FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - As we always say, it’s not who you are playing but when you are playing them that matters most in the NFL.

With that in mind, what appears to be the softest part of the Buffalo Bills schedule continues Sunday when they face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Of course, the so-called “soft” part of the schedule - which also includes Thursday night’s home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - didn’t exactly get off to an easy start with last week’s narrow escape 14-9 victory over a New York Giants team that most experts felt Buffalo would blow completely out of Highmark Stadium. Instead, the Bills were incredibly fortunate to avoid what would have been an egregious loss.

So here we go again, the 1-5 Patriots being another team the Bills would appear to have a huge advantage against, even though the game is on the road.

This story will be updated throughout the day.

Final score: New England Patriots 29, Buffalo Bills 25

Buffalo's defense held in the final seconds last week against the New York Giants. It wasn't able to this week.

Josh Allen finished 27-for-41 for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Dalton Kincaid led the Bills with eight catches and 75 yards receiving. Mac Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots (2-5).

The Bills (4-3) have a quick turnaround against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday.

Mac Jones touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki gives New England lead: Patriots 29, Bills 25

Rhamondre Stevenson took a short pass and sprinted 34 yards to the Bills' 41 to get New England near field goal range in one play. Stevenson rushed for 5 yards on the next play but he lost 3 yards on a short reception on second down. New England recorded another first down on a pass from Mac Jones to Hunter Henry over the middle for 14 yards. Jones connected with DeVante Parker for 8 yards and then to Rhamondre Stevenson for 10 yards to the Bills' 7-yard line. New England called its final timeout with 23 seconds left. On first-and-goal, Jones found Demario Douglas for 6 yards but cornerback Christian Benford was flagged for defensive pass interference to give the Patriots another first down. On second down, Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown to Mike Gesicki.

Bills score two straight touchdowns in frantic rally: Bills 25, Patriots 22

Josh Allen began with a 13-yard pass to Khalil Shakir and Allen ran up the middle for 7 yards. On second-and-3, James Cook rushed up the middle for 1 yard. Allen threw the ball away on third down and the Bills appeared to not get a snap off in time but were granted a timeout. On fourth-and-2, Allen completed to Dawson Knox for 4 yards to set up first-and-goal from the Patriots' 4-yard line. Allen hit Latavious Murray for 3 yards to the 1-yard line and Allen was stopped for no gain on second-and-goal. Allen punched it in for a touchdown on third down. Allen connected with Dawson Knox for the two-point conversion. Buffalo has scored 15 points in the last 3:39 and takes its first lead of the game with 1:58 remaining.

Buffalo defense forces massive turnover - 4:56 4th quarter

A big New England play was wiped away due to a penalty. On the first play of the drive, Mac Jones escaped pressure and completed to Pharaoh Brown for 22 yards but the Patriots were called for ineligible downfield pass. Two plays later, the Bills defense forced a huge turnover. Kendrick Bourne made a 9-yard catch but safety Jordan Poyer punched the ball free and it was recovered by linebacker Terrel Bernard at the Patriots' 29.

Bills strike quick with Josh Allen TD pass to Stefon Diggs: Patriots 22, Bills 17

The Bills likely need two touchdowns in the final 7:36. Josh Allen started with a 12-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid and then completed to Stefon Diggs for 7 yards. A roughing the passer penalty against defensive tackle Christian Barmore moved the ball into Patriots territory. Allen connected on consecutive throws to Trent Sherfield (5 yards) and Khalil Shakir (11 yards) before throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. Diggs made a sliding catch, was never touched and spun to his feet to evade J.C. Jackson and Myles Bryant on his way into the end zone. The five-play, 75-yard drive took just 2:04.

