FOXBOROUGH Derek Rivers Jersey , Mass. (AP) — For nine straight years, the final few weeks of the regular season for the Patriots have included the celebration of an AFC East title and typically an accompanying first-round bye in the playoffs.New England can lock up a 10th consecutive division crown Sunday with a win or tie against Buffalo, or a Miami loss or tie when it hosts Jacksonville. The Patriots would also become the first franchise in NFL history to earn a playoff berth in 10 straight seasons.But they enter the final two weeks of the regular season needing help to avoid playing in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009.Article continues below ...Following back-to-back losses at Miami and Pittsburgh , New England (9-5) began Week 16 on track to be the No. 3 seed in the AFC behind Kansas City (11-3) and Houston (10-4).The Patriots have not been a wild-card team since 2009, when they were blown out by Baltimore. They also failed to make it to the Super Bowl the other two times under coach Bill Belichick (2005 and 2006) that they played during the opening weekend of the postseason. New England has never started the postseason on the road with Belichick the coach and Tom Brady the quarterback.The first step to New England avoiding those fates is by continuing its dominance against the Bills (5-9), a team it has beaten four straight times — including a 25-6 win at Buffalo in October. It was one of the few successes the Patriots had on the road this season, where they’ve gone just 3-5.While they will be at home Sunday and for their regular-season finale on Dec. 30 against the Jets, coach Bill Belichick is not counting it as an advantage.“I think playing well creates an advantage,” he said.New England is as healthy as it’s been all season, but will have to adapt after receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday for violating an agreement that allowed him to play after multiple drug suspensions.Gordon was thriving in New England, where he landed in September in a trade after the Browns felt it was time to cut ties. In 11 starts with the Patriots, he had 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns, five years removed from an All-Pro season in 2013 with 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said Buffalo, which is coming off a close win over Detroit last week, is embracing the role of spoiler.“It’s huge,” Alexander said. “Obviously, they’ve been the standard of our division for the last 15 years Womens Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey , and they’re in the division chase. So for us to go up there and be able to beat them would be huge obviously for this city, for our team and organization. Because they’re a team that’s really had our number since I’ve been here.”Here are some things to watch for in Sunday’s game:WHO STEPS UP?With Gordon out, Brady will be looking for someone to fill his production for the remainder of the season. That will likely mean a lot more will be put on veteran receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski, though both struggled at times this season. Edelman has 63 catches for 711 yards and four touchdowns, while Gronkowski has 45 catches for 658 yards and three TDs.But Gronk was limited again this week by ankle and back issues. And between them, they have just two touchdowns over the past three games.OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTWith rookie quarterback Josh Allen back on the field for four games since missing four with a sprained right elbow, the Bills’ offense is improving despite RB LeSean McCoy’s ongoing struggles.Allen is 57 for 114 for 801 yards, four TDs and four INTs in in his last four starts. Meanwhile, the Bills have topped 100 yards rushing in five straight games, matching last season’s high.McCoy has topped 100 yards just once — 113 yards and two touchdowns — in a 41-10 win at the New York Jets on Nov. 11. Otherwise, with 479 yards rushing, he’s in jeopardy of finishing with the lowest production of his career. He had 637 yards as a rookie in 2009, when he had four starts in 16 games.CHARTING BRADYBrady owns a 29-3 record against Bills. His 29 wins against Buffalo are the most victories by a quarterback against a single opponent. Next is Brady’s 26 wins against Jets.Brady passed for 324 yards in the last meeting with Buffalo and needs 21 to join Peyton Manning (14) and Drew Brees (12) as quarterbacks with 10 seasons of 4,000-plus yards passing. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Running back Sony Michel had a breakthrough rookie season for the New England Patriots, perhaps their best offensive player in the 2018 playoffs, too.He knows that in the NFL, there’s always something new ahead. For the former Georgia Bulldog http://www.patriotslockerroom.com/authentic-patrick-chung-jersey , training camp is the latest wrinkle.“Training camp plays a big part of development going into the season,” said Michel, 24, who sat out most of his rookie-year camp because of injuries. “I’m thankful to be in this training camp, and I’m excited to take it day by day.”Michel, who had a minor arthroscopic knee procedure in the offseason, was taken off the physically unable to perform list Saturday as the defending Super Bowl champions practiced in full pads for the first time this camp.“It feels good,” Michel said. “I’m just working on getting stronger. There’s always room for improvement. I’m out here practicing, ready to go and learning. Just trying to get better, and that’s what’s it’s all about.”The 31st overall pick in the 2018 draft, Michel got off to a slow start in his rookie campaign, missing the opener against Houston. Despite missing three games in all, he still finished the regular season with 931 rushing yards on 209 carries, including four games with 100 or more yards.Michel then became a dominant player in the Patriots’ three-game run to their sixth Super Bowl title: 24 carries for 129 yards against the Chargers; 29 carries for 113 yards at Kansas City in the AFC title game; and 18 carries for 94 yards in the Patriots’ 13-3 Super Bowl win over the Rams, scoring the game’s only touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.“It was exciting to be able to do that last year,” Michel told reporters, “but as you all know, it’s a new season Stephen Gostkowski Jersey , and we’re focusing on what we’re trying to accomplish this year.”The Patriots bolstered their running game in the offseason by reacquiring veteran Brandon Bolden through free agency and selecting Alabama’s Damien Harris with a third-round draft choice, both joining veterans James White and Rex Burkhead on the depth chart. Michel said he did not feel threatened by the addition of Harris.“I was excited,” Michel said. “It’s another piece of this team that can help this team probably win football games. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about building.”Practicing before an overflow crowd at their Gillette Stadium complex, the Patriots responded with a high-energy session to start what their player personnel director, Nick Caserio, called “real football.”“It’s an opportunity for us to put the pads on and really establish our foundation relative to fundamentals, techniques, playing with our pads,” Caserio said. “We haven’t put the pads on and we haven’t played football really for real in about six months, so it’s a slow process. I think the temperature goes up a little bit with the players, a little bit more energy, a little more competitive spirits, which is good. Our players have always done a great job working with one another in practice like this.”Michel said he sees the start of his first full training camp as an opportunity to resume a learning process that will continue as long as he plays.“There are so many things you can improve on, all aspects of the game,” he said. “It’s another year and I feel like there’s more to be learned and more to build on. I know what to expect, and I’m prepared and just ready to go for it.”