Week 3 vs Buffalo: Media predictions & previews

[jmt57]

Less than 22 hours to go till kickoff, thought I'd take a look at what some people outside of this forum are predicting for Sunday's game.



All seven on the panel at the Sporting News are selecting the Pats to win; their average score is 27-12 if my math is right.

NFL Football Picks - Sporting News

Only two NFL games where they are split with a 4-3 vote: Titans at Giants and Eagles at Jaguars.

Here's Vinny Iyer's brief outlook:

The Patriots don't have to get too fancy with their passing game. They just need to focus on being physical, and they'll own both lines. Patriots 34, Bills 10

NFL Week 3 picks - NFL - Sporting News

 

[jmt57]

All five at CBS Sports are going with the Pats.

NFL Picks, Grades - CBSSports.com Football



Pete Prisco is predicting the Pats win 37-10.

The Patriots are angry after their disappointing performance against the Jets. That will help them focus. The Bills are making a change at quarterback, going to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Does it matter? Bill Belichick eats him alive.

NFL Picks, Grades - CBSSports.com Football

 

[jmt57]

All ten 'experts' on ESPN's panel are going with the Pats to win, one of four games in which their panel is in complete agreement.

NFL Picks and Predictions for Week 3 - National Football League - ESPN



All four members of their Sunday Countdown show are going with the Pats too.

Sunday Countdown: Your weekly NFL guide - ESPN

 

[jmt57]

Picking against the spread (14 points), the Boston Globe staff is divided.

Three out of four think the Pats will win by more than 14. Christopher Gasper thinks the Pats will not only cover, he thinks it is the best bet this week. On the other hand Monique Walker not only thinks the the Bills will cover, but they are her choice for a best bet this week. Eric Wilbur predicts the Pats will win 24-21, saying it will be "much more difficult than it should be."

Globe staff's pro picks: Week 3 - Boston.com

 

[jmt57]

Tedy Bruschi and Mike Reiss preview the game:

New England Patriots must win mental battle against Buffalo Bills - ESPN Boston

Mike Reiss: The other area we'll be watching is how the Patriots fill the Kevin Faulk void. I think it will be a combination -- some Sammy Morris, some Aaron Hernandez, maybe even some Julian Edelman. I'm interested to see whether the Patriots limit their use of shotgun snaps, which is a big part of their offense. The initial forecast indicates rain could be coming Sunday, so this might be a day to get that running game going. I like the Patriots 30-13.

Tedy Bruschi: I look at Buffalo as a perfect back-on-track team, which is exactly the medicine the Patriots need. A win over the Bills would give them a little momentum going on the road to Miami. I like the Patriots to win by three touchdowns. Even though I have Fred Jackson as a running back on my fantasy team, I think I'm going to bench him this week.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

What cretin one starred this thread? Thanks for your work jmt57

 

[ALP]

why do i feel better if all the experts pick against us???

 

[NJPatsfan26]

why do i feel better if all the experts pick against us???

Feel the same way. Sleep better when BSPN and the other mediots pick against us.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

How is it so tough to pick the Eagles over the Jags?

Jags have the worst secondary in football....yes there is a team worse than the Pats back there

Michael Vick + Bad Secondary = 125 Yards Rushing and 170 Passing = win

 

[jmt57]

Some more ... this is from Peter Schrager at Fox Sports:

NFL Week 3 picks and predictions - NFL News - FOX Sports on MSN

The bottom line is the season is still very young and there’s still plenty of reason for hope.

Except, of course, if you’re a fan of the Bills. In that case, well, you might as well start scouting Andrew Luck and Ryan Mallett on Saturdays from here on out. One will most likely be your quarterback come April.

Buffalo at New England: Back in August, I wrote, “Edwards, Fitzpatrick and Brohm sounds more like a law firm that advertises on city benches and subway cars than an NFL quarterback depth chart. The fact that not one of Buffalo’s three quarterbacks has done a thing in their pro careers scares me. The fact that not one has done a thing to distinguish himself from the other two in training camp is downright horrifying.” Well, one down, two to go — as Chan Gailey announced Monday that Trent Edwards is out as the starter and Ryan Fitzpatrick is in. He said the Bills are looking for a “spark.” I’d hardly call Fitzpatrick the “fire starter.” If ever there was a time to ride the Patriots in your survivor pools, now is the week. And then whomever the Bills are playing next week. And the week after that. And so on. And so on.

The Pick: Patriots 38, Bills 10

 

[jmt57]

From Pro Football Talk / NBC Sports:

PFT's Week Three Picks | ProFootballTalk.com

Bills at Patriots

Mike Florio's take: In Week One of the 2003 season, the Patriots played the Bills in Buffalo. And the Bills won, 31-0. (The rest of the season worked out well for the Pats; they won the Super Bowl.) In 13 meetings since then, the Pats haven't lost to the Bills. This year should be no different, especially since the Bills look to be the worst team in the conference, if not the entire league.

Florio's pick: Patriots 35, Bills 10.


Gregg Rosenthal's take: Chan Gailey gave Trent Edwards two games before pulling the plug for Ryan Fitzpatrick. It's an admission the Bills are aiming low this year. While Fred Jackson has been a Patriots killer in the past, this doesn't look like the Bills team to end New England's ridiculous 13-game run in this series. Tom Brady has never look so pissed off as he was leaving the podium after the Jets game. He takes out his frustrations here.

Rosenthal's pick: Patriots 31, Bills 14.

 

[jmt57]

Dave Goldberg of AOL / Fanhouse projects the Pats to win 33-2:

NFL Picks, Week 3: Cowboys, Texans Going in Opposite Directions -- NFL FanHouse

The Patriots have won 13 straight over the Bills and 18 of 19. When Bill Belichick gets a chance to run it up ...

