Week 6: Bills vs. Patriots
at
Sunday, Oct. 12th
1:00pm ET
Talk about a great atmosphere for a game, there will be no better place to be on Sunday at 1pm than the stadium that is named after the iconic now former owner of the team. It will be the first game under the Pegula regime and the Bills are taking on their arch nemesis in a battle for first place in the AFC East.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (3-2) vs. New England (3-2)
Place: Ralph Wilson Stadium
TV/Radio: Network: FOX; DirecTV: 705; Sirius: 135
Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa
Spread: Patriots by 3
Series: Patriots Lead 65-41-1 (Bills 0-1 in playoffs)
Streak: Patriots Won 5 and 20 of the last 21 games
Last Meeting: Patriots 34-20 in New England (2013)
Patriots Offense: Rush (14th); Pass (t-19th); overall (21st)
Patriots Defense: Rush (17th); Pass (3rd); overall (4th)
Bills Offense: Rush (20th); Pass (21st); overall (26th)
Bills Defense: Rush (2nd); Pass (20th); overall (8th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills only have one player not practicing at the moment and that is WR Marcus Easley who remains out with a sprained MCL. Ron Brooks suffered a scary neck injury against Detroit but is already back on the field and should play. Chris Williams is practicing on a limited basis and hopes to return from a back injury. The team may get Nigel Bradham and/or Kyle Williams back as they are practicing some after missing a game with knee injuries. Fred Jackson injured his ankle late in the win over Detroit and is practicing some this week. Da'Norris Searcy, Aaron Williams, and Brandon Spikes have been limited this week as well.

The Patriots are healthy with two players missing practice time this week with finger injuries. DB Nate Ebner and OL Cameron Fleming were the sidelined players on Wednesday. Several players have been limited in practice.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Darrelle Revis:
Everyone is anticipating this battle. Watkins said he expects Revis to be following him all over the field so it will be an interesting matchup between the high flying rookie and one of the best cover corners the league has ever seen.

RB C.J. Spiller vs. LB Jerod Mayo:
Spiller needs a big game in the worst way. He had perhaps the worst game of his career last week. He will be counted on even more this week with Jackson banged up and he must come through. You can get yards on the ground against this team but Mayo is a very good tackler in the middle of the defense and must be accounted for.

DT Marcell Dareus vs. C Bryan Stork:
Dareus had his best game in his best season last week against Detroit. He will look to keep it going against a rookie center in Stork. This appears to be a mismatch on paper in the Bills favor. Dareus will get double teamed on almost every play so Stork will get help from guard Dan Connolly.

LB Brandon Spikes vs. QB Tom Brady:
Spikes has had this game circled since he signed with the Bills. He bragged on twitter during the offseason that the Bills would be the Patriots twice. He will have to keep his emotions in check and play within himself but he should be fired up on the field in what promises to be a high intensity battle. Brady will be watching his former teammate on every play.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Feed Off The Crowd: They did this well against Miami and the 12th man helped lead them to victory. They will be needed this week and a good start could have them in a frenzy which will make things very hard for the future hall of famer Brady.
2. Pressure Brady: It is no secret that the way to get Brady off his game is to put pressure on him and get shots in on him whenever possible. The Patriots offensive line have given up 11 sacks but that isn't as important as getting in Brady's face early and often.
3. Commit To The Run: It's easier to run on the Pats than to throw on them. The Bills need to pound the ball a lot early even if they don't have too much early success. If they can wear down the Patriots front than that will allow for more yards on the ground later in the game and open up play action for Kyle Orton to make plays in the air.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

It is very hard to pick the Bills to beat the Patriots especially since they have beaten them only twice in the last 26 meetings. If there ever was a time for them to win it is now. The crowd will be even more pumped up than they were for the Miami game if that is even possible. The team is confident and there are chunks in the great armor of the New England Patriots. If the Bills are going to be legitimate contenders to win the division they have to win this game and I think they will:
Bills 31, Patriots 28

Season Prediction Record: (1-4)
Season Record Against The Spread: (1-4)

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