3 bold predictions for the Bills vs. Patriots matchup in Week 18

While Week 18 of this wildly unpredictable 2024 NFL season will feature several games with playoff implications, the Buffalo Bills' regular-season finale with the New England Patriots is not one of them.

The Bills, of course, are already locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC and will host the No. 7 seed during Super Wild Card Weekend, which will be either the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, or Miami Dolphins.

Despite having nothing to play for as far as postseason seeding is concerned, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has stated that several starters, including NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen, will take the field for a short time before sitting down in favor of the second- and third-stringers.

What's interesting is that the Patriots may end up doing the same, as a loss guarantees New England the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So, this may end up looking a lot like a preseason game.

Nevertheless, we'll still go ahead and make a few predictions for the Bills in this mostly meaningless Week 18 divisional matchup with the Patriots.

1. Josh Allen and James Cook will each account for a touchdown before exiting the game

The main reason Allen seems to be taking the field this week is to extend his streak of consecutive starts, which currently stands at 114, the longest active streak among quarterbacks.

McDermott hasn't specifically said precisely how long his franchise QB will play before being lifted for Mitchell Trubisky, but one would think it won't be longer than the first quarter, perhaps even the Bills' first offensive drive.

But whichever it turns out to be, we're calling for Allen to account for a touchdown, whether through the air or on the ground, on however many drives he ends up leading, even if it's just the one.

We're also predicting that James Cook will account for one rushing touchdown, which would be his 16th such score of the year (18 overall), tying him with O.J. Simpson for the most in a single season in Bills history.

2. Reggie Gilliam will be the 14th Bills player to score a TD this season, setting a new NFL record

When Tyrell Shavers took his first-ever career catch 69 yards for a touchdown in last Sunday's win over the New York Jets, he became the 13th player on the Buffalo roster to reach the end zone this season, tying an NFL record.

With the Bills playing backups for much of this Sunday's matchup with New England, one would assume that at least one of them will score a touchdown at some point.

And our pick to notch the record-setting score is fullback Reggie Gilliam, who may also see some snaps at tight end, with Dalton Kincaid and Dalton Knox likely getting some rest in the later portion of the game.

Gilliam, who's been with Buffalo for five seasons now after going undrafted out of Toledo in 2020, has just two touches in 14 appearances this season, running the ball on both occasions for a total of three yards. He'll get at least triple that amount against the Pats and will score his third career touchdown.

3. Buffalo will set a new franchise record for victories with a win over New England

While the Bills may have nothing to play for in regards to the postseason, they do have something on the line here, as a victory would be their 14th of the season, which would set a new record for the most in a single campaign in franchise history.

Prior to this season, Buffalo has notched 13 victories on four other occasions, those coming in 1990, 1991, 2020, and 2022.

Even with the Bills resting players, we're predicting that they'll get that 14th victory, no matter what the Patriots do with their personnel. And just to go a little more bold, we'll say that win comes in double-digit fashion.