 

[jmt57]

Sports Illustrated's Peter King is going with the Pats by a score of 20-9:

Peter King's NFL Week 3 game-by-game predictions - Peter King - SI.com

Buffalo Bills (0-2) at New England Patriots (1-1)
Stat You'll Get Sick Of Hearing This Weekend Dept.: Patriots have beaten Buffalo 13 times in a row. And the Bills are bad again this year, and they're starting Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, and C.J. Spiller has been swallowed up by the mediocrity (eight carries for nine yards in two games). Western New York optimism level: zero point zero, with apologies to Dean Wormer.

 

[jmt57]

Yahoo!'s Les Carpenter, Jason Cole and Michael Silver are all picking the Pats to win. In addition, 99% of Yahoo!'s users are going with the Pats as well. My only question is how somebody who is paid to follow a sport for a living can go just 17-15 picking winners straight up, with no point spread involved, and still be referred to as an expert?

Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Expert Picks Week 3


Bills-Patriots Preview - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Facing the Bills (0-2) hasn’t typically posed problems for New England, which hasn’t lost to Buffalo since a 31-0 defeat Sept. 7, 2003.

The 13-game winning streak, which has featured an average margin of 17.9 points, is tied with San Diego’s run against Oakland for the longest active streak in any NFL series.

The Patriots got two late touchdowns in a 25-24 home win over Buffalo last season, keeping the Bills winless at Gillette Stadium. Their last road victory over New England came with Doug Flutie at quarterback, a 16-13 overtime victory at Foxborough Stadium on Nov. 5, 2000.

The current Bills seem unlikely to end the drought. They are last in the NFL with 17 points and 352 yards, prompting first-year coach Chan Gailey to bench quarterback Trent Edwards in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick.

 

[jmt57]

Nine writers at USA Today are all going with the Pats over the Bills.

Weekly NFL picks from USA TODAY's analysts - USATODAY.com

Collectively they don't go against the grain, picking an underdog to win much. With the exception of the Titans-Giants and Jets-Dolphins games, those nine went with the favorite 104 out of 117 times this week. The Pats were chosen most often as the lock of the week, by four panelists.

Pete O'Brien's prediction is the Pats 30, Buffalo 17.

Titans will bring down Giants; Jets to hang first loss on Fins - USATODAY.com

 

[jmt57]

Robert Lee of the Providence Journal is predicting the Pats win 31-13.

Analysis: Patriots should extend win streak to 14 | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

The Patriots should be able to do just about anything they want against the Bills’ porous defense, which is ranked 20th overall in yards allowed per game (321.0), and 22nd in points allowed per game (24.5). Look for the Patriots to put the ball in the hands of Tom Brady early to give them a quick lead, and then let Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis run all over the Bills in the second half to control the clock. Of course, the Patriots might be out to make a statement after losing to the Jets, and they may keep the pedal to the floor in the second half if everything goes according to plan. Taylor ran hard in Week 1 but only got five carries for 11 yards against the Jets. He’d like to get back on track but is battling a toe injury. Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez has proved to be one of Brady’s new favorite weapons (7 catches, 146 yards) and will provide matchup problems for the Bills. Randy Moss (7 catches, 97 yards, 1 touchdown) is still looking for his first big game of the season and Wes Welker (14 catches, 102 yards, 3 touchdowns) is always a handful.

 

[jmt57]

Allen Wilson of the Buffalo News predicts the Pats will win 31-19.

Patriots appear to be vulnerable; can the Bills end the streak? - Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News

Here is one of his five keys to the game:

Patriots QB Tom Brady is usually above reproach, but he received some criticism for his poor second half against the Jets. Against a Bills secondary still seeking its first interception, Brady can't lock in on WR Randy Moss like he did last week. Brady needs to get the ball to Moss, 33, who still is a deep threat, but Brady also must use the middle of the field with WR Wes Welker and TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, whose wide receiver speed could cause matchup problems. RB Kevin Faulk's season-ending knee injury is a significant loss because the Patriots relied on him more than any other running back, particularly in passing situations. Look for Sammy Morris to be the primary third-down back.

For more on the outlook of today's game from Buffalo's newspaper, follow this link: Bills & NFL - The Buffalo News - breaking local news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and multimedia

In their poll in which people can vote the four combinations of whether the Bills will cover the 13.5 point spread and the over/under of 42.5 points, the most common answer (44%) was that the Pats win by 14 or more in a high scoring game.

 

[jmt57]

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald is going with the Pats, 23-13.

Greg Cote's Week 3 NFL selections - Greg Cote - MiamiHerald.com

New English have won 13 in a row in this series, and Buffs are trying a different QB, recycling in Ryan Fitzpatrick for awful Trent Edwards. Pats won twice last year by a mere eight points combined, but hunching Tri-Cornered Hats big this time.

 

[reflexblue]

why do i feel better if all the experts pick against us???

I'd feel better if tom jackson didn't pick us which he did.

 

[jmt57]

The New York Daily News is not giving the Bills much of a chance.

NFL Week 3 bettor's guide: Inside the Matchups

Where do we start? A change at quarterback for the Bills is as good a place as any. Trent Edwards is out and Ryan Fitzpatrick is in for the NFL's worst-rated offense. Really, will it matter? The Patriots have won the last 13 meetings vs. Buffalo (their last loss came on Sept. 7, 2003), and the Bills, who have never won at Gillette Stadium, haven't won on the road in this series since Doug Flutie led a 16-13 OT win at Foxborough Stadium on Nov. 5, 2000. The average margin of defeat for the Bills in their 13-game slide? How about 17.9 points? “We're looking for a spark,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. Maybe he should stick a fork in a light socket then.

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Patriots and the over.