Sorry, Bills Mafia; your beloved Buffalo Bills are still no match when they face off against Tom Brady.
The Bills just got humiliated once again by New England Patriots on Sunday, 41-25, with Brady throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. They had no answers for the resolute Pats, who converted nine of their 13 third-down opportunities. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor couldn’t get anything going through the air either, as he completed just half of his 38 passes for a mere 183 yards (4.8 yards per attempt).
Still, there were a couple of silver linings for Buffalo in that game. First, the team managed to sack Brady five times, which has got to be a good sign considering that touted defensive tackle Marcell Dareus also saw his first action of the season on Sunday after Dareus had a lengthy battle with a banged-up hamstring.
Second of all, Buffalo also stuck to its game plan of pounding the ball on the ground, and it was still rather effective. Mike Gillislee (85 rushing yards and a touchdowns on 12 carries) stepped up nicely for the injured LeSean McCoy, and the Bills had a total of 167 rushing yards and three TDs as a unit. That’s a welcome sight, especially with Seattle’s under-performing run defense up ahead.
Then again, don’t expect Week 9’s clash with the Seahawks in Seattle to highly be in the Bills’ favor. Although they’ve gotten two quality road wins this season, they’ve still lost six of their last eight contests away from Orchard Park overall (2-5-1 ATS).
The Seattle Seahawks had a golden opportunity to revitalize their offense against the New Orleans Saints’ porous defense on Sunday. Instead, they blew off that idea and walked away from Louisiana with a heartbreaking 25-20 loss.
Sure, the Seahawks limited Drew Brees to just one touchdown and under 270 yards passing, but they also allowed New Orleans backup running back Tim Hightower to rush for 102 yards on 26 carries. Inversely, they also didn’t maximize Christine Michael that game because the running back only amassed 12 carries for 40 yards despite scoring the team’s only offensive touchdown of the game. Seattle has now been held under 75 rushing yards for the fifth time this season, and that’s only the beginning of the team’s offensive woes.
Russell Wilson is getting screwed in more ways than one of late, as he finished Sunday with just 253 passing yards and an interception. That’s now the third-straight contest that the normally reliable Wilson has failed to find the end zone through the air. The Seahawks’ stinginess with their O-line signings this season – they have the lowest total salary cap for offensive linemen in the league – exhibited its flaws yet again, having allowed Wilson to get sacked four times in the loss.
Nevertheless, with things headed back to CenturyLink Field next Monday night, perhaps the Seahawks can get their groove back before they spiral out of control. They’ve won six of their last seven homes (4-3 ATS), and a recently-deflated Bills team travelling cross-country might just be the perfect cure for their struggles.
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks fend off the feisty Bills, but Buffalo (+7) manages to cover the spread, 23-19.