Mac Jones throws TD to Kendrick Bourne: Patriots 22, Bills 10

Mac Jones completed to Pharaoh Brown for 26 yards to get into Bills' territory on the first play of the drive. Three plays later, jones was sacked by Leonard Floyd and lost the ball but Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson was flagged for illegal contact to give the Patriots a new set of downs. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 10 yards to create a third-and-1 from the Bills' 19. Elliott lunged forward for a first down on the following carry. New England was called for delay of game but Jones threw a strike over the middle to Demario Douglas for 19 yards to the Bills' 4 for a first-and-goal. On second down, Jones threw a 4-yard touchdown to Kendrick Bourne. Jones' quarterback sneak on the two-point conversion attempt failed. It was a nine-play, 66-yard drive that chewed 6:07 off the clock.

Bills turn ball over on downs - 13:43 4th quarter

Josh Allen and Latavious Murray bailed Buffalo out of a potential three-and-out. Allen overthrew Stefon Diggs, who beat two defenders, to start the possession. Offensive tackle Dion Dawkins was flagged for a flase start and Allen threw incomplete for Diggs on second down. On third-and-15, Allen escaped pressure and flipped a completion to Latavious Murray for a 17-yard catch-and-run to keep the drive alive. Allen's 5-yard pass to Khalil Shakir and James Cook ran up the middle for 5 yards for another first down. On the ensuing third down, Allen found Dalton Kincaid over the middle for 7 yards. Allen took a quarterback sneak 2 yards on fourth-and-1 to end the third quarter. The Bills were faced with another fourth-and-short, this time fourth-and-2, from the Patriots' 33. Buffalo went for it and Dawson Knox couldn't secure a pass to turn the ball over on downs.

Chad Ryland makes 49-yard field goal: Patriots 16, Bills 10

New England earned its first first down of the half on an 11-yard pass from Mac Jones to Jalen Reagor. Jones followed with completion to Hunter Henry for 13 yards. Rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas took a handoff 20 yards to the Bills' 26 but the drive stalled when Stevenson lost 2 yards on a catch and Jones was sacked by safety Jordan Poyer for a 4-yard loss. Chad Ryland made a 49-yard field goal.

Josh Allen throws TD pass to James Cook: Patriots 13, Bills 10

Buffalo went an a 10-play, 81-yard drive to open the second half. Josh Allen completed to Diggs, who lost 2 yards but came back to his favorite receiver for a 17-yard completion. Allen completed to Deonte Harty for 10 yards, New England was called for roughing the passer and James Cook sprinted up the middle for 20 yards to get to the Patriots' 20. Dawson Knox's 10-yard reception gave the Bills first-and-goal from the 10. Buffalo capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Cook.

Halftime score: New England Patriots 13, Buffalo Bills 3

That was a disaster for the Bills. Josh Allen has completed 9 of 16 passes for 99 yards an an interception and Buffalo has 30 yards rushing. Dalton Kincaid has four catches for 44 yards but Stefon Diggs only has one catch for 6 yards. Mac Jones has completed 11 of 14 passes for 123 yards.

New England tries to score before halftime

New England has less than two minutes to add to its lead. Mac Jones made short completions to Kendrick Bourne and Mike Gesicki and used his legs for a 2-yard run for a first down. Jones couldn't convert the next third-and-short, as the ball slipped out of his hand on the throw. Bryce Baringer punted 46 yards to the Bills' 3-yard line.

Tyler Bass continues to struggle with another missed field goal - 1:51 2nd quarter

The Bills are getting rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid involved. Kincaid made a 7-yard catch to open the drive and two plays later he got open over the middle for a 15-yard catch to get near midfield. Later in the drive, Kincaid hauled in a 14-yard catch to get into the red zone. Josh Allen was sacked by Christian Barmore and Sam Roberts before the two-minute warning to set up a third-and-16 from the Patriots' 24. Allen's third-down pass sailed out of bounds and Tyler Bass missed a 42-yard field goal. Bass has missed three of his last four field goal attempts.

