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PFM TEAM COMPARISON

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills: PFM Team Comparison

The New England Patriots hold a slight overall advantage over the Buffalo Bills in the current PFM ratings. New England separates itself through the stronger coaching operation and the stronger defense.

Current PFM Team Scores

Slight edgeNE

New England Patriots

86.0PFM Team Score#7 NFL
BUF

Buffalo Bills

85.6PFM Team Score#8 NFL
Swap Teams Clear Comparison
PFM JUDGMENT

Why PFM Rates the New England Patriots Higher

Mike Vrabel is the coaching difference. New England has the more dependable answers when the first answer stops working. Buffalo's strongest counterargument is Offense. The Buffalo Bills bring the broader offense. The unit has more answers than New England when the opening approach stalls.

New England also brings the stronger defense. The New England Patriots still deserves the higher PFM rating.

TEAM DNA COMPARISON

New England vs. Buffalo Across the Core Pillars

The farther a team reaches, the stronger the rating. Each category also calls out which team has the edge and the exact gap. Hover on desktop or tap on mobile to isolate one team.

NENew England Patriots
BUFBuffalo Bills
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills Team DNA comparisonPFM category scores on a 0 to 100 scale. QB Stability: New England Patriots 84.0, Buffalo Bills 88.0, edge BUF +4.0; Offense: New England Patriots 83.8, Buffalo Bills 90.5, edge BUF +6.7; Defense: New England Patriots 83.8, Buffalo Bills 81.3, edge NE +2.5; Coaching Direction: New England Patriots 85.0, Buffalo Bills 72.5, edge NE +12.5; Roster Depth: New England Patriots 80.4, Buffalo Bills 82.3, edge BUF +1.9. Hover on desktop or tap on mobile to isolate one team at a time.
Hover or tap a team to focus that profile. Use Show Both to bring the overlay back.
THE COUNTERARGUMENT

Buffalo Bills’ Best Argument

The Buffalo Bills have the more dependable offense. The unit has more ways to create points when a game forces the team away from its preferred approach. That is why the overall gap is smaller than the score first suggests. New England still answers with the stronger coaching operation and the stronger defense, which keeps the overall judgment in place.

COMPLETE COMPARISON

Where Each Team Has the Edge

PFM Team Score

NE86.0
New England Patriots 86.0
BUF85.6
Buffalo Bills 85.6
Slight New England Patriots edge

Overall NFL Rank

NE#7
New England Patriots #7
BUF#8
Buffalo Bills #8
New England Patriots ranks higher

QB Stability

NE84.0
New England Patriots 84.0
BUF88.0
Buffalo Bills 88.0
Clear Buffalo Bills edge

Roster Strength

NE80.4
New England Patriots 80.4
BUF82.3
Buffalo Bills 82.3
Slight Buffalo Bills edge

Coaching Direction

NE85.0
New England Patriots 85.0
BUF72.5
Buffalo Bills 72.5
Major New England Patriots edge

Recent Performance

NE87.7
New England Patriots 87.7
BUF86.3
Buffalo Bills 86.3
Slight New England Patriots edge

Offense

NE83.8
New England Patriots 83.8
BUF90.5
Buffalo Bills 90.5
Clear Buffalo Bills edge

Defense

NE83.8
New England Patriots 83.8
BUF81.3
Buffalo Bills 81.3
Clear New England Patriots edge

Franchise Direction

NE78.1
New England Patriots 78.1
BUF78.0
Buffalo Bills 78.0
Essentially even

Explosiveness

NE88.7
New England Patriots 88.7
BUF90.7
Buffalo Bills 90.7
Clear Buffalo Bills edge

Conference Rank

NE#2
New England Patriots #2
BUF#3
Buffalo Bills #3
New England Patriots ranks higher

Division Rank

NE#1
New England Patriots #1
BUF#2
Buffalo Bills #2
New England Patriots ranks higher

Outlook

NESuper Bowl ContenderBUFPlayoff Contender
Stronger outlook: New England Patriots
TEAM CONSTRUCTION

How These Teams Are Built Differently

New England Patriots

Strongest Rating
Explosiveness
Category Edge
Coaching Direction
Biggest Matchup Concern
Offense

New England's clearest category edge is Coaching Direction. The staff edge favors the New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel gives the team steadier direction than Buffalo has on the sideline. The biggest problem in this matchup is Offense, where Buffalo owns the clearer advantage.

Buffalo Bills

Strongest Rating
Explosiveness
Category Edge
Offense
Biggest Matchup Concern
Coaching Direction

Buffalo's clearest category edge is Offense. The Bills can create offense in more than one way against the New England Patriots. One bad matchup is less likely to shut down the entire scoring approach. The biggest problem in this matchup is Coaching Direction, where New England owns the clearer advantage.

SCHEDULE CONTEXT

Which Team Has the Tougher Road?

New England Patriots

Full schedule rank: #9

Toughest stretch: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills

Strongest opponents: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions

View New England Patriots Road Ahead

Buffalo Bills

Full schedule rank: #5

Toughest stretch: Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams

Strongest opponents: Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions

View Buffalo Bills Road Ahead

Buffalo has the tougher Road Ahead at No. 5. The strongest opponents include Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions. New England also has the more favorable road, which adds to the stronger coaching operation and the stronger defense.

View the complete all-32 Road Ahead

Ratings and Schedule Freshness

PFM ratings updated August 11, 2026. Schedule data updated June 29, 2026.

How to Read This Comparison

PFM Team Score determines the overall order. The Team DNA comparison puts five core pillars on the same 0–100 scale, while the full rows show every current category.

PFM compares overall team strength rather than predicting one matchup. Road Ahead adds schedule context without changing PFM Team Score.

See the complete PFM NFL Team Rankings and methodology.

PFM ratings updated
How PFM grades NFL teams