FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Led by the sharp, sudden cuts of Dion Lewis, and an occasional hurdle over a defender on the ground, the New England Patriots’ running game never looked better than it did last Sunday in totaling a season-high 196 yards against Miami.

This week’s hot-button question: Can the Patriots keep it going against a Buffalo Bills defense that recaptured its mojo in limiting Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt to 17 yards on 11 carries last week?

That’s the same Hunt who tore up the Patriots in Week 1 with 148 yards, but Hunt and the Chiefs totaled just 55 rushing yards against Buffalo last Sunday in a home loss.

The Bills hadn’t been as stingy against the run in the three games prior to that, surrendering 194 yards to the Jets, an eye-popping 298 to the Saints and 146 to the Chargers.

So which run defense can the Patriots expect to see Sunday at New Era Field (CBS, 1 p.m. ET)?

Bill Belichick is anticipating the tougher one, while Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams hopes he’s right.

“I think if you go through seven weeks of the season, we were one of the top five run defenses in the league, then we had a three-week lapse where it was poor and picked it back up last week,” Williams said. “I think maybe we had gotten away from some of our base fundamentals and guys maybe [were] trying to do a little too much.”

For the Patriots, the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Lewis has done more than enough since decisively taking over from Mike Gillislee as the team’s top option at running back.

Through the first five games of the season, Lewis was the No. 4 option and averaged just 12.8 offensive snaps per game. Over the past six games, his offensive playing time has increased to an average of 26.6 snaps per game and his production has spiked as well (career-high 112 yards last week), which has created some shifts in the fantasy football landscape.

One of the things that stands out to Bills coach Sean McDermott is how quarterback Tom Brady manages the game and creates stress for a defense to align correctly against the run because of a quick pace.

“They do a great job, and obviously with what the quarterback does and their weapons on the perimeter, it kind of opens up their running game at times,” he said. “Then I think their offensive line doesn’t get enough credit for what they do and Coach [Dante] Scarnecchia and what he’s been able to do over the years.”

Meanwhile, Williams called the Patriots a “physical, downhill” type of running game as he sets his sights on Lewis & Co.

“I think a lot of what he does is shiftiness and guys maybe settle their feet and he either jukes them or he can run through them maybe over-respecting that,” he said. “It’s a big challenge. He’s a really good player.”