The Patriots go into Monday night’s game in Buffalo as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and they can move a half-game clear of the field with a win. On the other hand, a loss would drop them to fifth in the conference and move the Bills to the top of the division.
Needless to say, this is a huge game. Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show Monday morning, CBS analyst and WFAN host Boomer Esiason broke down the matchup and explained why he is picking New England to win.
“I do like New England,” Esiason said. “I think it’s going to be a close game. I think it’ll be in the mid-20s. I do like New England to prevail, 27-24.”
Esiason said he thinks the Patriots’ defense and running game -- their two biggest strengths right now -- will be the difference, pointing out that the Bills’ offense has been making too many mistakes recently and that the Bills’ defense has struggled against the run.
“I think really the defense has set itself apart the last five weeks,” Esiason said. “They’ll get tested tonight. Josh Allen’s a great player. As Phil Simms said yesterday, he’s weather-indestructible -- that’s how big and how strong he is. But his decision-making the last few weeks has not been great. He’s turned the ball over. They’ve looked a little bit uneven on offense.
“And on defense, they haven’t been able to stop the run. They were exploited by two teams that ran the ball really well, and that was Tennessee when Derrick Henry was healthy and the Colts with Jonathan Taylor a few weeks back. So I would think that’s the recipe you have to use tonight in order to beat the Buffalo Bills and take a little bit of the pressure off of Mac Jones.”
Listen to the full interview with Esiason below:
