Bills RBs vs NE Front Seven – Razor’s Edge Buffalo
The Bills have the 2nd ranked rushing attack in the NFL with LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams and Tyrod Taylor scrambling out of the pocket. McCoy is healthy now and followed up a 116 yard game against Miami with a 112 yard effort against the Jets. This is the scenario Ryan was looking for early in the year and the Bills have gotten healthy at just the right time.
The Patriots defense has improved against the run as the season has gone on. They currently are ranked 2nd in the league allowing only 88.2 yards per game. The front four rotation has paid dividends as they’ve stuffed teams at the point of attack which has allowed the LBs to come up and make plays by attacking the gaps.
This will be a tough test for the front seven this week; McCoy is completely healthy and is exploding in his cuts and is producing like they envisioned when he came over from Philly this offseason. Williams with a touchdown this week would set a new rookie record with scores in seven straight games.
Bills WRs vs NE Secondary- Razor’s Edge New England
Taylor has played well this season and his numbers play that out. He’s at his best when he makes plays with his feet, so the defensive ends, Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Jabaal Sheard will have to set the edge and keep him in the pocket where he’s much less effective.
A big matchup to watch will be McCoy coming out of the backfield against the linebackers (Collins probably won’t play), and Clay going against LB/S combinations. In the first game, New England played with a single high safety and they blitzed more than they have during other games. They mostly kept Taylor in the pocket and sacked him eight times while picking him off on three others.
Look for lots of McCoy and Clay attacking the seam (single high safety), pass protection and containment will be what each team needs to be looking for. They’ll try to get Sammy Watkins involved early too.
Special Teams- Razor’s Edge Patriots
The Bills and Patriots always have two of the best STs units in the league. Both teams have very solid coverage on both punts and kickoffs and both have excellent kickers.
The Bills have veteran kicker Dan Carpenter and punter Colton Schmidt, who is averaging 47.8 yards per punt with an impressive 42.8 yard net.
The Patriots counter with the unflappable Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen. Gostkowski has been simply outstanding and Allen is underrated in the punting game. Danny Amendola returned a punt 82 yards last week and the Pats get the slight edge at home.
Next up, who wins and why…
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