Chad Ryland tacks on 24-yard field goal: Patriots 13, Bills 3

After some truly terrible plays on offense and defense, it was only a matter of time before the special teams got into the act so Demario Douglas ripped off a 25-yard punt return that gave the Patriots a drive start at the Buffalo 46. And then on first down, Mac Jones completed a 33-yard pass to Kendrick Bourne to the Bills 13.

There, the Bills’ defense prevented any further movement so Chad Ryland came into kick a 24-yard field goal which puts the Patriots up 13-3.

Right now, the Bills are playing about as poorly as they have all season, and the Patriots may be playing as well as they have all year. That’s not a good combination for Buffalo.

Bills go three-and-out, Demario Douglas returns punt 25 yards - 10:20 2nd quarter

Buffalo's possession started promising with an 8-yard completion from Josh Allen to Dalton Kincaid. On second down, James Cook was dropped for a 5-yard loss. A Bills delay of game and Patriots neutral zone infraction set up a third-and-7 and Allen's pas was incomplete intended for Stefon Diggs. Sam Martin punted 55 yards and Damario Douglas returned it 25 yards to the Bills' 46.

Bills defense gets their first stop - 12:56 4th quarter

New England went three-and-out. Mac Jones threw incomplete, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 1 yards and Stevenson took a short pass 8 yards but was short of the first down. Bryce Baringer punted 64 yards and Deonte Harty returned it 7 yards to the Bills' 13.

Tyler Bass makes 36-yard field goal - Patriots 10, Bills 3

Josh Allen had a nice response after his interception as he marched the Bills downfield to what appeared to be a seven-yard TD pass to Dawson Knox. Instead, the play was wiped out by a pass interference penalty on Latavius Murray and the Bills had to settle for a 36-yard Tyler Bass field goal.

Allen made a great play to avoid pressure and convert a third-and-5 with a 28-yard pass to James Cook early in the possession. And the Bills were also helped by a ticky-tack penalty on New England’s J.C. Jackson for illegal contact that gave them a first down on what would have been fourth down.

The Murray penalty forced the Bills into a third-and-17 and Allen threw incomplete, so Bass snapped his two field goal drought.

Bills look to right the ship

James Cook started the Bills' second possession with a 4-yard run and Josh Allen completed to Khalil Shakir for 5 yards. Cook then took a catch-and-run 28 yards into New England territory. Allen was tripped up for a 1-yard run on the ensuing third down but cornerback J.C. Jackson was called for illegal contact to give the Bills a first down. Cook split out wide and made a 10-yard catch to the Patriots' 23. Stefon Diggs made his first catch for 6 yards to get into the red zone and a 6-yard Cook run picked up a first down to the Patriots' 11. Allen appeared to throw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox but running back Latavious Murray was called for offensive pass interference on the final play of the first quarter.

Ezekiel Elliott rushing TD capitalizes off turnover: Patriots 10, Bills 0

Well, for anyone who thought this was going to be an easy day, sorry, it won’t be.

Josh Allen threw one of his worst passes of the season on Buffalo’s first offensive play and Jabril Peppers made the easy interception at the Bills 45. Seven plays later, during which the Bills’ defense put up barely a fight, Ezekiel Elliott plowed into the end zone from the two and the Patriots are up 10-0.

You really couldn’t have drawn up a worst start to this game, and now the Patriots have some confidence and momentum in a game where the Bills shouldn’t have allowed them any.

Josh Allen's first pass is intercepted by Jabrill Peppers - 9:47 1st quarter

That didn't start well. Josh Allen was picked off by safety Jabrill Peppers on the Bills first play from scrimmage. Allen was looking for Dawson Knox. New England will start from the Bills' 45-yard line.

New England opens with a field goal: Patriots 3, Bills 0

The Patriots did not waste any time probing the Bills' questionable run defense. They ran Rhahmondre Stevenson right up the middle and then Mac Jones threw a couple of well-schemed passes including one to Pharoah Brown that went for 25 yards.

