Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills face off against the New England Patriots this weekend, and this game could decide the AFC East division champ. With a victory, New England will clinch their first division title since the 2019 season, which would simultaneously break a six-year streak of division titles for the Bills, who have won it every season since.
Given that the Patriots beat Buffalo earlier this season, winning 23-20 in primetime all the way back in October, the tiebreaker goes to New England at the moment. The Bills have just one divisional game remaining after this one, the regular-season finale against the New York Jets, while the Patriots play those same Jets in Week 17 before finishing with the Miami Dolphins in Week 18. Buffalo has a chance at retaining the AFC East crown, but they need some help, as they’ll need to win every remaining game and hope that New England drops one of those two final contests.
Before Buffalo goes begging for help from elsewhere, however, they can help themselves with a win this week. While the Bills can’t clinch a playoff spot this week, they can take their odds as close to 100% as possible without officially clinching if they just win Sunday’s game. In order to come out with a win, they’ll need some big performances from their big players.
Here are five Bills players to watch this week against the Patriots.
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QB Josh Allen
The last time these two teams played, Allen was fine, completing 22-of-31 passes for 253 yards, two scores, and one interception. He was also Buffalo’s leading rusher, carrying nine times for 53 yards. He made one huge mistake, throwing an interception in the low red zone late in the third quarter while targeting a double-covered Khalil Shakir.
If Allen takes the easy money on that play and checks down to James Cook, Buffalo lives to fight another down. They might score a touchdown, or at worst, they kick a field goal. In a game that Buffalo ultimately lost by three points, it was a pair of bad turnovers — the aforementioned interception and a Keon Coleman fumble inside Buffalo’s own 10-yard line — that doomed the Bills.
If Allen can avoid turnovers and maintain a pace similar to what he did in the first meeting, it will likely be enough to keep the Bills in position to win. However, if he forces the ball and puts it in harm’s way, New England’s defense will capitalize.
Allen put on his cape last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, but this New England defense is much better than Cincinnati’s leagueworst unit. It’s a different challenge this week, but if anyone is up to the task, it’s the reigning MVP.
RB James Cook
Part of Buffalo’s offensive struggles against the Patriots — the biggest part, in my opinion — was the inability to run the football consistently. Cook carried 15 times for just 49 yards in the loss. More maddeningly, he was only targeted once...
