Hopefully for the Bills this time, they will be more prepared for New England. The last time they faced the Patriots, the Bills got outcoached and outwitted by Bill Belichick, who made New England run all game long, in a 14-10 home loss in Week 13. One way to prevent that from happening again is to win the possession battle. Josh Allen should be confident enough this time around after passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns with just an interception on 19/34 completions in Buffalo’s 31-14 destruction of the Carolina Panthers at home last Sunday. Wide receiver Gabriel Davis also seems to be ready for an expanded role, with Emmanuel Sanders out with injury. Davis led the Bills with 85 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five catches and seven targets against the Panthers. There should also be renewed confidence for Buffalo’s rushing attack after seeing how the Patriots’ defense fared in Week 15 on the ground against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bills are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 road games.
The Patriots finally cooled off. They saw their seven-game win streak come to an end in Week 15’s 27-17 road loss to the Colts. New England is coming off a Week 14 bye, though, so rust could be a factor in its loss. Nevertheless, the Patriots will return home and regroup for an upcoming rematch against Buffalo. In their win against the Bills, the Patriots passed the ball just three times and let their legs do the rest of the work, as they rushed 46 times for 222 yards and a touchdown. Will the Patriots do it again in Week 16? It’s going to be a bold move to say the least if they try that approach again, but they might establish their run game again early. After all, the Panthers just rushed for 151 yards on 21 carries against Buffalo in Week 15. Running back Damien Harris missed the Colts game with a hamstring injury, and if fails to be ready for Week 16’s meeting with the Bills, then expect Rhamondre Stevenson to carry a big load. Stevenson rushed for 78 yards on 24 carries in the win over Buffalo.
The Patriots are 4-1 against the spread in their last five home games.
