Photo Courtesy: Brandon Wu
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills
Monday – December 6 – 7:15 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Highmark Stadium – Orchard Park, NY
Records Before the Game
New England Patriots (8-4, 5-0 Away)
Buffalo Bills (7-4, 3-2 Home)
The Patriots at one time were losing games left and right to teams that couldn’t beat top tier college teams. The Patriots are perfect on the road this year. They have gone into hostile territory and beaten teams handily. In their last five games, the Patriots are 5-0. The Bills were crowned AFC champions after four games. The Bills are 3-2 in their last five games with a win over the Saints, the hapless Jets and Dolphins on the road.
Monday Night Football
The world is watching to see who’s in control of the AFC. Buffalo was crowned champions early while the football egg heads said that the Patriots were in the rebuilding stage and gave them three years to become a better team. Tonight’s the night and everything is on the line.
New England Patriots
Let’s take a close look at quarterback Mac Jones. He has 2850 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. His QBR is 52.7 which lands him at 14th in the league. He’s a rookie that has the keys to one of the league’s best franchises in the NFL. He and running back Damien Harris shared the Alabama backfield and won a National Championship. Aligning these guys to play together has brought new blood to a winning organization. Tonight, both players will be the x-factors for the Patriots against the Bills. The Patriot’s defense is pretty good on that side of the ball. They give up an average of 15.8 points per game.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo is a dangerous team. Quarterback Josh Allen is a unicorn. He’s big, fast and strong playing under center in Buffalo. He can beat you with his arm and legs. Running back Devin Singletary is a tough gritty runner between the tackles. He will be a key, but not the x-factor for tonight. The x-factor will be wide receiver Stefon Diggs. He has 67 receptions for 847 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Bills defense gives up 16.5 points per game and sits in the top 10 in defense. The Bills defense is stingy and have created turnovers in four of their last five games.
Prediction
ESPN has the Bills with a 64.3% chance of winning at home tonight. Both offenses can score points, but the defenses will be on full display in tonight’s game. The team that creates the most turnovers and 3 and outs will win this one. I’m taking Buffalo by 7!
Final Score
Bills – 30
Patriots – 23
