New England Patriots safety Kevin Byard has a clear picture of what he and his teammates on the defense need to do in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Byard stated to reporters before practice on Thursday that neutralizing the Bills’ ground attack and coming away with takeaways will be central to the team’s defensive plan in the game.
“We have to go force turnovers and stop the run,” Byard said. “Those are the two biggest keys this week. As DBs, we have to be able to cover for as long as it takes; 10 seconds. It’s not necessarily the play that’s called, it’s the second or third play within the [original] play.”
The Patriots enter the divisional meeting against a Bills offense that is led by superstar quarterback
Josh Allen and running back James Cook. Allen is perhaps the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. He has the Bills on a roll, averaging 33.7 points per game to begin the year.
Cook, the reigning NFL rushing yards leader, has the third-most rushing yards in the league this season with 346 yards. With Dalton Kincaid also playing lights out, the Bills pose a real threat to the Patriots with all that they have on offense.
New England has allowed 325 rushing yards through three games, while opponents have produced 4.3 yards per carry and scored two rushing touchdowns. They also have two interceptions on the season.
Byard and the Patriots will get the opportunity to execute on their objectives on Sunday, when they march into Buffalo to take on the Bills in a pivotal AFC East matchup.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots team captain reveals two biggest keys to upsetting Bills
