Patriots-Bills Discussion

streeter88

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 2, 2006
1,807
Melbourne, Australia
Wow. Wonder about the locker room climate in Orchard Park. First the head coach throws some shade in a press conference. Now players are throwing each other under the bus. Whoever survives this week will be fairly ornery by Sunday...
 

Cotillion

New Member
Jun 11, 2019
5,041
So Einstein Beasley violated a teammate's "HIPPA" rights, amirite?
No he didn’t cause it, when properly abbreviated and when improperly, only applies to medical people and staff that have a duty of care over the medical information.
 

RIrooter09

Alvin
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2008
7,265
Thinking Harris will be back this week. He was supposedly close to playing last week.
 
Apr 24, 2019
1,278
Not that Agholor and Harry have been hugely impactful, but playing without them AND Bourne, and being down Harry's impact on the run game, and now with Stevenson possibly dealing with something...I can't imagine the Patriots having much of a shot against the Bills this weekend. I would love to be wrong, maybe the D rights itself and Mac and the O manage to mix in a bit of effective passing to go along with Harris (hope he doesn't get nicked up!), but this doesn't seem like the best weekend to run up against a team like Buffalo, who is surely coming in to Foxboro FIRED UP and looking for revenge.
 

simplyeric

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 14, 2006
14,037
Richmond, VA
That said, they beat the Bills throwing just three passes last time so who knows. I don't know if Buffalo has suddenly gotten better at stopping the run in the past week and a half. After giving up tons of yards while stacking 10 guys in the box on nearly every play against the Pats, they proceeded to give up 151 rushing yards to Carolina on just 29 attempts (5.2 y/a). So this is still a struggle for them, obviously.

The Pats hopefully can still run the ball well and then throw off play action to the TEs and Meyers.
If the bills had been able to pass, just a little, they probably win that game. Obviously we would have don’t things too, I get that. But it’s not ‘we beat the bills in a generic game throwing three passes. It’s we beat the bills in a game where basically passing was practically disallowed.
I know you’re addressing the difference in your last sentence. Just saying that the last game was an outlier in terms of game strategy.It doesn’t really translate to this week.
I doubt Bill Belichick has DeForest Buckner.
This is quite good.
 

Red Averages

owes you $50
SoSH Member
Apr 20, 2003
9,163
Not that Agholor and Harry have been hugely impactful, but playing without them AND Bourne, and being down Harry's impact on the run game, and now with Stevenson possibly dealing with something...I can't imagine the Patriots having much of a shot against the Bills this weekend. I would love to be wrong, maybe the D rights itself and Mac and the O manage to mix in a bit of effective passing to go along with Harris (hope he doesn't get nicked up!), but this doesn't seem like the best weekend to run up against a team like Buffalo, who is surely coming in to Foxboro FIRED UP and looking for revenge.
Harry is practicing.
Harris is practicing.
I’m sure the Patriots are “FIRED UP” as well.
The Pats are favored by 2.5 points.

Thanks for the analysis.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

has big, douchey shoulders
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Harry is practicing.
Harris is practicing.
I’m sure the Patriots are “FIRED UP” as well.
The Pats are favored by 2.5 points.

Thanks for the analysis.
But the Bills are strenuously FIRED UP!

I never thought hearing that Harry is practicing would sound so good. This would also be an opportune time for Jonnu to have a game.
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,445
But the Bills are strenuously FIRED UP!

I never thought hearing that Harry is practicing would sound so good. This would also be an opportune time for Jonnu to have a game.
Would be quite something if Harry and Jonnu both had good games. Frustrating duo.

I wonder how Bill approaches these kinds of games when he knows the other team is coming in with their hair on fire. Will he use that aggressiveness against them? Few more play actions? Make them string together 10 plays on offense? I’m sure it’s a marginal effect on the game planning in any event, but maybe he tweaks things here or there.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
54,053
If the bills had been able to pass, just a little, they probably win that game. Obviously we would have don’t things too, I get that. But it’s not ‘we beat the bills in a generic game throwing three passes. It’s we beat the bills in a game where basically passing was practically disallowed.
Allen threw the ball 30 times. Bills thought passing was allowed.
 

m0ckduck

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
1,748
Would be quite something if Harry and Jonnu both had good games. Frustrating duo.

I wonder how Bill approaches these kinds of games when he knows the other team is coming in with their hair on fire. Will he use that aggressiveness against them? Few more play actions? Make them string together 10 plays on offense? I’m sure it’s a marginal effect on the game planning in any event, but maybe he tweaks things here or there.
One of my sneaky favorite regular season games of the BB era was week 2 at BUF in 2015, when the Pats headed into Orchard Park with the Bills fans whipped up into a frenzy by Rex Ryan and the local media fafter a convincing week 1 win over Indy. That was most palpable bloodlust I think I've ever seen at a professional football arena.

NE weathered an opening scoring drive by the Bills, methodically answered, then built up a 37-13 lead as Ryan and the Bills self-destructed in a storm of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and personal fouls. The Bills' Kyle Williams said after the game, ""There's a difference between coming out ready to go, fired up ready to play and coming out and being totally without poise, without focus, and doing a lot of stupid, idiotic stuff." Good times!

The current Bills team is hardly the clown show of the Ryan years, but there's still a bit of undisciplined pique in them, as we saw after the last meeting.
 

JerBear

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 11, 2006
1,584
Leeds, ME
Well well…

View: https://twitter.com/agetzenberg/status/1474404613231202305?s=21
Early reports were Davis was also unvaxxed. If so, that’s two games he’ll miss.
Schefter among those reporting Davis unvaccinated.

