New England Patriots: 1 crushing bold prediction vs Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots will face the mighty Buffalo Bills this weekend at Buffalo in their final game of the 2022 regular season. The season has actually gone according to expectations as the team was expected here to be 9-8 at best and more likely an 8-9 squad. They are now at 8-8.
This season’s Patriots are who we thought they were. And that’s a fair-to-middling team with lots of holes and no one to fill them after a less-than-auspicious offseason.
Teams are made or broken in their off-seasons. The Pats muffed their past two off-seasons fairly substantially. Though there were some very bright lights, the overall analysis has them coming up short.
They spent a guaranteed $150M plus of owner Bob Kraft’s money in a massive free agency splurge in the 2021 offseason. It has had decidedly mixed results and was mostly disappointing.
Last season it gained them a 10-7 record and a one-and-done playoff thrashing by the Bills. In this last of this 2022 season’s games, expect the same type of crushing defeat at the hands of the far-superior Buffalo Bills.
The New England Patriots will get crushed by Buffalo this weekend.
The Patriots are coming off a win at home against a quarterback-depleted Miami Dolphins. They escaped with a close victory but it wasn’t too convincing. The New England Patriots go as their defense goes, and against Buffalo, that’s a serious challenge.
Buffalo’s offense is a juggernaut led by their MVP candidate, Josh Allen. Allen is Kryptonite to the Patriots’ defense’s Supermen. His ability to scramble out of broken plays, run on a scripted play, and make great throws downfield to his bevy of fine receivers is championship-caliber.
Allen has thrown for 4,029 yards with a 63.7 percent completion percentage along with 32 TD passes and 13 interceptions. Stephon Diggs is their best receiver and one of the best in the NFL. He has 101 catches with 10 TDs and 1325 yards.
Behind him, the Bills have Gabe Davis with 45 catches and seven TDs and Isaiah McKenzie with 40 and four TDs. Tight end Dawson Knox had chipped in with 46 catches along with five TDs. It’s a formidable group. Their rushing leader is Devin Singletary with 790 yards.
Allen has been sacked 31 times this far and if the Pats’ defense is to stop him, they’ll have to get not just hits, not pressures, just sacks, and only sacks. Stop Allen, stop Buffalo. But that’s easier said than done.
The New England Patriots offense is still deficient
The Patriots’ best offense lately has been their opportunistic defense, especially in the person of emerging safety, Kyle Dugger. Dugger has turned three opposition mistakes into TDs this season.
In addition, the sack duo of Matt Judon and Josh Uche, finally emerging in his third year into a player, is also formidable. Yet, as good as the Patriots’ defense can be, the offense is still not generating points enough to get them into a run-and-gun game with Buffalo.
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Mac Jones has had a mediocre year completing 65.3 percent of his passes and throwing only 11 TD passes along with 8 INTs in his 13 games. It’s just not good enough for a contending team. The shining light of the offense has been running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Stevenson is on the cusp of 1000 yards sitting at 986 rushing with 5 TDs. In addition, he’s tied for the team lead with 64 catches and has a TD through the air. A really nice season for Rhamondre.
With all that in mind, let’s sum up and make a prediction. First, the Buffalo Bill’s strength is the Patriots’ weakness. Their offenses. Yet, it will be the Patriots’ strength, their defense, versus the Bills’ strength, their offense. The Pats are unlikely to win that battle.
Conversely, the Bills’ defense is more than capable. It’s the best statistically in the league, including in points allowed.
dark. Next. Patriots QB Mac Jones needs to shed the douchy dirty player label
All this leads to one inescapable conclusion, the New England Patriots will lose their next game against Buffalo in an easy Bills’ victory. Forget the playoffs. A score of 37-13 isn’t likely to be too far off.
The reality is, the Buffalo Bills have become the Patriots of the last two decades, and the Pats are now the also-rans. Unfortunately, it is what it is. And that’s not great.