Patriots vs. Bills: TV Schedule, Live Streaming, Radio, Game Time and More

In recent years, the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills have occupied opposite ends of the football spectrum. The Pats have been on the end reserved for perennial division winners and Super Bowl contenders, and the Bills have been with the dregs.

Things seem a little different two weeks into the 2011 regular season. Both the Pats and the Bills are 2-0, and their tilt on Sunday has the potential to be Week 3's most exciting game.

Heck, I think it could be. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a closer look at the matchup.

Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium

When: Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST

Watch: CBS and DirecTV 706

Listen: Live audio streaming on NFL.com (minimum $9.99 payment); 98.5 THE SPORTS HUB and Sirius 106 for Patriots, WGRF 96.9 FM and Sirius 93 for Bills.

Betting Line: New England -9, according to Bodog.

What's at Stake?

Incredibly, first place in the AFC East. We're used to the Pats battling the New York Jets atop the division, but the Bills are right there with them in the early goings.

Recent history tells us that the Patriots will crush the Bills, who will then fall of the pace and not be seen again until the very top of the 2012 NFL Draft. But at the moment, the Bills look legit. If they beat the Pats, maybe this will be their year.

Patriots Injury Report

Compared to, say, the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation, the Pats don't have that many injuries to worry about at the moment.

One big one, however, belongs to tight end Aaron Hernandez. He suffered a sprained MCL in Sunday's 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers, and the word from the Boston Herald is that he could miss as many as two games. He will definitely be out this weekend.

There goes one of Tom Brady's favorite targets, and that's an advantage for the Bills.

Bills Injury Report

According to BuffaloBills.com, wide receiver Steve Johnson doesn't think his lingering groin problem will keep him out of Sunday's game.

Bills head coach Chan Gailey echoed that sentiment when he said Johnson's groin was, "Not that big of a concern."

The bad news is that the Bills won't have fellow wide receiver Roscoe Parrish. ESPN's James Walker reported on Tuesday that Parrish will be out for the rest of the season with a left ankle injury.

Fantasy Start 'Em: Rob Gronkowski

You should be starting Gronkowski anyway, of course, as he's already caught three touchdown passes this season. But with Hernandez out, The Big Gronkowski should be in for some extra attention from Tom Brady.

Fantasy Sit 'Em: C.J. Spiller

You might be tempted to start Spiller after his strong showing against Oakland, in which he carried the ball four times for 63 yards. But I would advise against it. Spiller clearly overachieved against the Raiders, and there's not going to be much work for him against the Pats with the Bills likely to be throwing the ball in order to keep pace.

Fantasy Sleeper: Chad Ochocinco

It seems weird to refer to Ochocinco as a fantasy sleeper, but he just hasn't been very lively in New England's first two games. At some point, he's going to wake up. Maybe he will on Sunday.

What They're Saying

Greg Bedard of The Boston Globe thinks the Pats need more out of newly acquired defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. He had a great debut against the Miami Dolphins, but was practically invisible against the Chargers:

"

Against the Chargers, Haynesworth didn't have one impactful play. He didn't even show up on the stat sheet.

Haynesworth wasn't terrible or anything -- he competed fine (although his final two plays were a little suspect) -- you just expect an obviously talented player to have some sort of an impact.

"

Hmmm... somebody wanting more out of Haynesworth, eh? Does that sound familiar to anyone else?

Meanwhile in Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News felt a bit nostalgic watching the Bills' comeback over the Raiders:

"

[This] was the first time the Bills scored 35 points in the second half of a home game since a fairly memorable playoff win over Houston in January 1993. You remember, right? You were one of the 125,000 who showed up that day, and you never left the stadium early, either.

All right, I know it's Week Two. This isn't the Kelly era. But Sunday's was the most amazing football game I've witnessed in Buffalo since the Comeback, a home opener that will live on in the memories of Bills fans for years to come.

"

Very touching. For his sake, here's hoping the Bills don't become the bad Bills again on Sunday.

Patriots Player to Watch: Tom Brady

Honestly, who else could it be? If you like football, there's just no way you can't enjoy watching Tom Brady play. Even when he's systematically destroying your favorite team, he's a sight to see.

Bills Player to Watch: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Admittedly, it's a little lame to point to both quarterbacks as the players to watch. But I had to get Brady in there, and I have to get Fitzpatrick in here as well.

This is because Fitzpatrick has been very, very good in Buffalo's first two games. His seven touchdown passes are tied for the NFL lead, and he could seemingly do no wrong in the second half against the Raiders. I think he has a lot of Rich Gannon in him, and that's a good thing.

Key Matchup

The Bills aren't going to win this game unless their secondary can play above its abilities. Jason Campbell had his way with Buffalo's secondary on Sunday, and Tom Brady can certainly do the same.

Making matters worse is the fact that Buffalo's secondary won't get much help from the front seven. The Bills have just two sacks on the young season, and both of those came against Kansas City in Week 1. Brady is going to have time to throw the football.

Prediction

I really, really, really want to like the Bills. For the first time in years, there are some positive vibes surrounding the team, and they have a legit shot of beating the Pats.

But they won't. As promising as the Bills are, I think the Patriots are without a doubt the best team in the league. They'll look like it on Sunday.

Patriots 35, Bills 28