Bills need a miracle against the Patriots

By Connor Byrne  |   Sunday, October 30, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Buffalo Bills
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For the second straight year, the Buffalo Bills will meet the New England Patriots in Foxboro for Sunday night football. Last year, the Bills took a 29-6 beating as Patriots' linebacker Tedy Bruschi dominated. This year, Bruschi will make his season debut, a controversial decision considering no professional athlete has ever returned to their respective sport after suffering a stroke. Many have expressed concern with Bruschi's decision because of his own well-being. However, Bruschi has been cleared by every doctor that he's gone before and will step in to help his struggling 3-3 team. Expect his presence to fire up his team as well as the rowdy Patriots fans. Whether or not he will start is still being determined by head coach Bill Belichick and the rest of the defensive coaching staff.

The Patriots come into this game in first-place in the AFC East, despite their mediocre record. They have looked very un-Patriot like defensively as they currently rank 26th in total defense. Their run defense is currently ranked 25th. That could lead to a tough day against Bills' running back Willis McGahee. He ranks 5th in the NFL with 654 rushing yards. That's amazing considering he hasn't gotten the ball nearly enough from his coaching staff. If the Bills want any chance in this game, head coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements better give it to McGahee at least 25 times. Those hand-offs better go right up the middle against what has proved to be a weak group of middle linebackers for the Pats. Bruschi, Chad Brown, and Monty Beisel had better be tested all day. It is expected that the Pats' defensive line will greatly improve for this game since their star lineman, Richard Seymour, could return. He has been out for nearly a month but he had an opportunity to heal more since New England had a bye week last week.

The Buffalo Bills' offensive coaching staff needs to look at stretching the field in this game. New England's secondary is among the most banged up in the league, they rank 24th in the NFL against the pass. Starters Duane Starks, Randall Gay, and Eugene Wilson are all questionable for the game. Bills' quarterback Kelly Holcomb must get a better performance from his offensive line. It's unlikely since the group never seems mentally prepared for road games. On plays that Holcomb gets sufficient time, he needs to go downfield to Eric Moulds, Lee Evans, and Roscoe Parrish. Receiver Josh Reed needs to be looked at for short yardage situations.

Patriots' star quarterback Tom Brady could have his best game of the year. He comes in with a quarterback rating of 92.0 and has carried the banged-up Pats on his back all year long. Buffalo's defense generates almost no pass-rush so it should give the game's premier signal caller plenty of time to pick the defense apart. He should be looking to his dependable, yet underrated receiving duo of David Givens and Deion Branch all night. Expect Brady to involve his tight end trio of Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, and Christian Fauria. Every time Brady plays against Buffalo, it seems like he throws for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. All signs point to this game being more of the same for him.

As for the Patriots' struggling running game, expect it to get on track this weekend. running back Corey Dillon is listed as questionable with an ankle injury but if he does play, it could mean big things for the Pats. Last year, he ran for 151 yards in Foxboro against the Bills. Pats' coach Bill Belichick will likely go with what worked in that game, which was to run Dillon right at the Bills' starting defensive ends, Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel. Neither are good run stoppers so I would expect Dillon to turn in another fine performance, especially since the Bills currently rank 31st in the league in run defense. If Dillon doesn't play, the Patriots should still be in decent shape. Backup running back Patrick Pass averaged 6.4 yards per carry against the Broncos two weeks ago.

Because New England will probably dominate Buffalo on offense and defense, special teams will be a mere footnote. Bills' kick returner Terrence McGee tore the Patriots up twice last year, and then garnered praise from Bill Belichick. Buffalo's punter Brian Moorman, and kicker Rian Lindell, are two of the best at their respective positions. For the Pats, they bring speed demon Bethel Johnson in to return kicks and he might give Buffalo's coverage unit fits. Even though the Bills are among the best in the league in coverage, Johnson's speed will still be tough to stop. New England brings in the best clutch kicker in the game, Adam Vinatieri. Throughout his career, he has tortured the Bills with big kicks.

It is likely that the Patriots will absolutely lay waste to the Bills in this game. The Patriots lost their last game and quarterback Tom Brady is 10-0 following a loss since the 2003 season. In his career, he is 7-1 against the Bills. If Buffalo does somehow win, it would catapult them to a 4-4 record, good enough for first-place in the AFC East. However, Buffalo would need nothing shy of a gargantuan effort to even play the Patriots close in this game. Expect people to be walking away from this game calling it "The Boston Massacre."

Injury Report:

Buffalo Bills - OT Greg Jerman (Out - ankle).

New England Patriots - RB Kevin Faulk (Out - foot), OT Matt Light (Out - ankle), CB Tyrone Poole (Out - ankle), WR Troy Brown (Questionable - foot), RB Corey Dillon (Questionable - ankle), CB Randall Gay (Questionable - ankle), DE Jarvis Green (Questionable - shoulder), DE Marquise Hill (Questionable - ankle), LB Larry Izzo (Questionable - thigh), LB Willie McGinest (Questionable - finger), DE Richard Seymour (Questionable - knee), CB Duane Starks (Questionable - thigh), DE Ty Warren (Questionable - hip), S Eugene Wilson (Questionable - illness), RB Amos Zereoue (Questionable - thigh).
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