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Week 11: Bills vs. Patriots
This game has a lot more juice then it seemed a month ago. So much so that it has been moved to primetime giving the Bills their second home game under the lights this year. The Bills are riding high winning four straight and five of their last six but nobody is as high as the undefeated Patriots making this game as tough as they come for Buffalo.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (5-4) vs. New England (9-0) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
NBC |
| Announcers: |
Al Michaels and John Madden |
| Spread: |
Patriots by 15 |
| Series: |
Patriots lead 54-40-1 |
| Streak: |
Patriots Won 8 |
| Last Meeting: |
Patriots 38-7 in New England (2007) |
| Patriots Offense: |
Rush (7th); Pass (2nd); overall (1st) |
| Patriots Defense: |
Rush (6th); Pass (6th); overall (4th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (17th); Pass (28th); overall (31st) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (20th); Pass (26th); overall (28th) |
INJURY UPDATE
Marshawn Lynch suffered an ankle sprain near the end of the win over Miami and it looks like he will miss this game. Robert Royal suffered a mild concussion against the Dolphins putting him in doubt for this week but he is expected to play. Matt Murphy and Kiwaukee Thomas are the latest players to go on injured reserve with a calf and groin injury respectively. Derek Schouman went on IR last week with a high ankle sprain. He joins Peerless Price, Ko Simpson, Kevin Everett, Paul Pozluszny, Jason Whittle, and Jason Webster on injured reserve.
The Patriots used the bye week to give the players the complete week off to rest various bumps and bruises and they are pretty healthy. Troy Brown is even back practicing even though he's spent the entire year on the PUP list. He likely won't be ready to play this week. LB Eric Alexander missed practice on Monday with a knee injury. S Mel Mitchell is suffering from an ankle injury. S Eugene Wilson is hurting with an ankle injury as well.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
RT Langston Walker vs. OLB Mike Vrabel:
Walker has to watch for Vrabel coming on the end as he is near the league leaders with 8 sacks.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Matt Light:
Schobel is coming off a fine effort against the Dolphins and needs to get pressure on Tom Brady if the Bills will have any chance at all.
CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Randy Moss:
Moss is having a fantastic year with the Patriots. McGee has had a year where he is almost becoming a lockdown corner. This should be a classic battle.
CB Ashton Youboty vs. WR Wes Welker:
Moss is having a great year but Welker actually leads the team in catches. He lines up in the slot on many passing downs and Youboty will likely play him in the nickel package with Thomas out.
WR Lee Evans vs. CB Asante Samuel:
Samuel will likely follow Evans on almost every play. If they shutdown Evans, they shutdown the passing game. J.P. Losman loves his draft mate and may lock on him too often.
LT Jason Peters vs. DE Richard Seymour:
Peters is coming off a big battle with Jason Taylor and gets another big matchup this week. Seymour is finally healthy after missing the first half of the season and should be feeling good for this battle.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: The Bills will need to go to the air a lot with Lynch out. Look for them to spread the field and use the passing game plenty early. If successful, they will then be able to pound the ball on the ground with Dwayne Wright who may be able to wear down the talented front four of New England.
When The Patriots Have The Ball: The Patriots are on of the best passing teams in the league led by Tom Brady. Look for him to take what the Bills give him and dink and dunk down the field throughout the game.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills usually play the Patriots tough once a year and since they already got blown out in week 3 this would be the game they battle New England hard. This isn't a normal Patriots team however as they are focused on an undefeated season and likely won't stub their toe against the Bills. The emotional lift of the primetime battle at home won't be as big as it was the first time against the Cowboys but it could allow the Bills to hang around for a while before the better team pulls away:
Patriots 34, Bills 23
Season Prediction Record: (6-3)
Season Record Against The Spread: (6-3)
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