Patriots-Bills Preview: AFC East Lead on the Line

By Frank OLaughlin | Oct 11, 2014

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Week 6: New England Patriots (3-2) @ Buffalo Bills (3-2)

Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Time: 1:00 p.m.

TV/Radio: CBS/98.5 The Sports Hub

Live Stream: Watch Here

First place in the AFC East will be on the line when the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills link up at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Sunday afternoon. Through five weeks of play, both the Patriots and Bills have experienced their fair share of ups and downs. This Week 6 showdown presents a chance for these long-time rivals to set the tone for the division moving forward.

Both teams are coming off wins last week. The Patriots dismantled the Bengals. The Bills escaped Detroit with an overtime win. They also have impressive wins over the Bears and Dolphins. New England’s only real signature win was last week. Their other two wins came against the lowly Raiders and Vikings. One team will be exposed as the lesser group after 60 minutes of play.

The Patriots will be forced to take the field without a trio of strong competitors. Center Bryan Stork will be out after suffering a concussion in practice this past week. Corner Brandon Browner will be held out with an ankle injury. His team debut will have to wait. Rookie defensive tackle Dominique Easley will not dress either.

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Tom Brady’s name also appeared on the injury report. He’s listed as questionable heading into the game with an ankle injury. Other key questions marks come on the defensive side of the ball. Devin McCourty, Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower, are all nursing injuries.

All eyes were going to be focused on the Patriots offense and their line. They performed in a strong manner last Sunday for really the first time all season. They’ll be forced to juggle the offensive line with Stork out of the lineup. Point production may be at a premium if Brady is actually indeed hobbled.

As for the Bills, they’ll look to attack a banged up Patriots front seven with a heavy dose of the run. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will likely split carries. They are a dynamic combo as Jackson runs with physicality and Spiller is extremely quick.

Look for corner Darrelle Revis to be matched up opposite Bills rookie playmaker Sammy Watkins. Watkins is a large target for quarterback Kyle Orton. The strategy Bill Belichick employed against A.J. Green will likely be called upon again this week.

Brady holds a 22-2 career record against the Bills. He has 54 touchdowns in those games. Assuming Brady is not hindered by his injury, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman could be in for monster games.

The Bills boast a stout run defense. Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams hold down the Bills front seven. They’re two of the best run stuffers in the NFL. Brandon Spikes backs them up. Establishing the run may be difficult and the Patriots could have to rely heavily on the pass, thus presenting more chances for Gronk, Edelman and the rest of the supporting cast.

My Prediction: Patriots 27, Bills 17

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