The New England Patriots enter Week 13 as the hottest team in the NFL, riding a six-game win streak.
The Buffalo Bills have been arguably the most inconsistent team in the league. The Bills (7-4) haven’t won back-to-back games since early October and now are second in the division behind the Patriots (8-4).
The two teams clash on Monday Night Football in the first meeting of two scheduled in December to decide the AFC East. It’s going to be a frenzy on national TV shows this week as analysts lob out hot takes on what ESPN’s Dianna Russini is calling “without a doubt the biggest game of the year” in the NFL.
Russini picked the Bills to go to the Super Bowl before the season started but is starting to change her tune.
“Now it looks like the New England Patriots are dominating, not just that division, but the AFC,” she said Thursday morning on “Get Up” on ESPN. “This is going to tell us everything we need to know about whether or not Buffalo is going to be a contender in the playoffs. Because it’s now or never for them. At this point they have to figure it out against this New England Patriots defense that has been outstanding the last six games.”
The Bills are coming off a 31-6 beatdown against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving. Quarterback Josh Allen and the offense got things going against a Saints defense that has been solid all season despite an inept offense on the other side of the ball with a bunch of key players out with injuries.
This week against the Patriots, ESPN’s Bart Scott said it’s going to be all hands on deck for the Bills defense against rookie quarterback Mac Jones and a run game that has taken loads of pressure off the quarterback.
“If we’ve seen any chink in the armor with Buffalo it’s the fact they can be dominated through the run game, which limits the possessions within the gam,” Scott said. “So they’re gonna have to be able to play big boy ball. All these guys are gonna have to hold double teams and sit on double teams, and these linebackers are gonna have to come downhill.
“This is going to be an indicator too - what’s Josh Allen made of? Remember this is the $200 million-dollar man. They paid him to see if he can be the difference maker and if he loses to a rookie on the other side it’s a bad sign for years to come within the division.”
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Bills enter this matchup with a 67% chance to win the AFC East. The Patriots, who lost a divisional game earlier this season against the Miami Dolphins, currently have a 33% chance. If the Bills win, their odds move all the way up 84% to win the division. If they lose, the Patriots’ odds soar to 64%.
READ MORE
Fromm Buffalo with love: Giants sign Buffalo Bills QB off practice squad
Bills’ Star Lotulelei, Spencer Brown activated off Covid list, Jon Feliciano back at practice
Patriots’ Mac Jones aware of Bills Mafia: I’ve seen a lot of crazy video
Talk about the Bills
Be sure to check out and subscribe to “Shout! The Buffalo Football Podcast” with beat writers Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot.
Facebook | Twitter | APPLE | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE | YOUTUBE
Upgrade your NFL stuff
Sideline gear | Gameday masks | Livestream schedule | Bills gear