2006 · Week 7 · Division

Final

Patriots

New England

QB Tom Brady

28·6

Bills

Buffalo

QB J.P. Losman

Ralph Wilson Stadium · outdoors · astroplay · 50°F · wind 14mph

Closing spread

NE -5.5

Total

35.5

Model margin

-1.3est.

BUF perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Bills
  • Patriots

How each play moved the game.

Bills winsPatriots wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

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

Patriotsedge mapBills
  • +0.063EPA / play-0.089
  • 44.2%Success rate41.6%
  • +0.118EPA / dropback-0.033
  • -0.007EPA / rush-0.157
  • 9.2%Explosive rate7.4%
  • +0.89CPOE+3.28
  • 43.7%Third-down rate30.9%
  • 58.5%Red-zone TD rate58.9%
  • 1.82Points / drive1.31
  • 2.4%Turnover rate2.9%

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. BUF are 21-31-3 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

Patriots

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Tom Brady18/2719520

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Corey Dillon14473.42
Laurence Maroney8293.60
Chad Jackson11414.00
Reche Caldwell155.00
Tom Brady221.00
Kevin Faulk1-3-3.00

Bills

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
J.P. Losman16/2519301

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Willis McGahee20593.00
J.P. Losman3134.30
Anthony Thomas122.00
Josh Reed111.00

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 -5.52.9%4.6%3.0%7.5%7.2%2.8%4.2%

Positive margins favour Bills; negative favour Patriots.

Half-point at risk

1.90%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

45.6%

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 differential-0.56
  • Expected margin-1.29