The Buffalo Bills take on their division rivals the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. This Monday Night Football showdown is scheduled for kickoff at 8:30 PM. ET.
Last week, the Patriots played their closest game of the season. The Giants have always played the Patriots well under head coach Tom Coughlin, and that trend continued in week 10. The Giants held a ten point lead over the Patriots in the third quarter, before New England clawed its way back into the game. With less than two minutes in the game, Brady engineered a fourth quarter drive to set up a 54 yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal.
The win didn’t come without a huge loss, however, when news broke that Julian Edelman will most likely miss the rest of the season. The Patriots have now lost two key playmakers in as many weeks. The Patriots are known for having excellent depth, but there is no single player that can replace what Edelman brings to the Patriots offense. In his absence, other players will need to step up and make plays.
Last week, the Bills beat the Jets in New York. It was Rex Ryan’s first visit back to the Big Apple since being fired during the off-season. He showed noticeable emotion on the sidelines in the final seconds of the game. It was an emotional victory for the Bills as they try to set themselves apart from the cellar dwellers of the AFC East. Ryan and the Bills will have to ride that momentum in to Foxborough and take advantage of a banged up Patriots squad.
Over the years Rex Ryan’s hatred of New England has been well established. He has a history of talking up the Patriots going into that week. In week 11, the Bills have been noticeably quieter than in the past. Perhaps Rex had learned to not hype the game like it’s the Super Bowl. Or, maybe the 9-0 Patriots really do want to embarrass Rex and put him on the unemployment line with his brother Rob Ryan. Either way, when Rex faces off against Belichick it’s usually an entertaining affair.
A key player for the Patriots this week is Danny Amendola. After Julian Edelman was lost to injury, Amendola emerged as Tom Brady’s top target. Brandon LaFell is still rounding into form and Gronkowski will certainly get his looks, but in terms of increased targets, Amendola is the guy. Against the Giants he had 10 receptions on 11 targets for 79 yards. On the game winning drive, he helped convert a crucial 4th and ten. His four targets on that drive led all receivers. Going forward, he’s the guy Tom Brady needs to step up and help fill the void.
A key player for the Bills this week is LeSean McCoy. Against the Jets, McCoy rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries. The Bills have the number two rushing attack in the league, while the Patriots have the number two ranked run defense in the league. Something will have to give in this game. The Patriots always try to remove the number one option on offense of their opponents and that is certainly McCoy. If the Bills cannot get their running game going, then the offensive burden shifts to the quarterback, Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor is having a very nice season for the Bills. He distributes the ball well and is a threat to run it when he needs to. He’s only thrown four interceptions on the year, but three of those came in week two against New England.
Patriots Vs Bills Week 11 Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Patriots as 7 point favorites in this game. The over/under on total points scored is 48.5. BetOnline is our top rated NFL sportsbook at the moment. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Patriots have been bit by the injury bug, but help along the offensive line should come this week with the return of potentially three starters. The Bills are having some success this season, but expect the Patriots offense to overcome the loss of Edelman and improve to 11-0.
Play: Patriots -7
Betting Week 11 • Bills • NFL Betting • Patriots