ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Last season Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills broke out the brooms on the Patriots. But those were McDermott's first two victories as a head coach over Bill Belichick. And New England's track record has been much stronger than that over the last two decades.
Before Monday night's prime-time matchup at Highmark Stadium, 7 Eyewitness News is bringing you the history of Bill Belichick vs. the Buffalo Bills by the numbers.
35-7:
Since taking over in Foxboro back in 2000, Bill Belichick has a 35-7 record against Buffalo. That includes a 15-game win streak from December 2003 to December 2010. There has also been a seven-game run (2016-19), a six-game run (2012-14), and a five-game run (2000-02).
10 or fewer:
With Belichick on New England's sideline, Buffalo has been held to 10 points or fewer in 16 out of the 42 games played since the turn of the century. The Patriots have won every single one of those games. Three such games of 10 or fewer points have been under Sean McDermott's guidance.
8 + 2 - 1:
The Bills have had ten different head coaches since Belichick took over in Foxboro. Two of them (Perry Fewell and Anthony Lynn) were interim head coaches. Belichick and the Patriots have beaten every Buffalo head coach other than Lynn, who was Rex Ryan's immediate interim successor, and coached only one game against the Jets.
6-2:
Until last season, McDermott had never beaten the Patriots. New England swept the Bills in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Buffalo flipped that script in 2020 on the way to its best campaign in over 25 years. Prior to 2020, the Bills never won twice in the same season with Bill Belichick on the opposing sideline.
38-9:
Few games in recent memory have been sweeter for Bills Mafia than the last time Buffalo and New England met. It was another Monday Night Football game. The Bills won 38-9 on the back of three touchdowns from Stefon Diggs on December 28, 2020. The 38 points scored were the most a Belichick-led Patriots have ever allowed Buffalo.
6:
New England hasn't lost a game since mid-October. Meanwhile, the Bills have struggled to string two wins together during that span. The Patriots' six-game win streak has seen them average over 35 points per game while their defense allows just over 10 per contest. By comparison, the Bills' winning streak from Weeks 2-5 averaged 39 points per game and 10.3 points against per game.
7:
You can watch all of Monday night's action on 7ABC starting with 7 Eyewitness News at 7. The regular newscast will be followed by a special edition of Leading the Charge out of Orchard Park until the game's coverage begins at 8:00. After the game, you can hear from McDermott and company on a special edition of 7 Eyewitness News at 11.
