The New England Patriots have not played a snow game so far this season, but that might change this weekend. Besides freezing temperatures, their potentially division-clinching contest against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday could also see some precipitation.
According to a forecast shared on NFL Weather, temperatures at Gillette Stadium will be in the 20s throughout the contest, with a projected high of 30°F. Furthermore, there is a “chance of snow” before and around the game’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff as well as a slight chance of snow showers for the rest of the AFC East battle.
Similar conditions are also reported elsewhere. The National Weather Service predicts snow before kickoff as well as the possibility of “new snow accumulation of around an inch.” The Weather Channel’s models speak of “light snow during the morning giving way to partly cloudy conditions during the afternoon.” Temperatures are not expected to exceed 31°F according to meteorologists at those outlets.
If the prognoses turn out to be accurate, their game against Buffalo would become the Patriots’ first snow game since the final week of the 2023 season. That day, the team suffered a 17-3 home loss to the New York Jets in what turned out to be Bill Belichick’s last game as head coach.
The 2025 version of the Patriots led by Mike Vrabel, meanwhile, has gotten used to playing in cold conditions. Their most recent game, a 33-15 prime time win over the New York Giants in Week 13, was played in the 20s as well; two weeks before that game, they beat the New York Jets in 39°F weather.
“It’s just part of playing up here,” quarterback Drake Maye said leading up to that particular contest in mid-November. “It was important for us to get out there and embrace being in this weather. I think it’s good to be able to practice in it. It’s an advantage.”
The Patriots held three practices since returning from their bye week, with the first on Monday taking place inside their field house and the subsequent sessions on Wednesday and Thursday happening outdoors. On Thursday, the team was in full pads.
If Maye and company defend their home turf against the Bills, they would crown themselves division champions. It would be the organization’s first AFC East title since 2019.
