2006 · Week 1 · Division

Final

Bills

Buffalo

QB J.P. Losman

17·19

Patriots

New England

QB Tom Brady

Gillette Stadium · outdoors · grass · 63°F · wind 10mph

Closing spread

NE -10

Total

41

Model margin

+5.9est.

NE perspective

Push chance

3.3%est.

the line sits on a key number

Win probability

  • Patriots
  • Bills

How each play moved the game.

Patriots winsBills wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Billsedge mapPatriots
  • -0.089EPA / play+0.063
  • 41.6%Success rate44.2%
  • -0.033EPA / dropback+0.118
  • -0.157EPA / rush-0.007
  • 7.4%Explosive rate9.2%
  • +3.28CPOE+0.89
  • 30.9%Third-down rate43.7%
  • 58.9%Red-zone TD rate58.5%
  • 1.31Points / drive1.82
  • 2.9%Turnover rate2.4%

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

NE lead 39–16 since 1999

Meetings average 42.9 points. NE are 31-21-3 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W15BUF @ NE3531BUF
2025 · W5NE @ BUF2320NE
2024 · W18BUF @ NE1623NE
2024 · W16NE @ BUF2124BUF
2023 · W17NE @ BUF2127BUF
2023 · W7BUF @ NE2529NE
2022 · W18NE @ BUF2335BUF
2022 · W13BUF @ NE2410BUF

Box score

Individual performances

Bills

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
J.P. Losman15/2316400

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Willis McGahee20703.50
Anthony Thomas3299.71
J.P. Losman100.00

Patriots

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Tom Brady11/2316321

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Laurence Maroney17865.10
Corey Dillon16734.60
Kevin Faulk3217.00
Tom Brady530.60

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +106.2%7.4%3.2%5.0%3.3%3.1%

Positive margins favour Patriots; negative favour Bills.

Half-point at risk

3.32%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

64.5%

Expected total

43.6est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+3.29
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+5.86