New Orleans Saints vs. Buffalo Bills
Meeting for the first time since 2013, the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills are looking better than have in previous seasons. Both teams have good quarterbacks, a solid running game and vastly improved defenses.
What’s keeping them separate from each other is their records. The Saints are hot right now, looking for a seventh-straight win while the Bills are fresh off a loss to the Jets. Tensions are going to be high with both teams needing a victory. The last time the two teams met was the Saints last winning season so it could be a throwback to 2013.
Let’s take a good look at this matchup, starting with the keys to victory for the game.
Keys to Victory
Looking at the Saints, they’ve been pretty good this season. The one thing they need to focus on is not making mistakes on special teams. As good as their special teams have been at times, they’ve been pretty bad at others, too. As for Willie Snead and Ted Ginn Jr., they need to actually catch their punts after costly fumbles. They need to improve their special teams play so the Bills can’t take advantage of their mistakes.
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Defensively, the Saints have to stifle the run. McCoy is one of the top running backs in the league and if he gets the chance, he’ll run all over them. If they can perform as strongly as they did against Tampa Bay, the Bills will have their hands full. Most of the top RBs they faced have rushed for less than 100 yards so McCoy will have to fight to break that.
Offensively, the Bills need to protect Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was sacked seven times by the Jets last week. That’s completely ridiculous and there’s no excuse for it. Going up against the Saints defense will be tough, but they need to get the pressure off Taylor and let him make throws, run for extra yards and just give the guy a chance.
Looking at their defense, the Bills need to focus on takeaways. Brees doesn’t throw many interceptions, but picking him off or causing a fumble could be exactly what they need. If they take advantage of shaky special teams, getting takeaways could be a lot easier.
Odds
Point Spread: Saints -3
Moneyline: New Orleans Saints -145, Buffalo Bills +125
Over/Under: 46.5
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: 49ers continue rebuilding
Prediction
This game is huge for both teams like the Saints are looking to show they’re worth the hype and the Bills are trying to show last week was a fluke. Both teams are itching for a win and will play hard so they will both have their hands full. If the Saints win, they’ll ultimately become the NFC South favorite and if the Bills win, they won’t be out of the conversation just yet.
Final Score: New Orleans Saints: 34, Buffalo Bills: 21
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