Tom Brady – There's a lot going on around Brady, who just earned his 14th Pro Bowl honor this week. Not only are there questions about the GOAT shying away from contact on critical throws and possibly dealing with a knee injury, but his receiving corps lost a key cog as New England faces a pretty solid Bills defense.

Kyle Van Noy – Arguably New England's best, most versatile defender this season, Van Noy will be in the spotlight trying to stop rookie quarterback Josh Allen's dangerous scrambles. Allen is far from refined right now, but his school-yard style is the best the Buffalo offense has to offer against Van Noy and Co.

Sony Michel – Back in October, it looked like Michel might be well on his way to a 1,000-yard rookie season as a key component in the New England offense. But since returning from injury the first-round pick has found the going tough on the ground, averaging 3.7 yards a carry or worse in three of five games. Given all the inefficiencies and questions in the passing game, getting Michel rolling on the ground is important heading toward the postseason.

Devin McCourty – Bill Belichick declared that the biggest difference in Buffalo between the first meeting and now is the team's ability to hit big plays. That includes Josh Allen scrambles and throws down the field to a guy like undrafted rookie Robert Forster, who's averaging 24.6 yards per catch. McCourty is almost always New England's most critical and last line of defense against allowing big plays.

Chris Hogan – Given Josh Gordon's departure, there is an opening for Hogan to see his opportunities and role grow. Hogan has not caught more than two passes in a game since Week 7 (and was shut out three times since then) but may have a chance to reignite his rapport with Tom Brady in the coming weeks.

Josh Allen – Buffalo's first-round quarterback is exciting if far from refined at this point. Allen rushed for 99 yards or more in three straight games prior to last week, notching a run of 28 yards or longer in each game. He leads the Bills in rushing, including six ground scores, but has failed to complete more than 54 percent of his passes in four straight games and has a passer rating of just 65.5 for the season.

Lorenzo Alexander – The do-it-all veteran linebacker is a key man in the middle of a Buffalo defense that ranks in the top 10 in a variety of categories. Alexander leads Buffalo with 6.5 sacks, to go along with 49 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 10 QB hits, an interception, eight passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Robert Foster – The undrafted rookie out of Alabama and practice squad call-up has been a revelation over the second half of the season. He already has more catches, yards and touchdowns than in any season for the Tide, nearly all of it since Week 10. The big play machine has 19 catches for 468 yards (24.6 avg.) with two touchdowns, including 100-plus yards in three of five games since returning from the practice squad.

Tre'Davious White – Buffalo's second-year cornerback is a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the back end of the Bills No. 1-ranked pass defense. Don't let his single interception on the season fool you, White is a tough guy to beat and presents a challenge to a Patriots passing attack that's still very much a work in progress.

Jerry Hughes – The Bills have plenty of veteran talent on the defensive front that includes Hughes and defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who missed practice time this week to a back injury. It all comes together to form a formidable front the Patriots offensive line must deal with, including Hughes' six sacks, 17 QB hits and three forced fumbles on the season.