New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
After a great showing in a 43-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be in Buffalo to take on Kyle Orton and the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium Sunday. The Bills rallied to defeat the Detroit Lions 17-14 in Orton’s first start since replacing E.J. Manuel last week. Both teams enter the game with records of 3-2, making this a key game in the AFC East.
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills viewing information:
Date: October 12, 2014
Start Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: Buffalo, New York
Stadium: Ralph Wilson Stadium
TV Info: Fox/NFL Sunday Ticket
Live Stream: NFLSundayTicket.TV
Radio: NFL Audio Pass
Ticket information: For New England Patriots ticket information, click here. For Buffalo Bills ticket information, click here.
Keys to Victory
The Patriots’ offense was finally clicking on Sunday night. Although Brady had his best game of the season, one of the main reasons the Patriots’ passing game was much better was because of their ability to run the football – Stevan Ridley had 113 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. That not only helped the Patriots control the clock but opened things up for Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and a new, emerging target – Tim Wright. Wright was acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Logan Mankins trade. The Patriots’ offensive line also looked the best it has all year. The Bills’ defense has been absolutely fantastic against the run, giving up just 71 yards a game, second in the NFL. They will likely try to take away the running game and force the Patriots into third-and-long so Mario Williams and the defense can pin their ears back.
Offensively, the Bills certainly have play makers, like rookie receiver Sammy Watkins, but they haven’t been particularly good passing (21st) or rushing (20th). They do, however, have a knack for making timely plays, which probably sounds strange to Bills fans. Perhaps another week with Kyle Orton at the helm is exactly what they need as he tries to get into a rhythm with his receivers. The Patriots will need to get to Orton and force him into mistakes. The Patriots have been excellent at forcing turnovers and with Brandon Browner making his debut after his suspension, they should only get better in that area.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: New England -3.0
Moneyline: NE -150, BUF-130
O/U: 45
Prediction
Both teams are coming off of huge, emotional wins. The Bills have the advantage of playing at home but in the end, the Patriots and their new found confidence on offense will make one more play than the Bills.
Final Score: Patriots 24, Bills 17