- WHERE: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
- WHEN: 8: 15 p.m. ET | High Video, NFL+
Call it the Tom Brady curse. For a few years — just about two full an prolonged time — the Patriots dominated the Bills in a method few franchises had been in a stutter to protect out to a division rival.
From the second Brady took over as Patriots starter in 2001 to his closing season with the crew in 2019, the Patriots went 34-4 in video games in opposition to the Bills. In Foxborough, it was once even worse: The Patriots gained all 17 video games with Brady beginning and ending the game in that span.
However the occasions comprise modified. Now the Patriots are these throughout the stalking stutter and the Bills are the crew with the megastar quarterback.
Josh Allen hasn’t fairly been on his early-season MVP be aware, nonetheless in his previous 5 video games in opposition to the Patriots (together with playoffs), he’s achieved 66.7% of his passes, thrown for 1,241 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception whereas rushing for 227 yards and one rating.
So heading into Thursday night’s elementary matchup of the Bills occurring the toll highway to face the Patriots, we should grasp in suggestions Buffalo to be the dominant crew throughout the relationship.
The Bills don’t comprise grand margin for error of their scramble for the AFC East crown, with the Miami Dolphins sharing their 8-3 file and the Jets fairly a recreation throughout the assist of at 7-4 (with a head-to-head salvage over the Bills, as well). They’ve moreover persevered a wild stretch lately that built-in support-to-support losses and two wins in Detroit (one a “dwelling” recreation) in a four-day stretch.
However the Patriots would possibly per probability comprise even a lot much less room for error at 6-5 with a no longer straightforward agenda earlier than them, together with a Week 18 rematch in Buffalo. Mac Jones and the offense purchased heading throughout the acceptable route early on Thanksgiving sooner than faltering behind in a no longer straightforward toll highway loss final Thursday.
Here are 4 issues to find for when the Bills search the recommendation of with the Patriots on Thursday night on High Video:
- Bills protection has one neatly-known explicit particular person assist throughout the lineup, one out. In a intensive blow to the Bills, move rusher Von Miller will omit Thursday’s recreation. They signed him for video games akin to this, so this may doubtless be as a lot as Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Boogie Basham to assist earn the slack. The Patriots comprise cycled by offensive linemen indulge in indignant this season, even benching used first-rounders, guard Cole Uncommon and sort out Isaiah Wynn at assorted parts this season. Heart David Andrews moreover ignored final week’s recreation and is questionable for this one. Mac Jones has been sacked 19 occasions in his previous 150 dropbacks, so the pass-speeding alternatives must be there. In Thursday’s salvage over the Lions, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White observed his first motion of the season — 16 snaps on protection — and figures to comprise a bet at taking part in extensively on this one. This is able to be White’s first recreation in opposition to the Patriots since Dec. 28, 2020, after lacking all of final season with an ACL damage, as successfully. Novel England’s potential to throw the ball will doubtless be key, as this may doubtless be lacking operating assist Damien Harris and might best check out Rhamondre Stevenson to protect out so grand as a runner with how alive to he’s been throughout the move recreation today.
- Patriots should heat up the move flee in opposition to Josh Allen. Novel England has a extremely ranked protection that has taken over a number of video games this season. But there was once a transparent disparity between their outcomes versus probably the most environment friendly quarterbacks and these beneath that mark. Gifted QBs and excessive-powered offenses haven’t had their method with the Patriots, nonetheless they’ve had much more success in opposition to them this season than lesser ones by a intensive margin. One inconsistent group has been the pass-flee unit up entrance. The lack of defensive sort out Christian Barmore has damage the internal stress, and although Matt Judon has been largely very supreme this season as an exterior rusher, there have been too many video games the set different Patriots comprise no longer stepped up on this division. Nine of their 37 sacks got here in opposition to a feckless Colts crew. And these inconsistencies stretch assist to the three Bills video games a season throughout the previous. Allen was once sacked twice on 32 dropbacks in Week 13 a 12 months throughout the previous, nonetheless he was once no longer sacked and hit best 5 occasions in 72 dropbacks throughout the Week 16 recreation and the playoff fight mixed. The Patriots can’t let Allen dictate the game together with his arm and legs, should throw him off rhythm and procure him off his spots and are trying to generate turnover-noteworthy possibilities to comprise a shot.
- Bills are available in struggling throughout the crimson zone. The Bills had been the NFL’s No. 1-ranked red-zone offense in 2021, scoring touchdowns 66.3% of the time throughout the common season. But issues comprise trended much more negatively in 2022, because the Bills comprise turned the ball over a league-worst six occasions in that share of the sector — just about thrice as many as that they had a 12 months throughout the previous, in just about double the performs. Issues had been higher on this division when the Bills transformed three of 4 red-zone possibilities throughout the Thanksgiving salvage over the Lions. But they had been best 9 of 20 throughout the three video games prior, two of which resulted in losses (together with the Vikings loss, which ended with an time previous regulation INT throughout the discontinue zone). Portion of the struggles comprise come from Allen trusting his arm power too grand, believing he can thread the witness of any tight-window needle. The Patriots will doubtless be awake of this. Allen has had considerably factual success in opposition to the Patriots altering in that area of the sector, no longer taking sacks and by no means turning the ball over, throughout the previous few conferences. The Patriots gladly will let the Bills switch down the sector readily if it method holding them to area wants and making one or two intensive performs shut to the discontinue zone.
- Patriots moreover should restore their secondary mercurial. Novel England ranks ninth in passing yards allowed per recreation (198.5), sixth in yards per move play allowed (6.05) and third in INT proportion (3.32%). But final week, this was once a group that largely carried out poorly. Jonathan Jones had two move breakups and an interception, nonetheless was once torched only a few occasions by the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson. Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger made only a few performs, then but once more it was once clever to earn the unprecedented side from a considerably spoiled effectivity total. Even Devin McCourty appeared as if it can procure picked on only a few occasions. The Patriots know that gained’t decrease it in opposition to Allen and the Bills. Jones typically marks Stefon Diggs, nonetheless who will cover Gabe Davis? And what about Isaiah McKenzie, who was once the key weapon throughout the Bills’ dominant salvage in Foxborough final 12 months? Germain to the pass-flee share, it’s fully attainable that the Patriots determine to flee three and 4 typically, taking part in extra safety than something. But Allen moreover calls for a uncover particularly spots, so Novel England must be titillating, assignment-wise, to behind down this excessive-powered group that now has full confidence it can scurry into Gillette Stadium and topple 30-plus parts.
