Bills continue their push to the playoffs vs Patriots: What to know about the key matchup
ORCHARD PARK - With one “trap game” out of the way thanks to the Buffalo Bills’ rallyinglate to dispose of the Los Angeles Chargers, another one awaits Josh Allen and company Sunday afternoon in the final home game of the regular season against the New England Patriots.
Of course, trap games really aren’t a thing in the NFL because every game is tough in a league that is driven by parity, and as we saw Saturday night at Sofi Stadium, if the Bills aren’t functioning at their best, they - like all teams - can be taken down.
“That’s the NFL,” Allen said. “These are the highest level of professional athletes in the world, each and every week that we’re playing. It’s not easy to win.”
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They found a way to survive the 5-10 Chargers and thus kept their push for the postseason moving full steam ahead, but now come the Patriots, a 4-11 team that would love to drive a dagger into Buffalo’s playoff plans, just like it did to the Denver Broncos.
The Patriots went into Denver on Christmas Eve for a game that was meaningless to them and enormously meaningful to the Broncos and I’m sure the Broncos’ fan base was calling it a trap game. Well, consider the Broncos trapped, not to mention pretty much out of the playoff chase because New England pulled out a 26-23 victory.
New England’s offense has been embarrassingly bad all year - except when it somehow beat the Bills back in October - but its defense remains sturdy and ranks second in the NFL against the rush and eighth in total yards against.
This has obviously been a nightmarish season for the one-time dynastic Patriots and this could be the final time the Bills face Bill Belichick, at least as coach of the team that for so long owned Buffalo in a completely embarrassing fashion.
But those Patriots, who were led by Tom Brady, have seen their series with the Bills flip. Although New England did hand the Bills that galling loss back in October, since Brady left the Patriots following the 2019 season, Buffalo has won six of the eight games counting the postseason and outscored the Patriots 236-144.
Here’s an early look ahead to the Bills vs Patriots matchup:
Top players for New England Patriots on offense, defense
▶ QB Bailey Zappe: Since taking over for ineffective Mac Jones, Zappe has at least played respectably and Sunday night he completed 25 of 33 passes for 256 yards and two TDs and led a game-winning last-second drive.
▶ RB Rhamondre Stevenson: He’s the leading rusher with 619 yards and a 4.0 average per carry, but he sat out the game against the Broncos with an injury.
▶ WR Demario Douglas: The rookie sixth-round pick has worked himself into a starting role following the injury to Kendrick Bourne and has become one of the few Patriots offensive players who is producing. He leads all Patriots WRs with 44 catches for 517 yards.
▶ WR DeVante Parker: Since his days with Miami, Parker has always had success against the Bills and no active WR has caught more passes against Buffalo. Sunday, he made the great catch that helped set up the Patriots’ winning field goal.
▶ TE Hunter Henry: Probably the most consistent player on the New England offense, but he missed the Denver game and his status is unknown for this week.
▶ DT Christian Barmore: He’s a tough player to move in the middle of the Patriots D-line. He leads the team with 8.5 sacks, three of which came against the Broncos, and also has 48 tackles, six passes deflected and a forced fumble.
▶ LB Ja’Whaun Bentley: He leads the Patriots with 97 tackles and also has four sacks and a forced fumble.
▶ S Kyle Dugger: A physical defender against both the run and pass, he has 93 tackles, six pass breakups and two interceptions.
▶ CB Jonathan Jones: He’s the Patriots’ best cornerback as he has allowed a completion percentage of just 62.5 and he has six passes defensed.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Patriots?
The Bills have opened as an 11.5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-700 (bet $700 to win $100) and Patriots plus-500 (bet $100 to win $500). The over-under is 48.5.
What time does the Bills vs Patriots game start?
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Patriots game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 85 and XM channel 225 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 158 and XM channel 380 (Patriots feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play next? Playoff push moves on vs Patriots, Week 17
