NFL Game of the Week: Patriots VS Bills

After a wild Week 1 in the National Football League, two teams really stood out for different reasons. The Buffalo Bills manhandled the Indianapolis Colts, and the New England Patriots left zero doubt in the eyes of the AFC after they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. It just so happens that these two teams will be facing each other this Sunday, in Buffalo. Before we dive into this matchup, let’s take a look at each team’s performance in Week 1.

Buffalo Cruises Past Colts

As I stated earlier, the Buffalo Bills looked great against the Indianapolis Colts. Heading into the game, all eyes were on QB Tyrod Taylor. Taylor, a sixth round draft pick in 2010 by Baltimore, has been in the league for five years mainly as a backup. This year, he has finally gotten his shot in the NFL, and he didn’t disappoint in his first career start. T-Mobile, as he calls himself, went 14/19 for 195 yards passing with his lone touchdown coming on a 51 yard strike to WR Percy Harvin. Taylor also added 41 yards on the ground to keep the Colts defense on their toes all game long. Tyrod played mistake free and did what he was asked to do.

Another key in Buffalos success last Sunday was their Defense. Indianapolis Colts QB, Andrew Luck, didn’t have a chance to get comfortable. Luck went 26/49(53% comp), 243 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Those numbers are well of his averages last year. The Stanford Alum looked rattled at times, and for good reason. Buffalo hit Luck five times with two resulting in a sack. Add in the fact that the Bills forced three turnovers, and you can see why they were the victor Sunday.

Patriots Silence Doubters

On the flipside, Buffalos opponent this week played lights out as well. After finally getting his suspension reduced from four games to zero, Tom Brady was out to wreak havoc on opposing teams. His first victim, the Pittsburgh Steelers, saw the wrath of Tommy Terrific early. At one point in the game, Brady completed 16 straight passes. Brady went 25/32 for 288 yards passing and four touchdowns. Three of those TDs went to no one other than the animal himself, Rob Gronkowski. Gronk was targeted eight times with five receptions for 94 yards and the aforementioned three TDs.

The Patriots defense was no slouch either. Don’t let the final score fool you. If I wasn’t for a Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown to Antonio Brown with two seconds left on the clock, this game wouldn’t of looked as close. New England was gashed in the running game by Pittsburgh, but they made stops when they were called upon.

New England Patriots/Buffalo Bills History

The last five years have not been nice to the Buffalo Bills when it comes to the Patriots. New England is 8-2 since 2010 with an average score of 34 points per game to Buffalos 23. If not for a win in Week 17 last year where New England was resting their starters, you would have to go back to 2011 to find a win for the Bills over the Patriots. In that time frame, Tom Brady has averaged 255 yards passing to go along with 3 touchdowns and one interception in that span.

Key Matchups

Julian Edleman vs. Stephen Gilmore

One of Tom Brady’s favorite targets in the Patriots Week 1 victory was Julian Edleman. Brady targeted the six year veteran 12 times with 11 of those being completed. On the flipside, his shadow for Week 2, Stephen Gilmore, didn’t have a lot of success against WR TY Hilton last week. Before getting hurt, T.Y. Hilton caught seven passes for 88 yards. If Buffalo wants to win this game Sunday, they have to stop the spark plug Edelman, so Tom Brady doesn’t get into a grove.

Lesean McCoy vs. Patriots Defense

In his debut for Buffalo, Lesean McCoy didn’t really have the best of days. The former Philadelphia Eagle averaged 2.4 yards per carry on 17 attempts. To make matters worse, McCoy had his ten yard touchdown run called back because of an offensive holding call. After seeing Deangelo Williams carve up the Patriots defense to a tune of 127 yards on 21 attempts, “Shady” should be licking his chops. Tyrod Taylor had a good game last Sunday, but the Bills are still going to rely heavily on the running game. This might just be the game to get Lesean McCoy going.

Prediction

In a game that is going to test a great offense against a great defense, you have to dig deeper to find the winner. Tom Brady has seen this defense many times; Tyrod Taylor on the other hand is just learning the ways of the AFC. If New England can put together different defensive looks and keep Taylor guessing, New England should take home the win. 27-17 Patriots