New England Patriots: 1 compelling prediction in scrum vs Bills
The New England Patriots go against one of the best quarterbacks and teams in the NFL at home Thursday night when they face off against the mighty Buffalo Bills. How things have changed.
The former floor mat for the Tom Brady-led Pats has rebuilt and retooled into a perennial NFL powerhouse under terrific Head Coach Sean McDermott and their fabulous quarterback, Josh Allen. The Bills stand tied with Miami in first place in the AFC East at 8-3 while the Patriots are in last place at 6-5.
The Patriots lost their last battle in Minnesota in a winnable game against the Vikings. They now face an almost must-win against Buffalo at home in the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium. But can they prevail? Let’s take a look and predict the outcome.
The New England offensive and defensive outlooks
On offense, quarterback Mac Jones has snapped out of his early season funk and is playing better but is it good enough to beat the Bills excellent defense? The likelihood is no.
Jones’ seasonal TD vs. interception ratio is still poor. While Jones has a solid 69.1 completion percentage his six touchdown passes and seven interceptions leave a lot to be desired. He has had big trouble scoring touchdowns.
Advanced stats notwithstanding, Jones has failed to get his team into the end zone enough and that will be telling against Buffalo.
While Rhamondre Stevenson, a favorite from the get-go here has emerged as a top NFL multi-purpose back, he can’t carry the offense alone. The receiving and tight-end corps are still below average and that will not be good enough against Buffalo. Expect a low-scoring Patriots effort.
New England Patriots defense can’t stop Josh Allen
Buffalo’s trump card is quarterback Josh Allen. He’s emerged as an NFL superstar and it’s no fluke. Allen personifies a new-age NFL multi-purpose quarterbacking weapon. Allen has thrown for 11 TDs with six interceptions and a 63.9 completion percentage an excellent 3,183 yards passing compared to Jones’ pedestrian 1758.
But it’s Allen’s ability to gash opposing defenses with his running where he adds a new dimension and excels. His pocket escapability is excellent (Jones is almost non-existent) and he can turn bad plays into long gainers with his legs something Jones can’t.
Allen has rushed for 561 yards, five touchdowns, and a 6.9 yards per run average. Comparatively, Jones has rushed for 81 yards and one TD. The New England Patriots defense couldn’t stop Allen last season and they likely won’t this season either.
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Last week, the defense crumbled under a very good Minnesota offense led by Kirk Cousins. It caved and was demolished by Justin Jefferson who torched it for nine catches with a touchdown and 139 yards.
Buffalo will bring Stefon Diggs, another top NFL receiver to Gillette and the Patriots defense won’t be able to handle him either. Diggs has 1,110 receiving yards on the season to go along with nine touchdowns and 84 catches.
Unless Matt Judon and company can lasso Allen and contain Diggs, it will be a long night at Gillette Thursday. They won’t be able to and a long night is exactly what it will be.
The Bills will come into Gillette and do what they do best of late, thrash the Patriots as they did in their final two games last season. The prediction here is Buffalo will be a 37-13 winner against the Patriots in a game that won’t even be that close.
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The disparity between the two teams is huge. It’s not a divide but a chasm. Great teams are built in the offseason and New England’s offseason drafts and free agency were decidedly poor. The New England Patriots will be 6-6 come Friday as a result.
What’s your prediction for the Bills game? We’d like to hear.