receiver Keon Coleman fumbled the ball away as the Bills saw their 14-game home winning streak come to an end.

Fun fact: As mentioned above, the Tom Brady years were lean ones for the Bills in this rivalry, but one of the few bright spots came during Week 3 of the 2011 NFL season. Buffalo had lost 15 straight to Brady and the Patriots coming into this one, and few expected quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills to pull off a win once the Patriots raced out to a 21-0 second-quarter lead thanks to three Brady touchdown passes.

But for the second straight week that year, Fitzpatrick delivered some Fitzmagic, passing for 369 yards with a pair of touchdowns as the Bills stormed back to beat the Patriots, 34-31 on Rian Lindell’s 28-yard field goal as time expired.

Trailing by three touchdowns, Fitzpatrick connected with wide receiver Stevie Johnson for an 11-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, and after an acrobatic interception from linebacker/safety Bryan Scott, Lindell made a 42-yard field goal that pulled the Bills within 21-10 heading into halftime.

Fitzpatrick directed a scoring drive that culminated in a three-yard toss to tight end Scott Chandler to trim the lead to 21-17 late in the third quarter. Trailing 24-17, Brady and the Patriots seemed poised to score a back-breaking touchdown, but safety George Wilson came away with an interception at Buffalo’s five-yard line. Two plays (and two costly penalties) later, the game was tied when running back Fred Jackson scored from one yard out early in the fourth.

Bills fans were still celebrating Freddie’s touchdown when, on the first pass after the kickoff, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus got his big paws on a Brady pass and deflected it to cornerback Drayton Florence, who took the interception 27 yards for a pick-six and the go-ahead touchdown. Brady responded, leading a game-tying touchdown drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Wes Welker on 4th & Goal, but unlike so many previous meetings, the Bills would not be denied this time.

Fitzy found wide receiver Donald Jones for a huge 29-yard gain, then Jackson caught a pass in the flat and ran 38 yards down to the New England one-yard-line with 1:43 remaining. Originally, the referees ruled that Jackson had scored a touchdown, but after further review, the play was correctly ruled down at the 1, and Fitzpatrick took three straight kneel downs, leading to Lindell’s game-winning kick.

It was Fandemonium at Ralph Wilson Stadium. According to Stats LLC, going back to 1950, the Bills became the first team to successfully rally from at least an 18-point deficit and win in back-to-back weeks.

Franchise Comparison

Who has played for both the Bills and Patriots?

There are a total of 90 players who appeared in a game for both the Bills and Patriots, including quarterback Drew Bledsoe (1993-2001 with the Patriots, 2002-04 with the Bills), safety Lawyer Milloy (1996-2002 with the Patriots, 2003-05 with the Bills), defensive tackle Fred Smerlas (1979-89 with the Bills, 1991-92 with the Patriots), and running back Antowain Smith (1997-2000 with the Bills, 2001-03 with the Patriots).

Among the other notable players with ties to both the Bills and Patriots:

• Quarterback Drew Bledsoe (1993-2001 with the Patriots, 2002-04 with the Bills)
• Defensive tackle Alan Branch (2013 with the Bills, 2014-17 with the Patriots)
• Tight end Scott Chandler (2010-14 with the Bills, 2015 with the Patriots)
• Linebacker Jim Cheyunski (1968-72 with the Patriots, 1973-74 with the Bills)
• Wide receiver Stefon Diggs (2020-23 with the Bills, 2025 with the Patriots)
• Quarterback Doug Flutie (1987-1989; 2005 with the Patriots, 1998-2000 with the Bills)
• Fullback Sam Gash (1992-97 with the Patriots, 1998-2003 with the Bills)
• Cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2012-16 with the Bills, 2017-20 with the Patriots)
• Wide receiver Chris Hogan (2013-15 with the Bills, 2016-18 with the Patriots)
• Wide receiver Mack Hollins (2024 with the Bills, 2025 with the Patriots)
• Linebacker/defensive end Harry Jacobs (1960-62 with the Patriots, 1963-69 with the Bills)
• Safety Lawyer Milloy (1996-2002 with the Patriots, 2003-05 with the Bills)
• Linebacker Marty Schottenheimer (1965-68 with the Bills, 1969-70 with the Patriots)
• Defensive end Fred Smerlas (1979-89 with the Bills, 1991-92 with the Patriots)
• Running back Antowain Smith (1997-2000 with the Bills, 2001-03 with the Patriots)
• Defensive tackle Ted Washington (1995-2000 with the Bills, 2003 with the Patriots)

Fun fact: There have been four players to throw a pass in both a Bills and Patriots uniform:

Drew Bledsoe
Doug Flutie
Tom Sherman
Mike Taliaferro