Bills–Patriots rivalry

{|class="toccolours" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 23em;" !colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: LightSteelBlue;"|Buffalo Bills–New England Patriots {|style="background: none; width: 20em; margin: 0 auto;" !style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2"|Regular Season History !style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2"|Post Season History !style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2"|Playoff and Championship Success
 * -style="text-align:center;"
 * First Meeting||September 23, 1960
 * First Result||BUF 13, BOS 0
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Last Meeting||November 11, 2012
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Last Result||NE 37, BUF 31
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Next Meeting|| 2013, dates TBD
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Rivalry status||106 meetings
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Largest victory||NE 56, BUF 10 (2007)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Smallest victory||BUF 29, NE 28 (1974)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Current Streak||Patriots W3(2012–present)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Series||Patriots lead 63–41–1
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Rivalry status||106 meetings
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Largest victory||NE 56, BUF 10 (2007)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Smallest victory||BUF 29, NE 28 (1974)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Current Streak||Patriots W3(2012–present)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Series||Patriots lead 63–41–1
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Smallest victory||BUF 29, NE 28 (1974)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|Current Streak||Patriots W3(2012–present)
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Series||Patriots lead 63–41–1
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Series||Patriots lead 63–41–1
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Series||Patriots lead 63–41–1
 * Last Meeting||December 28, 1963
 * Last Result||BOS 26, BUF 8
 * Next Meeting||TBA
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Postseason Series||Patriots lead 1–0
 * Next Meeting||TBA
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Postseason Series||Patriots lead 1–0
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Postseason Series||Patriots lead 1–0
 * style="vertical-align: top;"|All-Time Postseason Series||Patriots lead 1–0

The Bills–Patriots rivalry is a rivalry between two franchises in the National Football League's The teams play in the AFC East, and play two scheduled games each season as a result. The series debuted in 1960 as part of the American Football League. With the 2012 season the Patriots lead the series 62–41–1; the two clubs have combined for thirteen AFL/AFC championships.

Six Bills players, coach Marv Levy, and team founder Ralph Wilson are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while five Patriots players and coach Bill Parcells are presently enshrined in Canton.

Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly compiled a 12–8 career record against the Patriots with 29 touchdowns and 28 interceptions; O.J. Simpson compiled a 10–4 record against the Patriots with 14 rushing touchdowns and three touchdown catches. Tom Brady presently holds a record of 20–2 against the Bills with 52 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

1960–69
The Bills and Patriots played for the first time in a preseason game during the first season of the American Football League on July 30, 1960. The game was played at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, and the Patriots won the game 28–7. The teams met for their first regular season game during Week 3 of the inaugural season of the American Football League in 1960. The game was played at Nickerson Field at Boston University on Friday, September 23, 1960. The Bills scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters and shut the Patriots out 13–0.

The two teams met for their first and only playoff match in the AFL divisional game in December 1963. The Patriots won 26–8. In this game, Jack Kemp played quarterback for the Bills and Gino Cappelletti made four field goals and two extra points to help lift the Patriots to victory.

Throughout the remainder of the decade, the teams would complete a 12–9 record in favor of the Patriots. The Bills won the AFL championship game in 1964 and 1965, and won the division in 1966. The Patriots lost to the San Diego Chargers in their only championship appearance in 1963.

1970–79
In the 1970s, the two teams played each other in the NFL, after the AFL–NFL merger. During this time period, the Bills defeated the Patriots 12 games to 8. The Bills sustained a winning streak of 11 games from November 1971 to October 1977. Much of this was due to the performance of O.J. Simpson and the "electric company" offensive personnel for the Bills. The two teams played a pair of highly competitive games in the 1974 season. The Bills withstood a late Patriots rally at Rich Stadium to win 30–28 on October 20. Two weeks later on November 3 the Bills edged out the Patriots 29–28 when a last-second field goal attempt by the Patriots was blocked.

