Football
In general, there will be a lot of eyes on the Week 5 matchup between the Patriots and the Bills. It’s a nationally televised game on Sunday Night Football.
There are other factors at play. It’s a division leader (Bills) hosting an up-and-coming underdog (Patriots), Stefon Diggs returns to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, and you can add in the Bills Mafia to that mix, too. Case in point: emotions will be high.
The Pats are not the favorite Sunday night, and why would they, this is Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The hometeam is fvoured 8 to 8.5 points on Sunday Night Football, but if your a Patritos fan, don’t let that stop you from beliving they can walk out with a “W.”
The Bills’ high-powered offense will be center stage, but their defense is cause for concern against Drake Maye and the Patriots’ pass attack.
The Bills’ defense is ranked 17th in the NFL in points allowed. This has been something that has not been acknowledged much, due to their second-place standing in the league with points scored (33.3 PPG). To sum it up, if the Patriots can keep pace with the Bills’ offense, there is a chance here.
Drake Maye ranks 6th in the league in passing yards, ahead of Josh Allen. There has been media chatter all week due to the comparisons and similar styles between the two quarterbacks. It will indeed make an intriguing showdown between the two.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky seems to see the margins where Maye and the Patriots can thrive. He spoke about it on his appearance on NFL Live this week.
“First of all, I think this is a very dangerous game for the Bills,” Orlovsky said. “Their defense is struggling right now, so I think it’s dangerous.”
He then continued to discuss how Josh McDaniels’ play execution has been superb and how former Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is starting to come into his own in a Patriot uniform.
“Really impressed with Josh McDaniels and the sequencing of their plays,” Orlovsky said. “The passing game, Stefon looks like Stefon. I’ve been very impressed with Diggs, and I think his feel of being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there is a big deal.”
The 2-2 Patriots are still a team on the rise and are still finding their identity. Win or lose, the Patriots could indeed find their identity this week, and a way to achieve it is to have their offense attack a struggling Bills defense.
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