The Patriots have not been a team featured too much in primetime over the last few seasons, and most fans would agree that it was probably the right decision. Throughout the dynasty years, the entire country got to watch New England beat down its opponents more than any other team during any season, but their demise made it easy not to continue that.
Because they weren't expected to do much this year, with most predictions believing they would maybe double last season's wins, they were only shown nationally for three games. There was some hope that their rematch with the Bills would be flexed into primetime, but that didn't happen.