This Sunday marks the 13th time that the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills will square off against each other. The last time they met was in 2021 in New Orleans. Previously, the two teams had played in Buffalo in 2017. The Saints lead the series 7-5, per Pro Football Reference.
There are many different faces and factors to these teams now, with one team being a Super Bowl contender featuring an MVP quarterback, while the other is a young rebuilding team led by two young quarterbacks.
How the Bills can use these 3 advantages to win the game
New Orleans tiring travel
Over the course of seven days, the Saints' travels will take the team from Seattle to New Orleans and then to Western New York, covering approximately 8,500 miles to play the Bills. They will need to find a way to quickly rejuvenate upon arrival in Orchard Park.
On the other hand, the Bills will be more rested and motivated to play after having 10 days off to get ready for the Saints. They are coming off an exciting Week 3 win over the Miami Dolphins, 31-21.
The team is always excited to stay at home to host teams, as they are 16-1 since offensive coordinator Joe Brady joined the Bills in 2023.
QB's and coaches
The Bills' starting quarterback, Josh Allen, is one of the golden standards in the NFL in terms of the QB position.
Last season, Allen won his first NFL MVP, becoming the Bills' first and only quarterback to win this prestigious award. This season, he's been on a mission, throwing for 755 yards with 5 TDs and 0 INTs and a QBR of 108.8.
Now turning to New Orleans, starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. He is in the same shoes that Allen was in 2018. He's a young quarterback struggling as he is now 0-9 as a starter.
That doesn't mean he hasn't made strides along the way. The 24-year-old quarterback this season has thrown for 639 yards, with 4 TDs and 1 INT.
First-year head coach Kellen Moore, at only 37 years old, is now the youngest head coach in the league. With the making of being a star head coach, Moore knew that when he took the Saints job, he would have to try to develop young Rattler and Tyler Shough into prominent NFL starting signal callers.
Moore came to New Orleans after serving as the offensive coordinator under head coach Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles. His offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, and his excellent supporting cast, along with the defense, helped the Eagles crush the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl 59.
Despite an 0-3 start, Moore's Saints are well-prepared for games, and they play hard with energy and enthusiasm. Despite being a young coach, Moore continues to make strides in figuring out how he and his staff can stay mentally tough and improve every day.
While Moore is the younger of the two head coaches, Sean McDermott, the head coach of the Bills' team, is still relatively young, despite being the veteran head coach. He, too, was a young first-time head coach when he came over from the Carolina Panthers as the defensive coordinator.
In McDermott's first season, he went 9-7 and made the playoffs, and from that point on, he continued to make strides. Now, in year nine, he and his team are also staying mentally tough, finding ways to improve to win the Bills' first Lombardi trophy.