The Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots this weekend in a clash of AFC East rivals. Thanks to Tom Brady’s dominance combined with a horrendous period of Bills football, the all-time record between
these two clubs is far more lopsided than it was when I was a far younger person. While the Bills were 38-41-1 against New England through the end of the 2000 season, New England dominated the early part of this century, and now they hold a 79-51-1 record against Buffalo.
In recent years, though, the pendulum has swung back in Buffalo’s favor. The Bills are 8-3 against the Pats over the last 11 meetings, and they’ve also won five straight AFC East Division titles. If the Bills win on Sunday, they’ll have a 5-0 record to New England’s 2-3 mark. Coupled with a 3-0 divisional record, the Bills would have the AFC East in a chokehold early. However, if New England wins, then the Pats will trail Buffalo by just half a game for the divisional lead.
One game is the difference between a half-game lead and a 3.5-game lead here in the early going. If the Patriots are going to win on Sunday, they’ll need some key players to step up and perform big. Here are five Patriots we’re watching on Sunday.
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QB Drake Maye
This kid is good, folks. Maye is off to a nice start this year, as he’s leading the NFL in completion percentage so far. He’s hit on 74% of his passes for 988 yards, totaling seven passing touchdowns against just two interceptions. Last weekend against the Carolina Panthers, Maye was sensational, throwing for 203 yards and two scores on only 17 passing attempts. He completed 14 of those passes, averaging nearly 12 yards per attempt.
Maye can use his legs to extend plays and to pick up chunks of yardage, something Buffalo’s defense has struggled with this season. If the Bills play more man coverage this week like they have been for most of the season, perhaps they’ll employ a spy at some point to try and prevent the QB scramble. If Matt Milano plays, he’s the most likely candidate, but dime back/safety Cam Lewis has served in that role, as well. Putting pressure on Maye up the middle while containing the pocket is the key to success.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
The rookie has to break off a big game at some point, right? And, given how poorly the Bills have defended the run so far this season, this week feels like a good bet for him to have his first truly big game of the season.
Henderson is a tough runner who hasn’t had as many opportunities as many people thought he’d have here in the early part of the year, but he has tremendous potential against a Buffalo defense allowing a staggering six yards per carry so far this season. Veteran Rhamondre Stevenson has a fumbling problem, and while he has been the No.1 back this year, he has only five more carries (31) than Henderson (26) so far this year. Whichever player runs the ball doesn’t matter to the Bills. They need to stop the run and put the Patriots in 3rd & Long situations.
WR Stefon Diggs
Yeah, he’s still great. Diggs has been a great addition for the Patriots, as he’s been a welcome separator for Maye over the middle. Working in tandem with tight end Hunter Henry, Diggs has provided a solid security blanket for the second-year quarterback.
Diggs is second on the team in targets so far with 22, and he has 19 receptions for 213 yards without a touchdown. You know that the Patriots are going to try to give him a chance to score in his return to Highmark Stadium because, regardless of how much they downplay the significance of this publicly, it most definitely matters to the people involved.
If Diggs is in the slot, he’ll see a lot of Taron Johnson if the Bills go man, but if he’s working against linebackers and safeties in zone looks, it’s a mismatch in favor of New England. The Bills need to know where Diggs is at all times.
DT Christian Barmore
The veteran defensive tackle didn’t practice on Wednesday, but he practiced on Thursday in full. His designation is “not injury related,” so he’s likely fine and going to play on Sunday.
He’s a big, tough mark for interior offensive linemen, and after the Bills struggled a bit to protect Josh Allen last week, this is a key matchup for them to cinch up this week. Barmore has just seven tackles on the season, but the numbers aren’t the best way to evaluate a defensive tackle. It’s what he does to help his teammates, and the Patriots’ linebackers are having strong years thanks to big No. 90 eating blockers and space. O’Cyrus Torrence, Connor McGovern, and David Edwards will have their hands full this week.
OLB Harold Landry
Head coach Mike Vrabel brought Landry with him from Tennessee, and the former Titans pass rusher is off to a great start with New England. He already has 3.5 sacks, eight QB hits, and four tackles for loss this season.
Whether it’s Ryan Van Demark, who struggled in pass protection while dominating in run blocking last week, or Spencer Brown returning after injuring his calf, the Bills will need to make sure that they can keep Landry out of Josh Allen’s lap. Sometimes, the best way to neutralize a pass rusher is to run the football right at him.
If the Bills can find success in the run game, they can tire Landry out and keep him on his heels enough to neutralize that pass-rush ability he possesses. They can also move Allen around, letting the MVP do what he does best by using his legs to create big plays.
