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Tom Brady Ready For Playoff Feel Against The Bills On Saturday

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady didn't have much to say on Thursday -- which is actually Friday for the New England Patriots. But the quarterback stressed the importance of Saturday afternoon's clash with the Buffalo Bills.

With New England sitting just one game ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East standings, this matchup is essentially for the division. If the Patriots win, the team will claim the AFC East for the 11th straight season and earn a first-round bye in the process. If the Patriots lose, then they leave the door open for Buffalo to steal the division from their grasps in Week 17 -- and potentially miss out on a first-round bye and home playoff game.

Add all of that up and the Pats are expecting a playoff feel to emanate throughout Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

"It's a big game for both teams, so we're gonna go out and try to play our best. This is a great team that has been playing well all year and it's going to be a tough challenge," said Brady, part of his two minute press conference at Gillette on Thursday.

While the Bills have played the Patriots close in recent matchups, New England has dominated their division rival. Brady owns a 31-3 record over Buffalo, his highest win total against any opponent, though he has struggled against Sean McDermott's defense. The two teams played a hard-fought game back in Week 4, with the Patriots escaping with a 16-10 victory. Brady had a tough day in Orchard Park, completing just 18 of his 39 passes for 150 yards, tossing no touchdowns and one interception in the win.

But nothing that happened three months ago or years ago will matter when the two teams kick off on Saturday. At the age of 42 and in his 20th NFL season, these are the kinds of games that Brady lives for.

"Everybody puts a lot into it and it's for moments like this. You work out all offseason, you train to be part of these games," he said. "It's a big game against a good team. That's what it's all about and why we're here."

Tune in to Patriots-Bills on WBZ-TV — the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 3:30pm with Patriots GameDay, kickoff is slated for 4:30pm, and after the game, stay tuned for all the reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!

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