These are some bold predictions for the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the regular season
The Buffalo Bills are going to be looking to end the regular season on a high note with a win over the New York Jets. It would be a sweep of their division rival, as well as clinch the AFC East division for a second straight year.
In the final regular season game for the Buffalo Bills, these are five predictions that I believe have a good chance of happening.
Devin Singletary has over 100 rushing yards for the second straight game
The third-year running back had a career first last week against the Atlanta Falcons when he had two rushing touchdowns in a game. He also had over 100 rushing yards and this sets the stage for Singletary to have a career first on Sunday against the New York Jets.
On Sunday, Singletary will once again break the 100-yard rushing mark and it will be first time in his career that he is able to achieve that in consecutive games. The Jets are one of the worst teams at defending the run this year and allowing 136.3 yards per game on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have found success in the run game led by Devin Singletary. He has now had over 20 rushing attempts in two of the last three games and he should get near that mark again on Sunday. The added opportunity should help Devin Singeltary close out the regular season with another 100-yard game.
Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde each have an interception
The two starting safeties for the Buffalo Bills, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, have had a great season capitalizing on opposing quarterbacks’ mistakes. Both have five interceptions on the season which is tied for the team lead and are currently tied for fourth in the NFL.
I would imagine that both will want to add to that total, not only move up in the league standings but surpass their teammate in a friendly competition. Fortunately for both, they should have plenty of opportunities as the Jets lead the league in throwing interceptions with 20 on the season.
In the first meeting between the two teams, the Bills forced Mike White into four interceptions with Micah Hyde being the only player not to force an interception. He did force a turnover though with a fumble recovery right before halftime.
The Buffalo Bills once again should force some interceptions but Poyer and Hyde will remain tied as they will both come away with an interception on Sunday against the Jets.
Buffalo Bills don’t punt for the third straight game
Some fans may have forgotten the Buffalo Bills had a punter since they haven’t seen Matt Haack for two straight weeks. The Bills and head coach Sean McDermott’s change in philosophy to be more aggressive on fourth down, combined with turnover issues against the Falcons, has resulted in Haack not attempting a single punt against the Patriots or Falcons.
This is the first time since 2004 that an NFL team has not attempted a punt in back-to-back games, which the Pittsburgh Steelers were the team to accomplish that.
In a game where the Buffalo Bills have a clear advantage when looking at their offense against the Jets defense, this should once again set up for a game where the Bills will be able to move the ball easily. It would not be surprising to see the offense end each drive with points and in turn not need their punter for a third straight game.
Stefon Diggs ties the Buffalo Bills franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season
It has been a down year for Stefon Diggs this season compared to what he accomplished last year in his first season with the Buffalo Bills. There is no question that it was still an excellent season as Diggs has 94 receptions, 1,144 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns.
The Buffalo Bills top wide receiver already has the single season record for receptions and receiving yards, which he set last year with 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards. However, on Sunday he will at least tie the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season when he catches two touchdowns against the New York Jets.
The current record holder is Bill Brooks who joined the team towards the end of his career in 1993 but it wasn’t until his final year in 1995 that he would set the record with 11 receiving touchdowns that season. It is hard to imagine Diggs breaking it but he certainly should have a great chance to tie it against the New York Jets.
Mitchell Trubisky plays a quarter of football
The Buffalo Bills need this win to clinch the AFC East and that will certainly need to be the priority because with it comes a home game in the first round of the playoffs. However, the coaching staff will need to keep in mind that this is the longest regular season in NFL history with the added game this year and should try to rest some starters if the game is decided early.
It not only will protect key players from potential injury but also give some backups some playing time in a game that they haven’t seen most of the season. One of those players is backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who the Bills signed to a one-year deal in the offseason.
Fortunately, Trubisky has not seen much playing time this year with Josh Allen being able to stay relatively injury-free. When he was dealing with the foot injury a few weeks ago, he was still able to play.
This week presents a great chance, if the Bills get up to a sizable lead, to give Trubisky a chance to play and I believe he could play almost the entire fourth quarter on Sunday with Buffalo in control.