New England @ Buffalo preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 28, 2014 ) Buffalo 17, New England 9

Rex Ryan had no trouble talking about the New England Patriots when he was with the New York Jets, and nothing has changed since taking over the coaching duties for the Buffalo Bills. Ryan will get another crack at the defending champions when the Bills host the Patriots on Sunday.

“I'll say this: I respect (New England) probably as much as any team in the league, but I don't fear them, I can tell you that much,” Ryan told reporters. “We don't fear anybody. In fact, we're looking forward to it.” Ryan’s Jets teams always played Tom Brady tough, and he has built a similarly stacked defense with Buffalo that's led by Marcell Dareus. The defensive tackle, who signed a six-year contract extension reportedly worth more than $100 million at the end of training camp, will be making his season debut after sitting out Week 1 due to a suspension. While the line will be stacked upon Dareus’ return, the Bills still need to find a way to cover Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught three touchdown passes in New England’s season-opening 28-21 win over Pittsburgh.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -1. O/U: 45

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (1-0): Quarterback Tom Brady is used to hearing Ryan talk in the week leading up to games and takes the jabs in stride. "The games are won by what you do over the course of the week and how you go about your preparation so that you can be prepared for the game on Sunday," Brady told reporters. "He's a great coach. He's obviously got them confident.” Brady, who said the Bills had “probably the best D-line in football,” showed no signs of any wear in his game following a summer spent defending his reputation and completed 19 passes in a row at one point en route to a 25-of-32, 288-yard, four-TD performance in the opener.

ABOUT THE BILLS (1-0): Ryan has reason to be confident after Buffalo manhandled the other AFC finalists from a season ago, the Indianapolis Colts, in a 27-14 victory in Week 1. The defense was a big part of that success, but the offense was firing on all cylinders as well behind Tyrod Taylor, who went 14-of-19 for 195 yards and a touchdown while adding 41 yards on the ground after winning the starting quarterback job in camp. “Each week is going to be a challenge, and I’m confident in my guys to go out there and take the challenge head on,” Taylor told reporters. “We’re confident as a team and we’re just going to go out there and play ball.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Patriots reportedly acquired WR Keshawn Martin from Houston on Wednesday.

2. Buffalo RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring) was removed from the injury report after being limited in Week 1.

3. New England has taken 21 of the last 23 meetings.

PREDICTION: Patriots 21, Bills 17