NFL picks Week 13: Expert predictions for Patriots vs. Bills showdown

The most anticipated game on the NFL Week 13 schedule is an AFC East showdown.

The New England Patriots will visit the Buffalo Bills on "Monday Night Football" with first place in the AFC East on the line.

How important is this game? Well, according to FiveThirtyEight, the winner of this matchup will have at least a 78 percent chance of winning the division. The division crown comes with at least one home playoff game in January.

Perry: Pats-Bills matchup of contrasting styles could favor visitors

It's the first of two Patriots-Bills games this season. The other is a Week 16 matchup in Foxboro. New England enters Monday's game with a league-best six-game win streak. The Patriots also have been road warriors this season with a 5-0 record away from Gillette Stadium.

The Bills have not been as dominant as last season. They're 2-2 in their last four games, a stretch that includes a bad 9-6 loss to an inferior Jacksonville Jaguars team and a 41-15 defeat at home to the Indianapolis Colts.

Patriots Talk Podcast: Has Buffalo's window of AFC East dominance already closed? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

Buffalo defeated New England twice in 2020 en route to its first AFC East title since 1995.

Which team will take control of the division race Monday night? Here's a roundup of expert predictions for Patriots-Bills (with the predicted score, when given).

Phil Perry, NBC Sports Boston: Patriots 23, Bills 20

Mike Reiss, ESPN: Bills 20, Patriots 16

Rob Ninkovich, ESPN: Patriots

Mike Clay, ESPN: Bills

Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Bills 20, Patriots 17

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: Bills 27, Patriots 23

Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated: Bills

Jenny Vrentas, Sports Illustrated: Patriots

Will Brinson, CBS Sports: Patriots 21, Bills 17

Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports: Patriots 28, Bills 23

Bill Bender, Sporting News: Patriots 23, Bills 20

FiveThirtyEight model: Bills 56 percent, Patriots 44 percent