The New England Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills in an AFC East battle on Monday Night Football. For the Pats, a big recent surge has them nosing ahead in the standings, much to the consternation of the Bills, a team that was supposed to take over the division. After a one-year slump, the Pats are already back on top of the pile, winners of six straight, including a conclusive 36-13 win over Tennessee on Sunday. Buffalo also won last week, beating the Saints on Thanksgiving, 31-6. After alternating wins and losses the last seven weeks, they look to get on a roll starting Sunday is this critical divisional showdown.
The Power of Consistency
After a rough start to the season where it looked like the Pats would again struggle, they have really been steady with their winning formula—good defense, the rising form of rookie QB Mac Jones, along with sound offensive line play and a rushing attack that has overcome injury issues and is now thriving. In their last four games, they’ve allowed a total of 26 points. We see opposing quarterbacks under pressure and being forced into mistakes, while their own quarterback Jones gains in comfort with his weapons.
This is the first matchup between these two divisional teams this season and it might be a tricky matchup for the Bills. They’ve been one of the more-erratic teams this season, going from the high-powered team for which we’ve become accustomed to an inept team that can’t get much going. The last four games attests to this unpredictable form—two conclusive wins over the Jets and Saints, sandwiching a bizarre 9-6 loss to the Jaguars and a 26-point loss to Indy. In other words, if looking for steadiness, the Patriots would have a strong edge.
Will the Bills Start Being the Bills?
On one hand, you’d figure that maybe some earlier-season inconsistencies will give way to better form. They have everything they need—a high-powered offense with a “D” that can do it all. It’s week 13 and they’re not where they should be. That could give way to higher urgency and their 25-point road-win against the Saints last week hints toward better form moving forward. But seeing a depreciated Bills team has been more than an aberration this season, with a handful of markedly-inferior showings. Seeing a Bills team that is far less than what one expected this season hasn’t exactly been a rare occurrence.
- Get more details: Patriots vs. Bills Week 13 Betting Stats
Could the Party Be Over?
We see both sides of the ball thriving for New England. But let’s look at this latest streak with wins over the Jets, Chargers, Panthers, Browns, Falcons, and Titans. These are all teams dealing with various issues, whether it be game-changing injuries or just poor overall form and inconsistency. And while Buffalo has been dodgy in spots, they would seem to represent a higher level of challenge on both sides of the ball to New England this week. It’s no guarantee that what has been working so well against the likes of Atlanta and an injury-ravaged Titans will go off without a hitch against a Buffalo team that might be snapping into late-season form.
Against the Buffalo defense, we’ll see if the Pats offensive line can get the push to keep their run-game flourishing. We’ve seen Mac Jones connecting well with Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. But now they’re going against a home Buffalo defense that might be getting their edge back. And on the other sideline is Josh Allen, working with a high-powered aerial offense and it’s the kind of firepower differential that could surface in a big way on MNF.
