The Patriots and Bills will play for the 20th and final time of the decade, and today’s Buffalo News paints a grisly picture of Patriots dominance. The Patriots are 17-2 this decade in this series, including 12 straight wins and 16 of the last 17. Mark Gaughan examines the similarity between Bills-Patriots this decade and Bills-Dolphins from the '70s, when the Dolphins under Don Shula went 20-0 against the Bills.

Columnist Jerry Sullivan is not among the large number of Buffalo folks who believe a win today should secure Perry Fewell’s status as the coach next year. But he does believe that, “Fans can put aside the larger issues for three hours and contemplate the momentary joy of knocking the smug look off Bill Belichick’s face.” Snap! Sullivan then provides an entertaining list of the top 10 (or bottom 10, from a Bills perspective) list of Patriots wins over this decade. No. 1: The game in 2004 when Troy Brown intercepted Drew Bledsoe.

In his NFL notes, Gaughan has an interesting look at why playing the 3-4 defense has become more difficult. With more and more teams playing that scheme, the competition for massive nose tackles and hybrid edge rushers is becoming more stiff. Players like Vince Wilfork, Jason Ferguson, DeMarcus Ware, and Lamarr Woodley are in demand more now than ever before.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick voiced this concern on a conference call with Buffalo media on Wednesday.

“Absolutely — I think that's one thing that's really come to note for us,” Belichick said. “When I came here in 2000, it was basically us and the Steelers (playing the 3-4). And the competition for players — the nose tackles, the outside linebackers, some of the two-gap defensive linemen — it wasn't very much.

“Players like Mike Vrabel, who didn't get a chance to play very much in Pittsburgh because of the players that were ahead of him, signed here in a big part because of the opportunity that he had to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.”