Patriots v.s. Bills Preview

A routine division smacking has gotten a lot more interesting.  The Patriots actually find themselves in a must win situation in week 16.

The division is still yet to be clinched, and it’s taking way too long. They just need to win to clinch, but they are letting Miami hang around way too long. On top of this, Josh Gordon has now been suspended and is stepping away from football to focus on his mental health. One of the few bright spots in the Patriots offense is now gone, and they have to come up with some new ways to win.

The offense was a massacre last week.

Brady looked like a regular 41 year old. He looked like he was a mortal. He threw a terrible interception, his decision making was off, he was forcing passes to Gronk and Edelman, and was not his usual clutch self. They aren’t going to make any noise in the playoffs with that type of performance.

Now they need to find even newer ways to do it with no threat of Josh Gordon. Gronk is a shell of himself, and Edelman drops a pass a game.

Chris Hogan is almost always non existent, and they have been “preserving” James White. All of this has to change to win games. It would also be nice if they fully utilized Sony Michel, and if Phillip Dorsett sees some serious targets in this game.

He’s no all-pro, but he was making an impact early on and it seems like they completely forgot he’s even on the roster. They won’t be able to rely on these veterans, or players like Cordarelle Patterson. This Bills defense is no joke, and they’ve been holding very good offenses in check all season.

The defense may have only allowed 17 points last week, but they aren’t off the hook. They let a rookie tight end turned running back turn loose for 142 rushing yards, and looked pathetic doing it. No linebackers are filling holes, and they are healthy scratching Danny Shelton?

It seems like he would be a huge help in the run game, and it seems like nobody has an answer as to why he hasn’t been playing. Malcolm Brown has been getting manhandled and Lawrence Guy hasn’t made much impact either.

If it wasn’t for Stephon Gilmore and Duron Harmon being in the right place, literally ALL the time this defense would’ve got smoked. Josh Allen has been running wild over the past few weeks, and there is no way that they contain him. Unless they use someone like Pat Chung as a spy, there really is not any way this defense is capable of containing him. They just are not a good unit, and they need to pray on mistakes to win this game.

It’s sad that a game against Buffalo in December doesn’t feel like a gimme anymore. This is going to end up way closer than we want it to be. It’s hard to pick the Bills over the Patriots no matter how the season is going, so Pats 27-23.

-Jake Kobierski (@TheRealKobe83)