Uh oh, not even the New York Giants were able to derail the New England Patriots’ unbeaten run this season. At this point, who else in the NFL could bring the mighty Pats down to Earth?
Enter Rex Ryan, who is in high spirits after beating his former team – the New York Jets – on Thursday night, and will be looking to avenge his Buffalo Bills’ Week 2 loss to the Pats next Monday Night.
Will Ryan and his Bills finally get their season’s statement win to bring them into the talks of being actual playoff contenders, or will Tom Brady and Bill Belichick continue their domination over the animated Buffalo coach (and the rest of the league in general)? Let’s break down this utterly compelling MNF AFC East showdown below.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Now that Rex Ryan has a win over the team that let go of him in the offseason with a 22-17 victory over the New York Jets this past Thursday night, the next big goal for him and his Buffalo Bills is to finally get one over on the New England Patriots on Week 11’s Monday night showcase.
Ryan’s Bills defense was impressive in shutting down the Jets by causing two interceptions and one fumble recovery in the win, with no pick bigger than Bacarri Rambo’s game-clinching interception in the dying minutes of the game to stave off New York’s rally. Apart from the INT, Rambo also accounted for his team’s two forced fumbles in the game.
And it wasn’t only Buffalo’s D that stood out against the Jets, as the team’s running game was also prominent in the victory. LeSean McCoy led the charge with his 112 rushing yards on 19 carries. And while McCoy’s running mate, Karlos Williams, gained just 24 yards on seven carries, he had a 26-yard touchdown reception in the game. With the TD, Williams became just the second player in NFL history to score a touchdown in each of his first six games as a pro.
With that said, expect the Bills to continue to pound the ball through the ground. They are the best team in the league right now with an amazing 142.3 rushing yards per game, but may be running into a brick wall on Monday night against the New England front seven. The Patriots are giving up just 89.3 rushing yards per contest – third-best in the NFL.
Speaking of the Pats, just how fortunate were they in escaping with the 27-26 win over the New York Giants on Sunday via Stephen Gostkowski’s game-winning field goal? Just when the rest of the world thought that the team was about to lose to the G-Men yet again, head coach Bill Belichick instead proved that it will take a little more than an Eli-Manning/Tom-Coughlin curse to upend his team’s undefeated streak this season.
New England managed to pull out the win despite a subpar outing from Tom Brady (by Brady’s own standards). The future first ballot Hall-of-Famer converted just 26 of his 42 passes in the contest and got picked off once in the red zone, but did still manage to gain 334 yards through the air and find the end zone twice.
Brady also finished with a 92.8 QB rating against New York. That, surprisingly, is his worst passer rating for a game this season, which is still better than most other starting QBs in the league. With another relatively solid performance from Brady, New England has now scored at least one point in each of its last 32 quarters of play – a new NFL record.
However, the Pats lost one of their key offensive weapons in Julian Edelman, who had to leave Sunday’s game with a broken foot. Still, with a healthy Rob Gronkowski still on the up and up, Brady and the Patriots’ offense is still in good shape entering MNF’s showdown with the Bills. Gronk had five catches for a team-high 113 receiving yards on Sunday, with one of those catches being a career-long 76-yard TD reception.
New England also better be able to keep up its prowess at ball protection. The team has given up a league-low six turnovers this season, but Buffalo is very much capable of causing costly turnovers themselves. The Bills are fifth in the league this season in total interceptions, and seventh overall in total takeaways with 16.
Where to Watch
Each Monday Night Football game is broadcasted live on ESPN. But if you prefer to have complete access to any and all NFL games this season, a better option would be to subscribe to NFL’s Game Pass. With several packages to choose from, you can optimize your football viewing experience the way you like it for a reasonable cost. Simply head on over here to know more about NFL Game Pass now.
Betting Trends on the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo is 3-1 SU-ATS inn its last four games on the road.
However, the team is just 1-9 (6-4 ATS) in the last ten games played on New England’s own home turf.
The Bills are 5-1 SU/ATS over their last six games where they were declared as underdogs.
They are also 5-1 SU/ATS over the last six contests against their AFC East rivals.
Furthermore, the Bills have won their last four games (SU/ATS) played in the month of November.
Betting Trends on the New England Patriots
New England won nine of its last ten home games, but only went 6-2-2 against the spread in that span.
The team is 18-2 over its last 20 contests, but again, it only went 12-6-2 against the spread during that stretch.
To add, the Pats have won all ten of their most recent games where they were favored to win, but only went 5-3-2 against the spread.
The Patriots have also won seven of the last eight games against their divisional opponents, but only went 4-3-1 against the spread.
The total has gone under in four of New England’s last six home games.
Hot Wager
As evident in New England’s betting trends above, the team can be banked on for moneyline/straight-up wagers. However, the Pats are pretty shaky against the spread.
With that being said, best to stay tuned for Week 11’s NFL lines to go up and check out the running spread for this Monday night clash. Take Buffalo if they are expected to lose by more than seven points, but side with Pats should they be favored by just a field goal or two.
Writer’s Prediction
Buffalo gives the Pats quite a fight, but the boys from Foxborough still prevail with a tight 27-23 win to extend their winning streak to ten games and counting.
Create a betting account now to get your bets in before every Monday Night Football showcase, and all the other NFL games on tap this season.
