New England Patriots fans are you ready? I said, New England Patriots fans are you ready?
Riding a six-game winning streak, Bill Belichick and his opportunistic defense into Buffalo to take on Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the Bills in an AFC East showdown on Monday Night Football.
In a winner takes first place in the AFC East clash, there will be several stories to watch, but this battle will more than likely come down to how Belichick defends against Allen and that Bills’ offense that can be very explosive.
New England Patriots defense in for a battle against Bills’ offense
Through the team’s six-game winning streak, the Patriots’ defense has not only given up the least points in all the NFL, but they have also been forcing turnovers and have held their last three opponents scoreless in the second half of games.
One could say this streak has involved a bit of luck as the Patriots didn’t have to face offensive playmakers such as Nick Chubb, Cordarrelle Patterson and recently the Tennessee Titans trio of Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. But, with the way players like Matt Judon, Christian Barmore and J.C. Jackson have been playing, you must believe Belichick would’ve found a way to contain those players.
Well, Belichick and his defense will have an opportunity to show the rest of the NFL they are for real against a Bills team with a talented quarterback and offensive playmakers in Diggs and tight end Dawson Knox who will certainly challenge the defense, as they don’t want to allow the game to turn into offensive showdown that would put the pressure on rookie quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots’ offense to match points with the Bills.
So, who are the New England Patriots defensive players on high alert in this game?
Let’s dissect by looking at how the Bills will try to exploit Belichick’s defense.
Christian Barmore, New England Patriots interior defense vs Bills running game
The Buffalo Bills aren’t highly touted for their run game, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the capability of controlling this game on the ground if the New England Patriots defensive line gets bullied like they were a week ago against the Tennessee Titans.
In giving up over 250 yards on the ground to no-name running backs, the Patriots’ run defense was pretty much exposed. Hopefully, that was just a one-game mirage because the Bills will try to exploit that, which could make for an important game for rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore.
Along with veterans Lawrence Guy and Davon Goddchaux, the Alabama product must establish their physicality early in the game. They can’t allow the Bills’ offensive line to win the line of scrimmage and allow Bills running backs Devin Singletary and Matt Breida to run wild. If that happens, it will make the Bills’ offense just that more dynamic and tougher to defend, which is obvious.
Why Barmore is important along that defensive line is because he does demand a lot of attention. If he is not double or even tripled teamed, he can be disruptive, which is why his presence can allow the linebackers to fill those gaps and make plays against the run.
As far as the pass rush goes, it’s a given Matt Judon will be in Allen’s eye view off the edge, but Barmore bull rushing the pocket up the middle could get the Bills’ QB scrambling around early and hopefully into the arms of players like Judon and Kyle Van Noy.
With that, Christian Barmore will be a defensive x-factor in this Monday Night showdown.
Adrian Phillips and the New England Patriots secondary vs Dawson Knox
The New England Patriots will focus on taking away wide receiver Stefon Diggs, which could open things up for Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox.
With the status of Kyle Dugger unknown, veteran safety Adrian Phillips will play a big role in this game because of his ability to play in the box against the run and defend a tight end like Knox. His versatility will certainly be utilized in this game because Belichick is very much aware of how much of an impact the young, talented tight end can be in the Bills’ passing game as well as his importance as a blocker.
"“He’s a good player,” Belichick said during his press conference Friday. “We’ve certainly had trouble with him before. Very competitive in every phase of the game. Good hands. Good receiver. Can make plays down the field. Coverts third downs. Good in the red area. Competitive blocker. Can detach from the line from the formation, sometimes in the backfield, not a lot, but has the versatility to go back there and do things. He’s a versatile player that Coach [Brian] Daboll moves around and utilizes in different ways, different matchups, different formations. He’s done a good job for them.”"
While Belichick may use a longer cornerback like JoeJuan Williams to defend Knox, a physical safety like Phillips would be the better bet, especially in a big game. Like his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in which he picked off Justin Herbert twice, Phillips will have an opportunity to make some plays if Allen is forced out of the pocket or forced to get rid of the ball quickly.
An undervalued free agent signing prior to the 2020 NFL season, Phillips could and should be a big reason the Patriots’ defense limit the Buffalo Bills offense in this AFC East showdown.
In concluding, they may give up some yards to Knox, but where they really must stop him is in the red zone. That’s where Phillips or whoever is responsible for Knox must step up in a big way.
New England Patriots ballhawk cornerback J.C. Jackson vs Stefon Diggs
If the New England Patriots truly believe J.C. Jackson is a shutdown corner, this is the game that will prove it.
As Stefon Diggs is obviously the No. 1 option for Josh Allen, Belichick will look to take that away and will use Jackson with safety help from Devin McCourty to make sure the talented receiver doesn’t break lose like he did in the last matchup between these two teams in which Diggs got the better of Jackson.
You better believe a competitive player like Jackson remembers that game and will be motivated to get a little payback on Diggs. If he can shut him down, that would give Belichick more defensive creativity to be able force Josh Allen into some mistakes.
Again, limiting the running game will be key because if they do that and take away Diggs, that will allow for the Patriots rush attack to make life difficult for Allen.
In summary, if J.C. Jackson hasn’t already earned a big payday, his performance against a high-level wide receiver like Diggs will certainly establish his worth and further cement him as a top corner in all the NFL.
If the outcome of this matchup between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills doesn’t start with this matchup, it could certainly end with Jackson having to make a play against Diggs for all the marbles…and bragging rights between two high-octane competitors.