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Week 13: Bills vs. Patriots
 at 
Sunday, Dec. 3rd
1:00pm ET
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The Bills head back to Orchard Park for their first of three straight home games. It gets off to a very tough start as the Patriots come to town. Tom Brady has never lost to the Bills in the 2nd half of the season in a game that has mattered so it will be a very tough task for Buffalo.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (6-5) vs. New England (9-2) |
| Place: |
New Era Field |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: CBS; DirecTV: 705; Sirius: 119; SiriusXM: 230 |
| Announcers: |
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson |
| Spread: |
Patriots by 9 |
| Series: |
Patriots lead 69-43-1 (Bills 0-1 in Playoffs) |
| Streak: |
Patriots Won 1 |
| Last Meeting: |
Patriots 41-25 in Buffalo (2016) |
| Patriots Offense |
Rush (14th); Pass (1st); overall (1st) |
| Patriots Defense |
Rush (22nd); Pass (31st); overall (30th) |
| Bills Offense |
Rush (11th); Pass (30th); overall (26th) |
| Bills Defense |
Rush (21st); Pass (22nd); overall (25th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills will be without Kelvin Benjamin and Cordy Glenn again in all likelihood. Benjamin said he is unlikely to play and there is no timetable on the return of Glenn. Mike Tolbert and John Miller remain sidelined early in this week after missing two games in a row.
The Patriots list several players on their injured list like they always do. One of those is Tom Brady who is a battling a sore Achilles. There is no doubt he will play though. His two tackles are banged up and missing practice time this week. Marcus Cannon and LaAdrian Waddle have ankle injuries. Chris Hogan has missed a few weeks with a shoulder injury and LB Trevor Reilly has a concussion.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
Bills Defense vs. QB Tom Brady:
It will take the entire defense working in sync to have a chance at keeping Tom Brady from surgically taking them apart.
S Micah Hyde vs. TE Rob Gronkowski:
Hyde will likely be the main man to try to slow down Gronk but he will have help. Gronkowski is an incredible tight end who loves to come home and play in Buffalo.
RG Vlad Ducasse vs. LB Kyle Van Noy:
Ducasse will struggle with Van Noy who leads the team in tackles and is second in sacks from his weakside linebacker spot in the Pats 4-3 defense.
LT Dion Dawkins vs. DE Trey Flowers:
Dawkins draws Flowers who leads the team with six sacks on the season. The rookie tackle must protect Tyrod Taylor's blindside.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Hit Brady: The only way to throw Tom Brady off his game is to get pressure on him and hit him to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. That is easier said than done since he is very quick at getting rid of the ball.
2. Run Efficiently: The one way to slow Brady down is to keep him off the field that means run early, often, and successfully. If they can establish the ground game they can control the time of possession and keep Brady on the sidelines.
3. Force Turnovers: If they can get a takeaway or two that could even up the matchup a bit.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
I just don't see anyway for the Bills to beat the Patriots in a game that matters. Until they do it late in the season I won't believe they can beat Brady:
Patriots 31, Bills 14
Season Prediction Record: (5-6)
Season Record Against The Spread: (3-6-2)
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