Wild Bills: Analyzing the Buffalo Bills Offense Against New England

Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

After being doomed to quarterback purgatory, catching passes from E.J. Manuel for the first year of his career and still racking up 982 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns as a rookie, Watkins came out last week against Indianapolis and did…well…nothing. 0 receptions on 3 targets surprised me as much as it probably infuriated Watkins’ fantasy owners.

Don’t expect that to continue. He’s 6’1’’ wideout that notched a 4.43 second 40 at the Combine (he’s since ran faster times). Expect to see the Bills line up with Watkins on the outside looking to burn – Sammy averaged 15.1 yards per reception last year, with 14 receptions for 20+ yards. On this week’s C&C Podcast, Lars Weborg of Bills & Beers told us to watch for Watkins on a screen pass or two. He’s probably right.

Who Can Stop Him?

If the Patriots get into more zone-based coverage this week, which, given Buffalo’s tools on offense, wouldn’t be surprising, solid safety play is going to have to shut down any potential big plays. Safety Duron Harmon looked much improved last week, with his fourth-quarter interception of Ben Roethlisberger resulting in Belichick actually showing human emotions and raving about Harmon’s range and ability to track the pass.

As for Devin McCourty, well, he’s at the top of a lot of safety rankings for a reason. Letting Watkins get over the top isn’t something McCourty can very well afford to do.

Next: Two Backs Better Than One?