Week 13 at San Fransisco 49ers
In Week 13, the Buffalo Bills will be traveling to San Fransisco to play the reigning NFC Champion 49ers. This will be Buffalo’s last game against the NFC West and their first of two Monday Night Football games in 2020. The Bills have been gifted a massive opportunity to bolster their national perception in this matchup.
The biggest threat to the Bills defense in this game will be 49ers tight end George Kittle. Since entering the league, Kittle has earned a spot on one All Pro team and two Pro Bowls in just three years. In addition to his exceptional blocking skills, Kittle adds ability to his position as a pass catcher, averaging almost 1000 yards per season. At 6’4 and 250 pounds, Kittle is very hard to tackle after the catch as he has averaged just over 8 yards after the catch in his career.
Furthermore, the Bills defense will have to account for a plethora of other weapons on the 49ers offense. For instance, budding star wide receiver Deebo Samuel showed the ability to play a creative role in this Kyle Shanahan offense during his rookie season. Last year, Samuel contributed over 800 yards receiving while adding 3 touchdowns through the air as well as 3 more in the running game. However, it remains to be seen if Samuel will be recovered from his offseason injury in time for this game.
Additionally, the 49ers added another weapon to the offense in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft with Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk. On top of the efficient 49ers passing attack, the Bills defense will still need to contain the consistent running attack from Shanahan’s outside zone scheme.
As for the other side of the ball, the Bills will have an equally tough time moving the ball against the 49ers defense as they will with containing the 49ers offense. The 49ers defense ranked within the top ten in three categories last season, points allowed at 8th, yards allowed at 2nd, and turnovers forced at 6th. Although the 49ers traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, the pick the 49ers got back in the trade was immediately used in the 2020 NFL Draft to fill the void left by Buckner to select Javon Kinlaw in the first round. This replacement should allow the 49ers defense to go into 2020 without skipping a beat.
The Bills should have a tough time on both sides of the ball in this matchup as the 49ers defense does a great job of getting their offense back on the field. While the 49ers offense does a great job of stretching out their offensive possessions. This combination from the 49ers will make it very difficult for Buffalo to come out of this game with the victory. Thus completing the Buffalo Bills record against the NFC West to 2-2 in 2020.
Prediction: Loss (2-2)