AFC Game Of The Week

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

Bills: They are back in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. I never thought they’d have ten wins as week 16 was approaching. In a year where there’s been many surprises, Sean McDermott deserves a lot of consideration for coach of the year (seems like I’m saying that every other week about someone). I like the way this team is built. There’s nothing flashy about them. They just play downhill football. That consists of running through you, pushing you up front at the line of scrimmage, solid quarterback play that consists of taking care of the football then, they play good defense. I’ll admit I was back and forth on their game against the Steelers on Sunday night. I really didn’t know who to take. At first, I took the Steelers because they have such a strong track record at home. After a few days, I decided to take the Bills because in the end, I trust Josh Allen more than I did Devlin Hodges. They’re in a really good position right now. My biggest takeaway when it comes to them is, they play for one another. It’s not one guy coming in to establish himself as the clear-cut favorite best player. They all find ways to contribute. Saturday afternoon will be the biggest game in recent memory for the Bills. It’s a trip to Foxboro to face the Patriots.

Patriots: After consecutive losses, they were able to finally stop the bleeding on Sunday. It was on to Cincinnati. In the beginning, I saw them come out flat. I wasn’t fazed by it because I knew they’d turn things around once the second half came around. With the win against the Bengals on Sunday, the Patriots were able to clinch another spot in the playoffs for the 11th straight season. If you saw the score of the game, you’d think it was an easy showdown, right? Not necessarily. I understand things have been challenging for New England’s offense this year. They even had trouble moving the football against the Bengals who happen to have one of the worst defenses in the league. Here I was thinking they could snap out the funk in this one but that wasn’t the case. Although the score may seem as if they dominated, I was still concerned because I felt that was a game for them to put away early. They couldn’t do it. You’d think all would be sunny with them especially since they’re 11-3. This is a different feel for the Patriots. Normally at this time of the year, they have the division locked up. At this point, they’re usually playing for one of the top two seeds in the AFC. Now, they’re locked into the two seed in the AFC playoff picture which would give them a first-round bye. If they want to win the division, they’ll have to take down a very solid Bills team coming off a huge win last Sunday night.

Bills Player to Watch: Devin Singletary– If you’ve watched the Patriots defense closely, they’ve had two weaknesses. One has been limiting quarterbacks who are able to move the pocket. The other has been their struggles to shut down the running game. The Bills decided to release Shady McCoy because they felt Devin was a bright part of their future on offense. I felt they made the right decision. He’s a workhorse. You can continuously get him the football and he won’t get tired. He takes handoffs, tosses and gets the ball checked down to him every now and then in the flat.

Patriots Player to Watch: N’Keal Harry– If the Patriots want to get their offense going, this is who can provide that spark they’ve been looking for. When he was drafted this Spring, I immediately liked the move because it gave Tom a true possession weapon on the outside and it would replace the redzone presence that Gronk provided for them. He’s a big kid standing tall at 6’4. Let him handle the responsibilities of the outside while Edelman and Sanu work the middle.

Final Analysis: Who saw this happening? This could ultimately be for the division! The same AFC East that the Patriots have locked down for the last decade! What a game this could shape up to be. When these two first met in week four, Buffalo gave the Patriots all they could handle. New England did escape with a six-point win and that was mostly because Josh Allen had his worst game of the year with three interceptions. Since that game, I’ve seen a more patient quarterback along with a guy that’s become better at reading defenses. For Buffalo to win, they need Josh to play mistake-free football. I’m curious to see how New England will game plan in this one. Buffalo is playing much better defense this time around than they did in their first meeting. Entering the game, Buffalo’s defense is currently second in points allowed (15.9), third in passing yards allowed (190.5), 10th in rushing yards allowed (101.4) and third in total yards allowed (291.9).

Prediction: Bills 20 Patriots 17