New England at Buffalo prediction, game preview, how to watch: NFL Playoffs Wild Card: Saturday, January 15
New England at Buffalo Wild Card How To Watch
Date: Saturday, January 15
Game Time: 8:15 ET
Venue: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
How To Watch: CBS
Record: New England (10-7), Buffalo (11-6)
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New England at Buffalo Game Preview
Why New England Will Win
Buffalo might talk tough, and the defensive stars might get surly when you suggest that they might not be happy about getting run over by the Patriots, but …
New England can get physical.
It’s unfortunate for the Bills that they’re getting New England and not, say, Las Vegas from a warm weather spot or a team that relies on a high-flying passing game like Cincinnati.
It’s going to be 10 degrees out. Maybe. Buffalo’s weather advantage is going to be lost on the Patriots.
Yes, the Bills got nasty and held the New England offense to under 300 yards in the 33-21 win just a few weeks ago, but Patriot ground game still ended up rumbling for 149 yards and wasn’t all that bad.
The formula is going to be simple. Get one of the NFL’s best running games going, rely on the league’s second-best defense to adjust and not let Josh Allen and the Buffalo passing game to go off with the midrange throws like it did in Week 16, and control the time of possession from the start.
As long as the Patriots don’t start turning the ball over – a big problem over the last month with seven in the three losses and none in the lone win – they should crank up the pressure on the Bills.
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Why Buffalo Will Win
It took a strange set of circumstances for the Patriots to pull off the first win over the Bills.
Crazy weather, lots of wind, rain, snow, and everything in between, the Patriots were able to grind their way to the 14-10 win. That was an anomaly.
It’s not quite a fake-it-till-you-make-it thing for the Patriots, but the style stalled late in the year with the offense not finding enough firepower, the defense struggling to stop the run, and the season coming to a stall.
Buffalo could beat the Patriots at their own game.
Start running, get the rolling Devin Singletary going right away, and don’t take any big chances.
Yeah, the Patriots will be great right out of the gate and on the first few drives, but the Bills should be able to mix up the attack, get the offensive line into a groove, and pound away on a defensive front that allowed close to 100 rushing yards or more in six of the last eight games.
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What’s Going To Happen
Don’t expect fireworks, or the offensive pop of the last time these two met in the 33-21 Buffalo win.
The Patriot defense has started to struggle, and Mac Jones and the attack haven’t been able to quite find the same efficiency and magic, but it should all work to make this tight and tense.
The Bills will spread the ball around and the best defense in the NFL will do its part force a whole lot of third down plays. But they’re going sweat it out as drive after drive finishes with a field goal instead of a touchdown.
It’ll come down to one last drive for Jones and the Patriot offense that perks up in the fourth quarter, but they’ll come up just short.
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New England at Buffalo Prediction, Line
Buffalo 23, New England 19
Line: Buffalo -4.5, o/u: 44
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 4.5
5: Top Gun: Maverick
1: Don’t Look Up
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NFL Playoff Wild Card Expert Picks
Las Vegas at Cincinnati | New England at Buffalo
Phil at Tampa Bay | San Fran at Dallas
Pittsburgh at Kansas City | Arizona at LA Rams
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NFL Playoff First Predictions, Super Bowl