The Buffalo Bills will play the New England Patriots on the road at Gillette Stadium in Week 18.
The Bills (13-3) have won 10 of their last 11 games, while the Patriots (3-13) have lost six games in a row.
The Bills are favored by only 2.5 points given that they are expected to rest their starters for much of the game. In the first matchup between these two AFC East foes in Week 16, the Bills skated by with a 24-21 victory.
Even though the Patriots have just three wins this year, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. Buffalo will need to execute its game plan to pick up its 14th win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 18:
Staying healthy
The Week 18 game doesn’t matter for the Bills as they are locked into the two seed in the AFC.
While it remains to be seen how much playing time the Bills’ key players will see, the main thing will be the team’s health for the wild card round next week.
If the Bills get out of this one with no new injuries and some valuable reps for backup players, that’s a win.
Beware of Drake Maye
Quarterback Drake Maye continues to be the only hope the Patriots have of winning games. The rookie can make you pay if you aren’t executing on defense.
According to head coach Jerod Mayo, Maye will be suiting up for this one.
Maye made some great plays the last time these teams met in Week 16. He showed his potential in the league while making the game closer than many expected. He posted a 90.2 passer rating and threw for two scores.
Put backups in positions to succeed
The Bills should have plenty of time to get a good look at their depth players and younger talent. Even if the Bills fall short on the scoreboard, you can consider it a win if guys are getting valuable reps and starting to get comfortable on the field.
If the coaching staff pulls the right levers without going deep into the playbook, the Bills could walk out with their 14th win despite resting their main contributors.