Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Going into Week 15, the New England Patriots, who finished 4-13 last season, are 11-2 and hold down the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Patriots have won 10-straight games, the longest winning streak since 2015 when "he who shall not be named" was their quarterback.
New England can end the Bills' five-year reign as kings of the AFC East with a win on their turf on Sunday.
There are a number of factors that have contributed to the Patriots' amazing turnaround.
Drake Maye has taken a big leap in his second season under center, and is in the running for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award.
The Patriots are making better personnel decisions as well. They're getting as much out of their 2025 draft class as any team in the league, and their free agent signings - including former Bills wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins - have also helped.
New England also had a major upgrade at head coach when Mike Vrabel replaced Jerod Mayo.
A favorable schedule is part of their success this season as well. Only four of their 13 opponents currently have a winning record. To New England's credit, they did go 3-1 against those teams, including their best win of the season, a 23-20 victory, over the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Week 5.
Only two of the Patriots' 11 victories are over a team that is currently in a playoff spot (Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers). New England's .350 strength of victory is fifth-worst in the AFC, and second-worst among teams in the top-seven (Denver Broncos).
For comparison, the Bills' strength of victory is .419.
Maye's play is the biggest reason why the Patriots are back and have put themselves in the discussion as an AFC top-tier team going forward. The 23-year-old leads the league in completion percentage (71.5%) and passing yards (3,412). He is second in passer rating and fourth in touchdown passes (23), while only being picked off six times.
In addition to his accuracy, Maye has shown the ability to move around the pocket and extend plays. He also throws a terrific deep ball, and is not shy about airing it out when it comes to their passing game.
Maye will also run when it's necessary. He is third on the team with 319 yards on the ground, and averages around six runs a game.
However, Maye has been sacked 40 times.
New England uses both TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson in the run game, but Henderson has taken over the lead back role in recent weeks. He averages 4.8 yards per-carry, while Stevenson is at 3.2. The pair has combined for 949 yards and eight touchdowns.
Diggs leads the team in catches (64) and receiving yards (705), but his numbers have dropped over the last month-and-a-half. The former Bills wideout has had less than 50 yards in five of their last six games.
His best game of the season remains his 10-catch, 146-yard performance in the Week 5 win over the Bills.
Tight end Hunter Henry is second on the team in catches (45), yards (610) and touchdowns (5). He leads the team in yards after catch with 269.
The deep threat is Kayshon Boutte, who averages 16.6 yards per-reception to go along with a team-leading six scores.
Hollins has also chipped in with 440 yards and a pair of scores.
Defensively, New England will be without, perhaps, their best player this week in defensive tackle Milton Williams, who is on Injured Reserve. That would help to explain why their run defense has been worse of late.
Over the first nine games of the season, opponents averaged just 75 yards rushing and topped 100 as a team on just two occasions.
Over the last four games, each opponent has rushed for more than 100 yards, and the per-game average increased to 121 yards.
It could be a big day for James Cook, who was shut down by New England in the first meeting, where he had just 49 yards on 15 carries.
Linebacker Robert Spillane leads them in tackles and has 29 more than the second-best tackler on the squad.
Free agent pickup Harold Landry III leads the Patriots in sacks with 7.5, while fellow linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson has 6.5 sacks.
New England has a couple of really good cornerbacks in Christian Gonzales and nickel back Marcus Jones. Jones tops the squad with 11 passes defended and three interceptions. Gonzales is next with eight passes defended.
Rookie safety Craig Woodson is one of the many draft picks contributing immediately. Woodson is third on the team in tackles.
As for special teams, Jones is one of the best punt returners in the NFL. He has two returns for a touchdown, which explains his very healthy average of 18.8 yards.
Place kicker Andy Borregales, another member of the Patriots' 2025 draft class, is 36-of-38 on extra point attempts and 23-of-26 on field goal attempts. Borregales is perfect under 40 yards (15-for-15) and has connected on all three of his attempts from 50-plus yards. However, he is 5-of-8 from 40-49 yards.
Red zone performance is an area where the Patriots have struggled all season. They are dead-last in the league on defense, giving up a touchdown 73% of the time opponents get inside their 20-yard line.
The offense has scored a touchdown on 54% of their trips inside the 20-yard line, which is just 25th in the league.
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