However, a promising drive came to an end in the red zone when the Bills stuffed three runs by Stevenson that led to Chad Ryland's 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 Patriots lead.

Bills vs. Patriots inactives announced

As we knew, DT Ed Oliver is inactive and his spot in the lineup will be taken by practice squad elevation Kendal Vickers.

The rest of the inactives are safety Damar Hamlin, linebacker A.J. Klein, offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Germain Ifedi, and tight end Quintin Morris.

For the Patriots, two key names on the inactive list are edge rusher Josh Uche and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and they also have backup QB Malik Cunningham inactive. I thought there would be a chance Bill Belichick would use him in a package of read option plays against the Bills, but that won’t be happening.

Bills run defense will get a big test

With DT Ed Oliver sitting out the game because of a toe injury, the middle of the Bills’ defense is now greatly weakened when you factor in the season-ending injuries to DT DaQuan Jones and LB Matt Milano.

The Bills have three DTs who have been mediocrities all season in Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle and Poona Ford, and they also elevated inexperienced Kendal Vickers from the practice squad. That’s worrisome against a Patriots team that will certainly try to take advantage with two powerful RBs in Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott.

Even when the lineup was fully healthy, there have been problems against the run this season for the Bills but the issue has been exacerbated in the last two games. The Bills are allowing a whopping 5.4 yards per rush which is second-worst in the league. The numbers are terrible because the Bills have allowed 16 runs of at least 10 yards with six of those going for 31 or more.

“I’ve got to put them in a better position also,” coach Sean McDermott said. “That can always be the case, right? As a play caller, that’s what you look at, and I mean that. It’s hey, what could I have done better? That’s where it starts, and always trying to put them in exactly the right position.”

That’s true, but the players need to make plays, too. They can’t keep getting driven out of their gaps the way they have on some of these breakout runs. Those are exactly the types of plays that could give the Patriots’ offense a chance to succeed in this game because their passing attack with Mac Jones and no legitimate pass catching weapons has floundered all season.

What time and TV channel is the Bills vs. Patriots game?

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on CBS.

What are the odds for the Bills vs. Patriots game?

The betting line is Bills -7.5. The over-under is 40.5. The money line is Bills -375, Patriots +300.

Bills vs. Patriots prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bills 24, Patriots 13

I have too much scar tissue built up through the years watching the Patriots own the Bills to ever expect a Buffalo victory in this series. And yes, I fully recognize that Buffalo has turned the tables and has dominated New England ever since Josh Allen’s ascendency began in 2020, but there’s something about the Patriots that always rattles around in the back of my brain.

That said, the Bills are clearly superior in several ways — I know, I said that last week against the Giants — and I do think Allen and the offense will find a little rhythm and do enough to win. Also, even though Buffalo’s defense is missing some vital pieces and is relying on some young and inexperienced players, New England’s offense has shown no ability to be enough of a threat to outscore the Bills.

2023 Buffalo Bills schedule

• Mon. Sept . 11: Jets 22, Bills 16, OT

• Sun., Sept. 17: Bills 38, Raiders 10

• Sun. Sept. 24: Bills 37, Commanders 3

• Sun. Oct. 1: Bills 48, Dolphins 20

• Sun. Oct. 8: Jaguars 25, Bills 20

• Sun. Oct. 15: Bills 14, Giants 9

• Sun. Oct. 22, at Patriots, 1 p.m.

• Thur. Oct. 26, vs. Buccaneers, 8:20 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 5, at Bengals, 8:20 p.m.

• Mon. Nov. 13, vs. Broncos, 8:15 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 19, vs. Jets, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 26, at Eagles, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 3, Bye week

• Sun. Dec. 10, at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 17, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m.

• Sat. Dec. 23, at Chargers, 8 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 31, vs. Patriots, 1 p.m.

• Sun. Jan. 7, at Dolphins, TBD

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New England Patriots 29, Buffalo Bills 25: Final score, recap, highlights