Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

For Buffalo to have any chance at upsetting the Patriots, or keeping this game close for that matter, they will need to keep Brady and the New England offense off the field as much as possible.

A fan holds a sign before the New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills in Foxboro. Bills head coach Rex Ryan will look to have his defense in place Monday night, as they face their toughest challenge in the Patriots offense. He remained in the game, but fumbled two downs later.

Offensive lineman Tre Jackson is inactive for his third straight game with a left knee injury, the good news is that there is no tear in the ligaments.

One notable rushing performance in series: In a 31-13 win over the Patriots during the 1973 season, Pro Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns. It took a personal foul on a kickoff for the Patriots to win as time expired, and the win came at a great cost. James White capped off the drive with a 20-yard catch and run in which he had a lovely stiff arm on a Bills’ defender.

Before the game, there will be a moment of silence for Sharon, Mass. native and life-long Patriots fan Ezra Schwartz, killed in a terrorist attack at the Gush Eztion junction in the West Bank on November 19.

Don’t let anyone tell you Tom Brady doesn’t care about this game. In that game, Taylor had 158 yards passing, one touchdown, no interceptions. A couple plays later, and the Patriots were suddenly in Buffalo territory. Simpson would go on to rush for 2,003 yards that season, becoming the first National Football League player to do so and just one of seven ever. For New England, they lost Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola to injuries, and were already without Julian Edelman due to injury.

The Bills (5-4) have a record of 3-26 against the Patriots since the 2001 season.