AFC East Game of the Year

The AFC East is on the national stage tonight as the 9-0 Patriots travel up to Orchard Park, New York to take on the 5-4 Bills on Sunday Night Football. While the Pats come into the game as heavy 15 point favorites, its never smart to bet against a home team when they have weather and rabid fans on their side. The forecast in Orchard Park is calling for temperatures at game time to be 34 degrees with a 10 mile an hour wind. Anybody who has been to Ralph Wilson Stadium knows the wind can feel even stronger when it starts whipping through the seats. It will be very interesting to see how the cold effects the Patriots record-setting passing attack.

The Bills may need the weather to hamper the Patriots offense since their own offense will be hampered by injuries. Offensive catalyst Marshawn Lynch will likely miss the game with a sprained ankle, and that could be a major blow to a Bills offense that struggled to score even when he was on the field. The burden should fall to QB J.P. Losman and the Buffalo WRs, led by Lee Evans. Look for Buffalo to try some unconventional plays on offense to move the ball and generate some big plays. Also, Buffalo’s special teams could play a huge role in this one, including punt returner Roscoe Parrish (averaging an eye-popping 19.4 yards per punt return) and kickoff returner Terrence McGee (averaging 28.2 yards per return). If either return man can run back a kick for 6 it would greatly help the Bills pull off the major upset.

For the Patriots, one of the bigger challenges will be shaking off the rust from the bye week and getting the offense back into its groove. While the weather won’t be conducive to throwing the ball, I doubt it will stop Brady and company from throwing the ball the second they get off the plane. Buffalo’s injury-riddled secondary will have its hands full, so look for Brady to exploit mismatches whenever they present themselves. The Pats will also try to get a struggling rushing attack back on track, as it will be imperative for the team to be able to run the ball as the calendar turns towards December. On defense, the Patriots will have to prevent the big plays. The secondary will have to be sure not to commit pass interference penalties on long throws, as those were the plays that hurt the team in their last game against Indianapolis. The Patriots defensive backs can’t help the Bills offense by giving up huge chunks of yards in penalties and expect to win.

On paper, this game looks to be a fairly easy win for the Pats. But with the national lights on Orchard Park tonight I would expect the fans to be charged up and extremely loud which should give the Bills a very big home field advantage. Will it matter? Tune in tonight to find out…