New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots to say the least, have been on fire. After losing to the Carolina Panthers on October 1 by a 33-30 score, New England has proceeded to win seven straight football games. Their last game, a 35-17 win over the Miami Dolphins sets the stage for their next opponent, the Buffalo Bills. New England has established a big three of their own as Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks have form an unstoppable trio. This could be dangerous for the rest of the National Football League come playoff time.
After starting out hot early in the season, the Buffalo Bills have begun to fall back to earth. Following their victory over the Oakland Raiders on October 29, a lot happened after that. The team lost three in a row, rebounding with a big 16-10 win over the Kansas City last Sunday. Also in between that time, Tyrod Taylor was benched in favor of Nathan Peterman, the former Pittsburgh Panther standout.
He performed decently up until his November 19 start against the San Diego Chargers. He threw five interceptions in the first half as the Chargers rolled 54-24. As a result, Taylor was renamed the starter and with the big win over the Chiefs, he looks to perform well against an opponent that has historically given him trouble.
These two teams come in at No. 1 and 2 in the AFC East with 9-2 and 6-5 records respectively. Both have offenses that can make impact plays in a hurry, and it should be interesting to see how these two teams gameplan for one another.
Keys to Victory
When it comes to the Bills, their offense has been great when it has been balanced. We know what Taylor can do. He can beat you with his arm, but also with his feet, making it very difficult for defenses to figure him out. LeSean McCoy has had an up-and-down year to this point. After a series of single-digit rushing games, he broke out on November 19 against the Chargers. Rushing for 114 yards on 13 carries, it was his third 100-yard game of the year. He can also be effective in the passing game and he showed it against Los Angeles, scoring a 12-yard touchdown, proving to be one of the lone bright spots of the game.
Defensively, Buffalo has ranked at the bottom of the league. They rank No. 25 in the league with 3,904 yards given up in total. Perhaps most glaring, they have given up 2,650 passing yards. This averages out to about 354.9 yards per game. In addition, they rank No. 17 in the league in points given up per game with 23.6. They need to focus on limiting the amount of passing yards they give up, which is easier said than done when facing Tom Brady on Sunday. However, they need to make sure they get pressure on him, and force him to make throws under duress. That is when he becomes most vulnerable. If the Bills can jam Gronkowski and Cooks at the line of scrimmage or at least make them uncomfortable, they will be in good shape. That of course is easier said than done.
For the Patriots defense, they need to make sure they keep Taylor in the pocket. Deshaun Watson was the last mobile quarterback they saw, and they had trouble containing him. Watson ran eight times for 41 yards and a touchdown back on September 24. Taylor can do similar damage as he has rushed the ball 66 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns on the year. They need to put a spy on him and make sure that if he goes out of the pocket they get in his rushing lanes and impede his progress.
Offensively, the Patriots should look to spread the ball around. It is easy to fall in love with targeting Gronkowski and Amendola, but New England has enough weapons to share the wealth. Eight Patriots caught at least one pass against Miami Sunday. With the Patriots, their gameplan changes so frequently that you never know what is coming next. They should use all the tools they have at their disposal. For the most part this season, they have and it has been working. They are the top offense in the league with 4,523 yards gained on the season, breaking down to 411.2 yards per game.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Buffalo +9.5
Moneyline: New England – 450, Buffalo +325
Over/Under: 44
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Giants replace Eli
Prediction
Buffalo has always given New England fits and I do not expect that to change. However, the firepower of the New England offense will be too much for a Buffalo defense that still has a lot of work to do.
Final Score: New England Patriots: 38, Buffalo Bills : 21