5 issues to learn about Payments forward of Sunday’s sport vs. Patriots

New England Patriots

The Patriots will get their finest likelihood to see how they stack up with one of many league’s elite groups on Sunday.

By Conor Roche

October 4, 2025 | 3:23 PM

4 minutes to learn

The largest sport of the Patriots’ season thus far will happen on Sunday.

After a 2-2 begin and a promising Week 4 victory over the Panthers, the Patriots will get their finest likelihood to see how they stack up in opposition to one of many league’s elite groups once they face the Payments on Sunday. It additionally marks their first look on “Sunday Night time Soccer” in two seasons, giving Drake Maye the possibility to show that his 12 months 2 leap is actual in primetime.

Forward of Sunday’s sport, listed here are 5 issues to know in regards to the 4-0 Payments.

Josh Allen’s passing fashion has modified a bit.

When Allen entered the league in 2018, many knew him for his rocket arm that was inclined to creating errors. As Allen progressed, he was in a position to refine his errors and change into one of many league’s prime passers.

Now in 12 months 8, Allen has refined his sport much more. Turnovers have been few and much between this season, throwing only one interception by way of the primary 4 video games. The reigning MVP has additionally change into one of many league’s finest intermediate passers, logging a 127.8 passer ranking on such throws this season, per Professional Soccer Focus. Final season, Allen’s 124.4 passer ranking on intermediate throws ranked third amongst quarterbacks who began a minimum of half their crew’s video games.

Allen’s deep ball has been nonexistent this yr as properly. He’s solely thrown 14 passes the place the ball traveled a minimum of 20 yards within the air, finishing six of them for 150 yards. He’s but to throw a landing on a deep ball this season, along with his solely interception approaching a deep cross.

Perhaps that advantages the Patriots on Sunday with Christian Gonzalez again within the fold. However over the past two seasons, Allen has proven that he’s one of many league’s finest gamers on a constant foundation, it doesn’t matter what the opposing protection seems like.

They’ve one other participant who’s in rivalry for Offensive Participant of the 12 months.

Whereas Allen has continued to dazzle this yr, his backfield mate has additionally gotten off to a robust begin. James Prepare dinner is second in speeding yards (401), ninth in yards per carry (5.3), and first in speeding touchdowns (5) by way of the primary 4 weeks of the season.

Prepare dinner’s additionally contributed within the passing sport this yr, recording 12 receptions for 89 yards. Whereas he doesn’t have a receiving landing but, Prepare dinner had six receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons to go together with 673 receiving yards.

The Patriots ought to know simply how good of a participant Prepare dinner is. In one of many matchups in opposition to New England final season, Prepare dinner rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries and a landing to go together with 26 receiving yards and a receiving landing. Prepare dinner has additionally rushed for a minimum of 4.3 yards per carry in 4 of his six profession matchups in opposition to the Patriots.

Perhaps the Patriots’ protection may give Prepare dinner extra hassle this time round, although. New England ranks second in complete speeding yards allowed (310) and second in yards allowed per rush try (3.3).

The Payments’ rush protection is the worst within the league.

Talking of speeding assaults, the bottom sport matchup is favorable for the Patriots on Sunday. The Payments are second-to-last in speeding yards allowed (657) and thirtieth in yards allowed per speeding try (6.0).

Moreover, the Payments have given up a primary down on 33.9 p.c of their opponents’ runs, which is the worst within the NFL. They’ve additionally given up a league-worst 26 rushes of a minimum of 10 yards.

All of that’s definitely welcomed information for New England’s floor sport, which has been comparatively pedestrian to start out the season. The Patriots are twenty fifth in speeding yards (405) and twenty fourth in yards per try (3.9). Nevertheless, all three of the Patriots’ working backs rushed for a minimum of 4 yards per carry of their win over the Panthers final week. So, possibly they’re shifting in the correct route.

Joey Bosa is within the midst of a profession resurgence.

Whereas the Payments’ rush protection hasn’t been good, they’ve been good at producing stress. They’re fourth in stress fee (28.5 p.c) and lead the league in quarterback hurry share (16.3), per Professional Soccer Reference.

Joey Bosa, who signed with the Payments over the offseason after being launched by the Chargers, has led the way in which for Buffalo’s cross rush up to now within the early season. He’s obtained two sacks, whereas his 17 complete pressures are the Seventeenth-most within the league, per PFF. Most impressively, Bosa already has 4 pressured fumbles this season. No different participant has greater than two, whereas solely 10 different gamers have recorded a number of pressured fumbles this season.

Bosa isn’t doing it alone, although. Payments defensive sort out DaQuan Jones ranks sixteenth in cross rush win fee amongst all inside defensive linemen. He additionally has two sacks this season.

Sean McDermott has had the Patriots’ quantity.

Not solely have the Payments dethroned the Patritos because the king of the AFC East, however they’ve additionally dominated their division rival. Since Tom Brady’s departure in 2020, McDermott and the Payments have gone 8-3 in opposition to the Patriots. New England has solely scored greater than 21 factors in three of these video games. Nevertheless, a kind of video games was the Patriots’ Week 18 victory over the Payments final season, a sport during which each groups performed their backups for almost all.

However even when Brady was the Patriots’ quarterback, McDermott had good success at slowing down New England’s offense. Brady threw 4 touchdowns to 5 interceptions in his six video games in opposition to McDermott as a member of the Patriots, in response to the Boston Herald‘s Andrew Callahan.

The Patriots additionally haven’t recorded a 400-yard offensive efficiency in opposition to the Payments over the past 4 seasons.