High-scoring Bills return from their bye week to host inconsistent 49ers, losers of their past 2

San Francisco (5-6) at Buffalo (9-2)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC

BetMGM NFL odds: Bills by 7.

Series record: Bills lead 7-6.

Against the spread: 49ers 4-7, Bills 7-4.

Last meeting: Bills beat 49ers 34-24 on Dec. 7, 2020, at Glendale, Arizona.

Last week: Packers beat 49ers 38-10; Bills bye.

49ers offense: overall (4), rush (7), pass (4), scoring (13).

49ers defense: overall (6), rush (11), pass (6), scoring (20).

Bills offense: overall (13), rush (11), pass (13), scoring (3).

Bills defense: overall (15), rush (13), pass (14), scoring (7).

Turnover differential: 49ers even; Bills plus-14.

DE Leonard Floyd returns to Buffalo for the first time since leaving the Bills in free agency to sign with the 49ers in March. Floyd is playing his best ball of late with 3 1/2 sacks the past two games after having only three in his first nine games this season. Floyd had 10 1/2 sacks last season in his only year in Buffalo.

WR Amari Cooper. A left wrist injury and getting accustomed to the playbook has limited the 30-year-old to seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in three games since being acquired in a trade with Cleveland on Oct. 15. With a bye week to heal up and more than a month to build chemistry with Josh Allen, Cooper could finally be in a position to begin playing to his potential.

Niners' RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Bills run defense. Buffalo bottled up the Chiefs in limiting their ground game to 78 yards in a major sign of improvement a month after allowing 271 to Derrick Henry and the Ravens. McCaffrey and the 49ers' usually sturdy run game has yet to get on track, with last season's offensive player of the year limited to 149 yards rushing and 132 receiving. He has yet to score a TD in three games this season.

San Francisco QB Brock Purdy is expected to play after missing one game with a sore right shoulder. ... The Niners, however, ruled out five starters: DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique), LT Trent Williams (ankle), LG Aaron Banks (concussion), DT Jordan Elliott (concussion) and CB Deommodore Lenoir (knee). ... The Bills ruled out TE Dalton Kincaid, who will miss his second game with a knee injury. ... Rookie WR Keon Coleman (right wrist) is listed as questionable and was still wearing a non-contact jersey in practice on Friday. ... RT Spencer Brown (ankle) was cleared to return after missing one game. ... The Bills have yet to decide whether to activate LB Matt Milano (torn left biceps) and rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (left wrist) off IR.

The Bills played the Niners in Arizona because of COVID-19 restrictions in California in 2020. It was Buffalo's second visit to Glendale in three weeks after a 32-30 loss to the Cardinals. ... The Bills beat San Francisco 45-16 in the Niners' most recent visit to Orchard Park, New York, in 2016, and are 3-2 overall at home. ... Buffalo has won the past two meetings with neither team having won three straight.

San Francisco has lost two straight and has a losing record this late in the season for the first time since going 6-10 in 2020. ... This is the fourth time this season that the 49ers are playing a team coming off a bye. They are 1-2 in the previous three. ... San Francisco had only 11 first downs last week, tied for the fewest in any game in eight seasons under Kyle Shanahan. ... The Niners have scored only three offensive TDs from outside the red zone this season, tied for the second fewest in the NFL. ... San Francisco ranks 10th worst in the NFL with 3.85 yards per carry in three games since McCaffrey returned after ranking fourth with 5.13 in the first eight weeks. ... The 44 yards rushing last week for the 49ers were their third fewest under Shanahan. ... TE George Kittle had his 509th catch last week, moving into third place in San Francisco history. ... Kittle leads the NFL with eight TD catches in the red zone, which is tied with Vernon Davis (2013) for the most in a season for a Niners player since at least 2000. ... The AFC East-leading Bills have won at least nine of their first 11 games for just the sixth time in team history, and first since 1992. Buffalo has been 10-2 or better just four times, the last in 1991. ... The Bills have won six straight for the first time since a 7-0 run to close the 2022 season. ... Buffalo has scored 30 or more points in five straight and a league-best eight times this season. The most recent time the Bills scored 30 or more in six straight outings happened in 2004. ... After not throwing an interception in his first seven outings, QB Josh Allen has five in his past four. He’s 43-27 overall when committing a turnover. ... Allen has rushed for five TDs this season, increasing his total to 58 to rank second on the team list behind only Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas (65). ... With two TDs rushing in a 30-21 win over Kansas City two weeks ago, RB James Cook became Buffalo's first player to rush for 10 scores since LeSean McCoy had 13 in 2016. ... Buffalo's defense has forced at least one takeaway in each outing this season.