View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1474410188488671240


"Both Bills’ WRs Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley are unvaccinated and out for Sunday’s game vs. Patriots, per sources."

Bracket Diggs, JCJ on whoever else they put out, safeties on the TEs, keep Allen contained, win.
 

ShaneTrot

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 17, 2002
6,446
Overland Park, KS
Hopefully, this week the Pats' special teams will not give up a TD, or have a penalty on an opponent's missed field goal, or let the Bills have the ball at the Pats' 20-yard line. These special teams fuck ups must be killing BB. What are we the Chargers now?
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,978
Here

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,380
Philadelphia
Beasley and Davis out is huge. Emmanuel Sanders has looked completely rinsed over the second half of the season, he shouldn't scare anybody at this point. And if they want to go 11 personnel it probably means lots of snaps for Isaiah McKenzie, a 5'8 mediocre gadget player who has 11 total targets this year and a career yards/reception of 9.1. Their whole offensive philosophy is based on spreading you out (79% of snaps with 3WR or more) and they won't really have the bodies at WR to do it.
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,445
Beasley and Davis out is huge. Emmanuel Sanders has looked completely rinsed over the second half of the season, he shouldn't scare anybody at this point. And if they want to go 11 personnel it probably means lots of snaps for Isaiah McKenzie, a 5'8 mediocre gadget player who has 11 total targets this year and a career yards/reception of 9.1. Their whole offensive philosophy is based on spreading you out (79% of snaps with 3WR or more) and they won't really have the bodies at WR to do it.
With Diggs and Knox they still have some weapons. I think the missing pieces makes Allen’s job a lot harder, but he’s capable of some truly great play. What we will need, as always but particularly here, is a good complementary game. If Pats can jump out to a lead that’ll squeeze the Bills O even further.
 

jsinger121

@jsinger121
SoSH Member
Jul 25, 2005
17,682
With Diggs and Knox they still have some weapons. I think the missing pieces makes Allen’s job a lot harder, but he’s capable of some truly great play. What we will need, as always but particularly here, is a good complementary game. If Pats can jump out to a lead that’ll squeeze the Bills O even further.
Kyle Duggar back should mitigate Dawson Knox. Duggar essentially shut down Kyle Pitts who is a better TE than Knox.
 

milfordsoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 26, 2006
518
Connecticut
The loss of Davis and Beasley definitely hurts Buffalo, but I think it is sort of irrelevant. I think they lose whether or not those guys are on the field. I'm a Bills fan, and the following is all just based on my observations from watching the games and the stuff I read on the Athletic.

The Bills o-line, when properly constituted, might be league average. They banked on continued improvement from a couple of guys, and those guys ended up regressing instead. For much of the year they've played o-linemen out of place due to injuries, and in those cases, the line is outright bad. It will be even worse Sunday. They just signed a guy yesterday (or possibly this morning) who will see significant time at guard. The Patriots will tee off on Allen and/or the backs. I fear Allen will get hurt. We're going to get to see Mitch Trubisky at some point. I don't know what the over/under on Bills o-line penalties will be Sunday, but it should be about 8.

The Panthers got consistent pressure on Allen last week. I don't know how good their defense is, but I suspect the Pats' D is substantially better. The pressure will cause Allen to throw a couple picks when he tries to force things. Devin Singletary is a fumble machine. Seems probable the Pats will win the turnover battle.

The Pats showed they could run all over the Bills defense two weeks ago, and Sunday I expect them to show they can throw against it as well. With Tre'Davious White out, the secondary is exposed. Someone will burn Dane Jackson for a 50 yard TD.

All of the Bills' wins this year have come against bad to average teams, save the Chiefs, who weren't playing particularly well when the Bills beat them. The early season record was misleading. When healthy, I think the Bills are a good, but not great team that matches up somewhat poorly against the Patriots. That healthy team is not taking the field Sunday. Sunday's team has glaring and extreme weaknesses that BB will exploit. Presuming reasonable health for the Pats, some fluke luck will need to occur for the Bills to win. There's still some time to go before the game, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Tremaine Edmunds or someone get put on the COVID list.

The Bills are always in some stage of a futile effort. I guess there is some novelty in this one.
 

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,535
If I’m the Pats, I’d run a ton of 22 personnel and play action the Bills to death. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see our TEs have a field day in the seams.
 

Soxy

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2008
6,095
Kristian Wilkerson redemption arc incoming.

(Probably won’t actually play much unless Bourne or Meyers gets hurt).
(Cross-posting from the injury thread.)

Some of us never got off the Kristian Wilkerson bandwagon! :)

If I can make a brief case for Wilkerson, he's been on the team for a while now (going back to last season) and flashed his speed during the preseason. Catching and holding onto the football seemed like was his main issue. This is already his second PS elevation this year, so they can't call him up again until the playoffs, if I understand the new PS rules correctly. Harry is more likely to get Agholor's snaps, and his deep ball catch last week against the Colts was what a lot of us have been waiting to see from him for some time now, but it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to dip Wilkerson's toes in the water with a few snaps here or there to see how he does. He's the closest thing they have at WR to replicating Agholor's speed.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,380
Philadelphia
Beasley and Davis out is huge. Emmanuel Sanders has looked completely rinsed over the second half of the season, he shouldn't scare anybody at this point. And if they want to go 11 personnel it probably means lots of snaps for Isaiah McKenzie, a 5'8 mediocre gadget player who has 11 total targets this year and a career yards/reception of 9.1. Their whole offensive philosophy is based on spreading you out (79% of snaps with 3WR or more) and they won't really have the bodies at WR to do it.
Not my greatest ever call.