O.J. Simpson had one of the most dramatic games of his career on November 23, 1975 against the Patriots. Simpson ran in two touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes from Joe Ferguson as the Bills won 45–31. Patriots rookie Steve Grogan threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted three times.

1980–89
The 1980s was a dominant decade for the Patriots, with New England winning the decade series 13–6. The Patriots also completed their own 11 game winning streak over the Bills from January 1983 to September 1988. The Bills began to rebuild their team in the late 1980s with the additions of Jim Kelly at quarterback, Thurman Thomas as running back, Andre Reed as a receiver, Bruce Smith on defense, and Marv Levy as coach. The Bills bested the Patriots to win the AFC East division four years in a row from 1988–92. During the final stretch of the 1980s, the Bills took three out of four meetings with the Patriots.

1990–99
In the 1990 season, the Bills reached the Super Bowl for the first time, playing against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Although obviously not a game in the rivalry, the 1990 Giants were coached by Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, who would both go on to later coach the Patriots. The Giants won 20–19. The Bills continued to dominate the Patriots in the first part of the decade, winning eight of the first nine games, including five straight games against the Patriots. New England, however, made the rivalry more competitive with the addition of Drew Bledsoe as quarterback and the hiring of Bill Parcells as head coach. The Bills also saw many of their Super Bowl players leave during this time period. By the end of the 1990s, the Bills led the decade with 12 wins to the Patriots' 8 wins. Throughout the decade, the two teams combined to win the AFC East six times, with the Patriots reaching the Super Bowl in 1996 and the Bills reaching the Super Bowl in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993.

The decade saw several memorable games between the two. On September 11, 1994 the Patriots, under new team owner Robert Kraft, hosted the Bills; Buffalo led 28–14 at the half and 35–21 at the start of the fourth quarter after Mike Lodish grabbed a Patriots fumble at the New England goalline. The Patriots scored two touchdowns to tie the game but Buffalo won 38–35 after Steve Christie booted a 32-yard field goal at the end of the fourth.

Late that season the Bills hosted the Patriots; Buffalo was 7–7 while the Patriots were 8–6. Buffalo's run of playoff appearances ended when the Patriots erased a 17–3 gap, scoring 38 unanswered points. Frank Reich, replacing Jim Kelly, was intercepted twice and the Bills fumbled three times; Ricky Reynolds ran back a Buffalo fumble for a touchdown. The 41–17 Patriots win eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs.

In 1995 the Patriots authored their first season sweep of Buffalo since 1987. The Patriots won on Monday Night Football on October 23, winning 27–14. Then on November 26 the Bills at Rich Stadium clawed to a 25–13 lead after three quarters, but in the fourth Bledsoe threw two touchdowns to Ben Coates, then Chris Slade scored on a Kelly interception and a 35–25 Patriots win.

1996 was Jim Kelly's last season; his Bills won 17–10 on September 8 at Rich Stadium on a 63-yard touchdown throw to Quinn Early and then on a last-second goalline stand. On October 27 at Foxboro Stadium the Bills clawed to a 18–15 lead at the two-minute warning; Curtis Martin ran in a ten-yard score, then Willie McGinest intercepted Kelly and ran in a 46-yard touchdown, but Kelly then completed a 48-yard touchdown off two Patriots defenders to Andre Reed; the onside kick failed and the Patriots won 28–25.

The 1998 season saw the return of Doug Flutie, who'd been Patriots quarterback in 1988–89; he replaced Rob Johnson as Bills quarterback after Buffalo started 1–3. Flutie led the Bills to win four of his first five starts, including a 13–10 victory over the Patriots at Rich Stadium on November 15, but on November 29 in Flutie's return to Foxboro Stadium the Patriots, despite a broken index finger for Drew Bledsoe, rallied to a controversial last-second touchdown to Ben Coates and a 25–21 Patriots win.

The Bills behind Flutie finished the decade defeating the Patriots twice in 1999.

