Getty
Head coach Sean McDermott and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills stand on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills are preparing for their rematch with the division rival New England Patriots Sunday at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough.
The last time the Bills played the AFC East-leading Patriots, they left with a 23-20 defeat after a breakout game from Patriots QB Drake Maye, who threw for 273 yards with a 101.1 passer rating and former All-Pro Stefon Diggs, who racked up 10 catches and 146 yards.
And while Sunday’s matchup is crucial for both team’s chances of winning the division and inching closer to a playoff berth, both teams were rocked by the mass shooting that took place at nearby Brown University.
Bills Players Were Close to the Shooting
The Bills were staying at a hotel in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, ahead of Sunday’s matchup, approximately a half-mile away from the Brown University campus.
The incident happened near the Barus and Holley engineering building, located in the eastern part of Providence close to two of the area’s major Interstate highways.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Bills and Patriots have been in communication since news of the shooting broke, and senior writer Dianna Russini stated everyone associated with the Bills was on lockdown inside the team hotel.
“All Buffalo Bills players and staff remain in their hotel, team sources say, after a gunman dressed in black shot 10 people, killing two of them, at Brown University, less than 2 miles from where the team was staying Saturday night,” Russini wrote.
“Police said the shooter remained at large hours after opening fire inside an engineering building on the college campus. The Bills are staying nearby in downtown Providence ahead of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.”
Per Russini’s report, an alert was sent out at 4:22 p.m. ET informing students and faculty there were reports of an active shooter and advising them to shelter in place as a search for the shooter took place.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday night, the shelter in place order was still in effect as more than 400 officers were reportedly in the area assisting local police in the search, according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
The shooter still remains at large.
Patriots Release Statement on Tragedy
GettyNew England Patriots QB Drake Maye and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen embrace after a game
The Patriots are set to host the Bills at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The game is still reportedly happening as scheduled.
Shortly after the news broke, the Patriots issued a statement about the incident on social media.
“The New England Patriots are heartbroken by the horrific events at Brown University,” the Patriots said in a statement.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected and their families, and we remain grateful to the first responders and law enforcement who acted swiftly to protect the students, faculty, staff and the community. We stand with Brown University and our neighbors in Rhode Island during this difficult time.”
Brown University is located 25 miles south (roughly a 32-minute drive) of Gilette Stadium.
New England holds a two-game lead over Buffalo with four regular-season games remaining. If the Patriots sweep the season series, it’ll mark the first time that’s happened since Tom Brady’s final season with the franchise in 2019.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
More Heavy on Bills
Loading more stories
