There is a big matchup in the AFC East this week taking place out in Massachusetts. The Buffalo Bills will hit the road for a rematch of their Week 5 loss against Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. After Buffalo got off to a 4-0 start, they suffered their first loss against the Patriots, 23-20 in front of Bills Mafia. Now, Buffalo will be looking to give them payback in front of Pats Nation.
One of the biggest takeaways from their first matchup was the turnover battle. Buffalo lost it, 3-1 and it played a role into why Buffalo lost the game. While you could say how Buffalo has to protect the ball better (which is totally fair to say), it’s also important to talk about how the Bills have to attack the ball on defense better.
Buffalo’s defense has been shaky this season and now they will be tasked to contain Drake Maye and this Patriots offense that is clicking on all cylinders lately. Who will have to step up to the plate?
Bills players who must step up to stop Patriots' offense
CB Christian Benford
After a bit of a tough start this season, Christian Benford has shown the NFL why the Bills paid him this offseason. Going from a sixth-round pick to a team’s number one shutdown corner is not an easy path, yet Benford has accomplished it. In the last two weeks, Benford has returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown, as well as a pick six. Both of those plays were game-changing in favor of Buffalo.
Benford should be matchup against Stefon Diggs, who absolutely shined in Week 5 against Buffalo. Don’t think for a second that Diggs won’t be Drake Maye’s go-to guy again against his old team.
LB Shaq Thompson
Whether Terrel Bernard is ready to go or not, Shaq Thompson deserves to be a starter for the rest of the season. He has been phenomenal against the run and using his IQ to know where the ball is going on the ground. Without question, he has been Buffalo’s best linebacker this season.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson has been the go-to guy for the Patriots in the backfield. New England will be looking to utilize him against the Bills, and Thompson will have to find a way to slow down the rushing attack and put the game on Drake Maye’s shoulders.
DT Deone Walker
Buffalo’s run defense has been solid in stopping the run in their last two games. They held Pittsburgh to 58 yards on the ground, and then followed up with only allowing the Bengals to rush for 62 yards.
The defensive line has taken their hits for sure, but rookie Deone Walker has made plays behind the line of scrimmage. Well, he will need to step up in both against the run and pass this Sunday. This defense cannot allow Maye to sit back in the pocket and find a play to make to make them pay the price.
DE Greg Rousseau
It has been a very disappointing season for Greg Rousseau. After getting his $80 million deal this offseason, he is certainly not living up to the expectations. He doesn’t provide a true pass rush and if Joey Bosa isn’t ready to go again this week, this defense could have an extremely limited pass rush once again.
Rousseau has to prove that he is more than just a run stopper. If he can have his best game in Buffalo’s biggest game of the season up to this point, it would surely help Buffalo make a push for the AFC East which is something that we thought was highly unlikely the last month.