FOXBOROUGH — Almost a year ago, on Jan. 5, the Patriots faced the Bills at Gillette Stadium in their regular-season finale in what turned out to be a carnival sideshow.

A Buffalo team bound for the postseason had nothing to play for, which meant backups and third-teamers dominated the personnel groupings most of the afternoon. Meanwhile, New England frittered away a chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by winning, 23-16, thanks in part to backup quarterback Joe Milton, who went 22 for 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown.

However, instead of the cheers that usually accompany a home win, the Patriots were booed off the field for losing out on the top selection. Less than an hour after the game, the Patriots fired coach Jerod Mayo, kickstarting an eventful offseason.

With the latest Bills-Patriots showdown looming at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, the players who endured New England’s 4-13 record last year and remain on the roster confess they’ve allowed themselves a few moments this week to consider how much of a difference a year has made.

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“Yeah, you think about it, you know, just as far as the game is concerned,” said offensive lineman Mike Onwenu. “It was a wild afternoon. But you know, just going forward, the focus for us is all about this year, and seeing what we can do to win this game.”

“I don’t think too much about that game,” said wide receiver DeMario Douglas. “I do think about our record and stuff like that, you know? This year, we won 11 games, and last year we only won four — actually, only three before that one. That was a tough way to end the season.

“I just really look at the record and not that game, because that game, really like, the starters didn’t even play. The fans were booing. It was just a weird afternoon.”

In last season’s finale, there were large swaths of empty seats in the upper deck. And many of the seats that were filled were by Bills fans. The Patriots got three second-half field goals from Joey Slye in the victory, which moved them from the No. 1 overall pick to No. 4.

After the game, Milton was unapologetic.

“We’ve got to handle how we handle our program as it is right now,” Milton said minutes before the news of Mayo’s firing broke. “We can’t think too far in the future. We can’t think too far in the past. We’re just being exactly where our feet are right now, as a program, as an organization. We’re just being here right now in the moment.

“Thinking about a pick right now is way out of our hands. If they’re going to give it to us, if they do it, they do it. If they don’t, they don’t. Today, the main focus was to win.”

Now, Milton is the backup for the Cowboys. The stakes for this Patriots-Bills game dwarf last year. If New England (11-2) wins, it secures the AFC East title, and allows the Patriots to take another step forward in the race for the No. 1 seed. The Bills (9-4) desperately need a win to keep pace with the AFC’s elite.

For the handful of Patriots players who remain, it’ll also represent a choice opportunity to flip the script on a sour memory.

“This Patriots team, we’re a tight-knit group,” said punter Bryce Baringer. “We’re a confident group, It’s a different deal.

“I feel like everyone talks about how it’s a 180 from last year, but I feel like this group of guys has just bought into what coach [Mike] Vrabel has wanted us to have; an identity, a chip on our shoulder, and just the desire to go out and put our best foot forward in practice, and meetings, and on game day. We expect that’ll be the case against this weekend.”

Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.