The Patriots extended their lead in the AFC East … by not playing. Both the Dolphins and Bills lost on Sunday with the Pats and Jets at home on bye. Buffalo seemed to show some improvements on defense, but the Dolphins have some questions to answer on that side of the ball after their close loss to the Colts. 

BILLS

What we learned: The defense did look slightly better coming off its bye, but it’s still not good enough, and the offense left many scratching their heads. Buffalo squandered away points in the red zone and could have made this game closer than it was, but let’s start on defense, where the heavily scrutinized unit held Houston to only seven first-half points and a 3.7-yard rushing average for the game (32-118-1). Big plays were still a problem, though. TE Owen Daniels found himself wide open on a 39-yard touchdown catch, and Matt Schaub completed five passes for 18 yards or more. The main issue in this game was on offense, where C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson each had only six carries — Spiller was on the field for only 26 of the 57 snaps, seven fewer than rookie WR T.J. Graham. Buffalo dropped back to pass 41 times and ran it 16 times, and did not get a touchdown on three trips to the red zone. The Texans’ run defense is very stout, but it appeared the Bills abandoned the run too early — they had five carries total in the second half.

What’s in store next: The Bills head into the black hole that is Foxborough for a meeting with the Patriots. On paper, this matchup is very lopsided. The Bills haven’t won in New England since 2000, the Patriots have lost coming off a bye only once since 2002 (last year vs. Pittsburgh) and the Pats racked up 247 rushing yards and 52 points vs. Buffalo in Week Four. The Bills grabbed a 21-7 lead in that one, so they are certainly capable of scoring points, but they can’t afford turnovers (Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four picks in that loss) and need to get the ground game going — a tough task vs. the Patriots’ front.