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The New England Patriots will enter Bills Mafia territory as they head to Orchard Park, New York, to face Buffalo. This Patriots-Bills battle on Sunday Night Football will have plenty of implications. Ultimately, every Patriots player must contribute to have a chance to steal this game. But one New England X-factor must stand out to truly topple one of the few undefeated teams.
Buffalo is currently favored by 8.5 points to beat New England, according to FanDuel. Significantly, most oddsmakers expect the Bills to dominate the Pats. That has not been the case recently. Last season, the Bills narrowly edged out the Pats 24-21. The season before, Buffalo won 27-21 at home.
The battles have been close and competitive. But can New England pull off the upset? Here is the Patriots’ X-factor and how they can get the victory, along with other factors that may affect this game.
It’s been a mixed bag in New England this season. After starting the season with a loss at home to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Pats went into South Florida and beat the Miami Dolphins. But the Pats followed that up with a home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Recently, they dominated the Carolina Panthers to improve their record to 2-2.
It is tough to gain a consensus on how good this team is. Although they have looked good in their wins, they have also looked dreadful in their losses. Overall, the offense has been the culprit, and has failed to produce in their two losses.
Drake Maye has been efficient as the quarterback this season. So far, he has passed for 998 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye has not been perfect by any means. However, he has shown up in the victories and cemented himself as the quarterback of this team.
Rhamondre Stevenson has been good, rushing 31 times for 125 yards, while also catching 11 passes for 141 yards. Likewise, Treveyon Henderson has rushed 26 times for 97 yards and a touchdown while catching 13 passes for 87 yards. Receiver Stefon Diggs has caught 19 passes for 213 yards.
Christian Gonzalez returned last weekend and recorded a tackle to help the Pats beat the Panthers. Ultimately, the defense delivered when they needed to, while also getting a major cushion from the offense.
The Patriots have entered the AFC conversation, and some believe they can secure a playoff spot. However, they have struggled to beat the Bills since Tom Brady left New England. The Patriots are just 3-8 in 11 games against the Bills since Brady left. Alarmingly, that has set a troubling pattern, indicating that the Patriots just cannot beat the Bills.
Much of the failure to beat the Bills has been due to the inability to stop or contain Josh Allen. However, there has also been an inability to score consistently. Yes, there have been a few...
