Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots: Week 13 final score prediction
By Aaron Tully
In Week 13, the Buffalo Bills will be looking to retake control over the AFC East when the New England Patriots come to town in a Monday Night Football matchup that may be the most important regular season game for the Bills since Week 17 of 2017.
After a 2-4 start, the Patriots have been the hottest team in the NFL, winning their last six games by an insane average of 21.3 points per game.
New England’s defense has been the driving force behind their hot streak, allowing more than 13 points just once in their six-game win streak. In that same time span, the Patriots have forced at least three turnovers in four of those six games.
As for New England’s offense, they have not set the world on fire, but they have been consistently solid and done their part during New England’s win streak. They are 14th in the league in passing yardage, 12th in rushing yardage, and 14th in total yardage. There are no real stars on New England’s offense, but Mac Jones has played well, completing 70.3% of his passes, and averaging 7.5 yards per pass attempt.
As for the Buffalo Bills’ offense, they found their mojo again in New Orleans, totaling 361 yards of offense against the Saints. Josh Allen threw for 268 yards on 28 attempts, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 115.2 passer rating.
The Buffalo Bills’ two biggest receiving threats, Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox had good games as well. Diggs caught seven passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, while Knox caught three passes for 32 yards and two scores. The Bills will likely need to get the running game going in order to beat New England, and Matt Breida is the guy they should try and build it through. He has 26 total touches this season and 6.76 yards per touch. He has scored four touchdowns in those 26 touches.
The Buffalo defense rebounded in a big way against a banged-up Saints offense. They held New Orleans to just 190 yards of offense and just 44 rushing yards on 25 attempts. That bodes well for the Bills going into a game where they are going to need to be at their best against the run.
The Bills may finally be getting both Spencer Brown and Star Lotulelei back this week, and having both of them back in a game that will almost certainly be won and lost in the trenches could be huge for Buffalo. The weather for Monday night’s game looks atrocious, so it would be a surprise if this game is a shootout. This is a matchup between two of the AFC’s best teams, and the two best defenses in the NFL. Those who enjoy defensive football should enjoy this one.
Must Read. Who are the x-factors for the Bills in Week 13?. light
Final Score Prediction: Buffalo Bills 20, New England Patriots 17
What gives the Bills the edge in this game is how well Sean McDermott has fared against rookie quarterbacks, with his defenses allowing more than 200 passing yards just once in five games against first year signal callers. The Buffalo defense should hold the Patriots’ offense in check, and the offense should do just enough to get them a close, low-scoring win over New England.