New England Patriots - NESN.com
Buffalo Bills star receiver Khalil Shakir is impressed with the New England Patriots and how they play football.
The Bills are set to go on the road to play the Patriots on Sunday in Week 15 NFL action, which is a pivotal AFC East matchup.
New England can clinch the division with a win, which would be a major turnaround in Mike Vrabel’s first year as the Patriots’ head coach. Shakir believes that is a key reason for New England’s success as Vrabel has them playing sound football.
“They just play sound football,” Shakir said in a one-on-one interview to Forbes, in an article published on Tuesday. “I think their defense and offense, they just click on all cylinders. I think they gel really well together. I think as a team, you can tell that they play for each other. For us to go there and catch them, I think the main thing for us is taking care of the football. …
“Mike Vrabel kind of came in and just helped them gel together as a team and play for each other. I think that’s things that you see when you turn on the film. You have a team that you can tell that they play for each other. I think when you play for each other, that’s the best recipe to success.”
Shakir also credits Drake Maye for the Patriots’ success this season, as the sophomore quarterback is the MVP frontrunner.
“I think his composure this year has just been really good,” Shakir said of Maye. “He’s been able to stay calm in hectic moments and make really, really good throws. I think he’s playing really good football right now.”
With how well both the Bills and Patriots are playing, Shakir is looking forward to Sunday’s game.
Buffalo is a 1.5-point road favorite over the Patriots. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. ET.
