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Week 9: Bills vs. Seahawks
 at 
Monday, Nov. 7th
8:30pm ET
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The Bills head to Seattle to play a prime time game in the toughest stadium in the league for visiting teams. Rex Ryan said this is a must win for the Bills playoff hopes but that will be very tough to accomplish against one of the best teams in the NFC. The Bills haven't won on an official Monday night game since 1999. (The victory over the Jets in Detroit does not count since it wasn't an official Monday night game.)
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (4-4) vs. Seattle (4-2-1) |
| Place: |
CenturyLink Field |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: ESPN; DirecTV: 206; Sirius: 83; SiriusXM 226 |
| Announcers: |
Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, and Lisa Salters |
| Spread: |
Seahawks by 7 |
| Series: |
Bills lead 7-5 |
| Streak: |
Seahawks Won 1 |
| Last Meeting: |
Seahawks 50-17 in Buffalo (2012) |
| Seahawks Offense: |
Rush (28th); Pass (14th); overall (23rd) |
| Seahawks Defense: |
Rush (7th); Pass (9th); overall (6th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (2nd); Pass (31st); overall (24th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (25th); Pass (13th); overall (16th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills are hoping to get LeSean McCoy back this week, he missed last week's game with a hamstring injury. Marquise Goodwin should be back after coming out of concussion protocol. Robert Woods is playing with a foot injury. Brandon Tate is sidelined with a concussion and Aaron Williams has been placed on IR with his neck injury.
The Seahawks are without Michael Bennett who is sidelined with a knee injury. RB Thomas Rawls remains sidelined with a fibula injury. SS Kam Chancellor missed last week's game with a groin injury and CB DeAndre Elliott is out with a hamstring injury. Russell Wilson is playing through a pectoral and a knee injury but he is getting healthier each week.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
CB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR Doug Baldwin:
Gilmore is under fire after his bad performance last week and the fact that he gave up on a tackle to complain to his teammate. Baldwin is the leading receiver for the Seahawks but he's not a statistical monster so if Gilmore is nearly as good as he thinks he is, he has to win this battle.
LT Cordy Glenn vs. DE Cliff Avril:
This is a marquee matchup as Glenn goes up against the Seahawks sack leader. Avril has 7½ of them on the season.
S Corey Graham vs. TE Jimmy Graham:
Look for the Bills to matchup their best cover safety against Graham who is having a nice rebound season in Seattle.
RB LeSean McCoy or Mike Gillislee vs. MLB Bobby Wagner:
No matter who runs the ball for the Bills they need to be successful to keep the chains moving and for this team to have some offensive success. Wagner leads the Seahawks with 72 tackles.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Get Early Lead: Points are going to be tough to come by so they need to get them early to get a jump on Seattle and to keep the crowd from going into a frenzy.
2. Communicate Well: This team has struggled communicating on the field at times this year. If they struggle will communication in this game it will be a long day as the crowd noise is going to make it tough enough.
3. Red Zone Success: They need to get seven instead of three on the likely rare occasions they get down into the red zone on offense. Defensively they need to get back to the success they have had in the red zone and keep the Seahawks out of the end zone. If Seattle gets more than a one score lead at any point in the game, it will be an extreme longshot to win the game.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
This should be a hard fought low scoring affair as both teams have struggled offensively this year. I don't see how the Bills can win in that environment on national TV:
Seahawks 13, Bills 9
Season Prediction Record: (7-1)
Season Record Against The Spread: (6-2)
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