New England Patriots: Rob Gronkowski, players to watch vs. Bills in Week 8

The New England Patriots are gearing up for a matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Their offense has gained steam and will seek to capitalize off that momentum heading into this game.

With the toughness and grit of the Buffalo Bills, they usually give the New England Patriots a hard time but fall short of a win. The Patriots are 5-1 against the Bills since 2015, three of those wins coming on the road. New England’s defense is looking for a redeeming performance, and Buffalo’s abysmal offense could be the perfect victim.

Buffalo’s defense has not been in great form this season. They have fallen from grace, allowing 335.3 yards per game, resulting in 25.0 points per outing. The Bills offense has been struggling behind Josh Allen, only managing a total of 11.6 points per game — and Allen won’t even play in Monday night’s game.

Here we take a look at three impact players to watch for the Patriots.

3. James White

The versatile running back will assume the bulk of carries in this game due to Sony Michel‘s knee injury. James White will most likely alternate between running the ball and catching out of the backfield, especially in the red zone.

White had a great game last week against the Chicago Bears, rushing for 40 yards on 11 attempts. On the receiving end, White scored two touchdowns for 57 yards and eight receptions. The Bills are in the middle of the pack of the NFL in terms of run defense, ranking 16th in rushing yards allowed per game at 110.7.

These weaknesses will allow the Patriots to exploit the Bills defense in a plethora of ways throughout the game, look for Tom Brady to run many screen passes, as well as short yardage throws and mix it up with a few running back tosses to keep the defense guessing.