Buffalo Rumblings
The New England Patriots are 11-2 and in first place in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills are 9-4 and in second place in the AFC East. If New England beats Buffalo on Sunday, they clinch the AFC East Division title. If the Bills beat the Patriots, they delay New England’s ability to clinch, keeping the door ajar ever so slightly for a sixth-straight AFC East title to remain in Orchard Park, NY.
The breakdown above might be simplistic, but it’s also true. A three-turnover performance in October that dropped the Bills to 4-1 and pushed New England to 3-2 on the season is the reason why the Patriots have the tiebreaker, as New England beat Buffalo 23-20 in the first week of October. If Buffalo wants to repeat as division champs again, then Sunday is a must-win.
How can the Bills secure a victory over New England? They’ll need to shut down some of the Patriots’ top players in order to do so. Here are five Patriots to watch this Sunday against Buffalo.
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QB Drake Maye
Buffalo’s defense looks a bit different this time around, as they’ll have Shaq Thompson starting in place of Terrel Bernard, Jordan Poyer starting in place of Taylor Rapp, and Maxwell Hairston rotating in with Tre’Davious White. Those three tweaks to the defense should be welcome additions for the Bills, and they’ll need any help they can muster against Maye, who played out of his mind on Sunday Night Football back in October. Maye was 22-of-30 for 272 yards on the night, and while he didn’t throw a touchdown pass, he also didn’t make a mistake. Maye was took four sacks, but he made so many plays outside of the pocket by using his legs and keeping his eyes downfield.
Buffalo needs to have a better plan to keep Maye hemmed up inside the pocket, and if he does roll out, they need to treat him like teams treat their own quarterback, Josh Allen, and devise a plan to prevent him from rolling to his right. Giving Maye some strange pre-snap looks is a must, as they can create some mistakes if they force him to hold the ball and force it late.
All of this is easier said than done, as Maye has shown himself to be a franchise-level quarterback in his second season. Buffalo needs to mix their coverages and stay aggressive.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
Buffalo’s run defense has been much better of late, and it’s been especially good when veteran Shaq Lawson has stepped in for usual starter Terrel Bernard at middle linebacker. Thompson is likely to start again this week, and the Bills will need to be sound in their run defense yet again.
Early in the season, Henderson’s lack of usage was baffling, as most people viewed him as a dynamic playmaker who could be a much more explosive player than Rhamondre Stevenson. Well, over the last six games, Henderson has gained 472 yards rushing and 100 yards...
