Week 7 preview: McDermott keeps his foot on the gas
A younger Bill Belichick would appreciate Buffalo’s head coach Sean McDermott. During the 2007 undefeated regular season, Belichick was criticized for running up the score on teams. “Gotta play the full sixty minutes” would be his response. Apparently, McDermott feels the same, especially when playing the Patriots.
Many organizations have been waiting for two decades for the demise of the New England Patriots so they can exert some retaliation. No team has gotten revenge better than the Buffalo Bills.
From 2003 to 2014, the Buffalo Bills lost 21 of 22 games to the Patriots, including 15 in a row. The Patriots beat the Bills, 56-10, in that 2007 season. They have also had games where they ran up 52 and 49 points during that run.
Now the shoe is on the other foot. Buffalo has won six out of the last seven games. It would have been seven in a row were it not for Mother Nature.
In Mac Jones’ rookie season, the Bills had one of the most dominating offense performances in NFL history, when they scored a touchdown on every drive (except for the last kneel down victory “drive”) against the Patriots in a playoff game, on their way to a 47-17 win.
Even up 40-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Josh Allen was completing bombs down the field instead of just handing the ball off. 2007 Belichick would have been proud. 2023 Belichick finds himself on the verge of being fired.
What can you say about Sunday’s game? It is almost the same feel as the 2001 season Super Bowl against the Rams, except that Patriots’ team had heart, exemplified by Mike Vrabel who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday. This 1-5 team is in turmoil. Almost a third of the team is on the injured list. They have receivers not taking any accountability. They have players no one backing their starting quarterback. There is divisiveness between the defense with the offense. There is no identity. This team is rudderless.
New England has scored over 100 fewer points than the Bills through six games. That equals out to two touchdowns and a field goal each game less than the Bills.
The Bills come into the game tied for the league lead in sacks and third in quarterback hits. The Patriots may have the worst offensive line in the NFL. It is not a good combination. Mac Jones may want to bring a pillow because he will be watching most of this game from the recline position.
The Patriots’ defense has recorded only two interceptions all season. The Jets’ Jordan Whitehead had three interceptions… in one game this year. Buffalo is tied for second in the NFL with 13 takeaways. The Patriots are dead last with only three takeaways total.
The Patriots defense is in the bottom third in both sacks and quarterback hits. They are going up against one of the best and strongest quarterbacks in the league this week and they are without their two best pass rushers, Matthew Judon and Josh Uche. They are also without their best cornerback in Christian Gonzalez. They may be without their second best cornerback in Jonathan Jones. This will be the first time when Josh Allen looks over the Pats' defense and doesn't see Devin McCourty out in centerfield.
Some promising news for the Patriots, though, is they are getting cornerback Jack Jones back this week. So there’s that.
The Buffalo defense is also giving up the second most yards per rushing attempt this year at 5.4 yards per carry. Unfortunately, the Patriots are only averaging 3.4 yards per carry (T-28th). Rhamondre Stevenson got dinged up in the Raiders game, and, even when healthy, has not looked like himself this year. Zeke Elliott has, surprisingly, looked better. And then there is that offensive line. Enough has been said and written about how bad they are. So, basically, the one area the Bills appear to be vulnerable is an area the Patriots struggle to execute.
Prediction: Buffalo 28, New England 6
I figure if I predict six points for New England I can be right in one of two ways – either the Patriots only score two field goals, or they get a lucky touchdown and miss the extra point.
The Buffalo offense hasn't been the same since former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll left to become the head coach of the New York Giants. New offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has come under fire for some of Josh Allen's regression into becoming more of a loose cannon and turnover machine like he was earlier in his career.
The Buffalo defense will also be without maybe its best player, Matt Milano. The Bills also lost Patriots' killer, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, in free agency to the Chicago Bears. That is why the best, and only chance the Patriots will have of competing in this game is if they can exploit the weak Buffalo linebacker crew. The way they have to do that is with a healthy dose of Stevenson and Elliott. And Mac Jones cannot turnover the ball. Buffalo will not need any free points.
It will be another long afternoon in what has already been a long season. Last year the home crowd was chanting for Bailey Zappe. Sunday you will be hearing a lot of “Cunningham” chants. Which is too bad because this is not all Mac Jones’ fault. What I would be curious about is if the crowd would have the courage to chant, “Fire Bill.”
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