The Bills defense/special teams might be a sneaky good play, and not only if Brandon Allen starts in place of Purdy. Special teams could play a factor with Buffalo's Brandon Codrington ranking fourth in the NFL with 243 punt return yards, and the Niners ranking 32nd in allowing 16.4 yards per punt return and having already allowed a kickoff return for a TD.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) makes a touchdown catch against Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) makes a catch for a first down as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (13) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) stops Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Erling Haaland continues to motor along at better than a goal a game for Manchester City in the Premier League.

His latest victim was West Ham on Saturday.

The Norway striker scored in each half to move to 19 goals in 17 matches in this campaign and also set up Tijjani Reijnders' goal in a 3-0 win at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The victory lifted City into first place, a point ahead of Arsenal before the deposed leader's match at Everton later Saturday.

Haaland has 38 goals in a combined 28 games for club and country in what is shaping up to be the most prolific season of his career. Injury permitting, the season will end in him going to his first World Cup with Norway.

His double gave him 104 in the Premier League, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo having played 122 games fewer.

Haaland scored at the second attempt from Phil Foden's cross to give City a fifth-minute lead and took advantage of a defensive mix-up to make it 3-0 in the 69th. In between, Haaland slipped a short pass to Reijnders, who took a touch and rifled a shot into the roof of the net in the 38th.

What a difference a week made for Nick Woltemade.

Last weekend, he scored an own-goal to consign Newcastle to a derby loss at fierce rival Sunderland. Six days later, he netted twice in the opening 20 minutes to give his team a fast start against Chelsea.

Chelsea recovered, though, to draw 2-2 with Joao Pedro’s equalizer coming off a rare assist from a goalkeeper.

Robert Sanchez smashed a long clearance up to Pedro, who headed the ball forward and ended up collecting it himself after Fabian Schar slipped. Pedro slotted a finish underneath Newcastle goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to earn Chelsea a point in the 66th.

“I wanted to give a good performance today and I think I did,” Woltemade said. "I just want to say thank you to the fans for still being good with me.”

Reece James launched Chelsea’s fightback by curling a free kick in off the post after halftime.

Chelsea stayed in fourth place and has won only one of its last five games in the league. Newcastle, one of England's representatives in the Champions League this season, is languishing in midtable after one win in its last four games — and that was against next-to-last Burnley.

Last-placed Wolverhampton remained without a win and on just two points after losing at home to Brentford 2-0.

The latest defeat meant Wolves tied Sheffield United’s 2020-21 record of 17 games without a win from the start of a Premier League season.

Keane Lewis-Potter scored both of Brentford's goals in the second half.

Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo is reportedly a target of some of the Premier League's biggest teams, including Man City and Manchester United.

He underlined his worth by curling home his team's goal in a 1-1 draw with Burnley, which ended its seven-match losing run on its tough return to the top flight. Armando Broja grabbed Burnley's equalizer in the 90th.

Sunderland is doing much better since promotion. A 0-0 draw at Brighton put the north-east team in fifth place.

There are three more games to be played on Saturday: Tottenham vs. Liverpool, followed by Everton vs. Arsenal and Leeds vs. Crystal Palace.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, left, gestures to teammates Manchester City's Rico Lewis, as he celebrates after scoring his sides third goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and West Ham United in Manchester, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts after missing a chance to score a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and West Ham United in Manchester, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Newcastle's Nick Woltemade, right, scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and FC Chelsea in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and FC Chelsea in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro, left, scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and FC Chelsea in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Newcastle's Nick Woltemade celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and FC Chelsea in Newcastle, England, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)