2000–09
The 2000s was the most lopsided decade for the rivalry to date. On November 5, 2000 Flutie and the Bills defeated the Patriots and new head coach Bill Belichick at Foxboro Stadium 16–13 in ovetime. But after this the Patriots won eighteen of the next nineteen against the Bills.

This decade also saw several notable personnel changes. Following New England's 2001 championship year, Drew Bledsoe was traded by New England to Buffalo in 2002. Lawyer Milloy was then cut after the 2003 preseason and was immediately signed by Buffalo. Doug Flutie, released by the Bills after 2000, joined the Patriots by way of the San Diego Chargers in 2005.

The Patriots assembled a five game winning streak over the Buffalo Bills in the beginning of the decade, which was snapped when Buffalo defeated the Patriots 31–0 during the first game of the 2003 season. However, the Patriots then defeated the Bills by the same score in their next match up. That win began a 15 game winning streak for the Patriots against the Bills stretching through 2010.

The game on December 28, 2008 was noteworthy; the regular season finale, the 10–5 Patriots needed a win and help from other teams to win the AFC East, while the 7–8 Bills were wrapping up the ninth straight season without a playoff berth. Played with severe wind gusts that required stadium officials to use ropes to keep the goalposts from swaying, the game was a 13–0 Patriots win as Matt Cassel, subbing for injured Tom Brady, threw only eight passes.

2010 – present
On September 25, 2011, the Bills came back from a 21–0 deficit to defeat the Patriots 34–31 and snap the 15 game losing streak. Despite this win, the Patriots won the final meeting of the season, erasing a 21–0 Bills lead to win 49–21; coming a week after erasing a 17–0 lead to Miami, it was the largest comeback win since erasing a 21-point gap against the Bears.

The game on September 26, 2010 was noteworthy on several levels. It was the highest-scoring game in the series (38–30 Patriots win) since 1994. It was first start of the season for Buffalo's former backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Randy Moss caught two touchdowns; they turned out to be his last with the Patriots.

The two clubs clashed in a pair of memorable games in 2012. On September 30 the Patriots erased a 21–7 Bills lead in the third quarter by outscoring them 45–7, winning 52–28. On November 11 the Bills stayed toe to toe with the Patriots; down 37–31 the Bills were driving until Devin McCourty intercepted a Fitzpatrick pass in the endzone.

Entering 2013 the Patriots lead the decade series 5–1.

Connections Between the Teams
There have been several players who have played for the Bills and Patriots, including:
 * Doug Flutie – Buffalo Bills (1998–2000) and New England Patriots (1987–89; 2005)
 * Drew Bledsoe – New England Patriots (1993–2001) and Buffalo Bills (2002–04)
 * Lawyer Milloy – New England Patriots (1996–2002) and Buffalo Bills (2003–05)
 * Antowain Smith – Buffalo Bills (1997–2000) and New England Patriots (2001–03)
 * Fred Smerlas – Buffalo Bills (1979–89) and New England Patriots (1991–92)
 * Sam Gash – New England Patriots (1992–97) and Buffalo Bills (1998–99; 2003)
 * Larry Centers – Buffalo Bills (2001–02) and New England Patriots (2003)
 * Charles Johnson – New England Patriots (2001) and Buffalo Bills (2002)
 * Sammy Morris – Buffalo Bills (2000–03) and New England Patriots (2007–10)

In addition to players, the two teams have shared head coaches. Lou Saban was the first coach in Patriots history but was fired after five games of the 1961 season. He took over the Bills in 1962 and won two American Football League titles (1964–65). After a five-season period in Denver he returned to the Bills for the 1972–76 period, helping make O.J. Simpson an NFL star.

Hank Bullough coached both teams – he was co-head coach (with Ron Erhardt) for the Patriots at the end of 1978 and coached the Bills for the final twelve games of 1985 and the first nine games of 1986.