1 – Emotion is always a part of football games. But emotion will be taken to an extreme on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo when the Patriots take on a Bills team that returns to the field less than a week after safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in Cincinnati.
Certainly Hamlin’s remarkable recovery – his breathing tube has been removed, his neurological function is intact and he’s even been communicating via FaceTime with his Buffalo teammates – has been a tremendous positive for the entire football world.
The Bills and their fans will honor Hamlin in a variety of ways Sunday at Highmark Stadium and likely take the field with what could be in many ways an almost unprecedented emotion, knowing Hamlin will be watching from his hospital bed at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Beyond just playing a Buffalo team that’s won the division three years in a row and bested the Patriots in five of the last six meetings, New England must deal with the emotion of the moment. The players will have to likely conquer their own individual emotions before battling the Bills and the emotion they’ll bring to the matchup.
“Everybody will have to individually process it like we've been doing,” Bill Belichick said. “But expect it to be an emotional scene. In the end we're going there to play our best football game. So, I think everybody understands there's the balance and there's multiple things going on here.”
Emotion is always part of football games. But this is will be different.
2 – Mac Jones agreed with his coach’s assertion that there will be an emotional “balance” in Buffalo. New England’s quarterback noted that the entire week leading up to Sunday’s matchup was about being there for Hamlin, his family and the Bills organization. “There’s a game on our mind, but there’s also a lot bigger things than football itself,” Jones said.
When that game arrives, seeing how Jones and the rest of the Patriots adapt to the challenge of the competition and emotional environment will be notable.
“I think it’s a big game. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of respect for the team we’re going against and obviously, in the situation that they’re in, it’s just being there for them however we can and we’ve done that all week,” Jones said. “Obviously, on the game, there’s a lot of emotions flying. That’s every game, but obviously this game, very much so, too. Really just trying to accept all the emotions and just be there for their team and whatever we’re going to do and all that. When the kickoff starts, you kind of just have to go out there and play and compete against a really good team. It all revolves around him and just being there for him in whatever way we can.”
3 – At 8-8 heading into Sunday’s game, New England is still very much in the mix for the No. 7 seed and final AFC wild card playoff spot. A win over the Bills would secure that spot, sending New England to the postseason for the second straight year under Jones’ leadership. Even with a loss, the Patriots can back their way into the playoffs with a losing record if the Dolphins lose to the Jets and the Steelers loss to the Browns.
4 – Despite missing three games this season to a knee injury and concussion, Jakobi Meyers heads into the season finale in Buffalo tied (Rhamondre Stevenson) for the Patriots lead with 64 catches. If Meyers leads New England in receptions in 2022 he’d become the first Patriot to lead the team in catches in at least three straight seasons since Wes Welker did it six straight years from 2007-12. The former undrafted free agent Meyers is set to hit free agency this spring after another impressive year, one in which he’s battled injures to remain New England’s No. 1 receiver.
“He's a tough kid, mentally, physically. He's shown a lot of leadership and competitiveness like he always does,” Belichick said. “So, yeah, I'm glad we have him. Glad he's out there. I know he's had to fight through some things, so have a lot of other guys. But he's done a good job of that.”
5 – The Patriots defensive backfield will once again be undermanned for the finale, trying to stop the Josh Allen-led Buffalo passing attack at far less than full strength. New England downgraded veteran cornerback Jalen Mills to Out before traveling on Saturday. Despite returning to practice over the last week-plus, Mills will miss his sixth straight game to a groin injury. With Jack Jones already on injured reserve, New England heads to Buffalo without Mills and with Jonathan Jones questionable due to a chest injury that limited him in practice all week. There is good news in the secondary, though, as rookie cornerback Marcus Jones will return to action after a one-week absence to a concussion.
6 – Speaking of Jack Jones, a strange situation arose this week when the Patriots suspended Jones and punter Jake Bailey, both of whom had been on injured reserve. While Jones’ agent tweeted that there was a “miscommunication” regarding the impressive rookie cornerback’s rehab process, Bailey’s agent took to Twitter to reveal he’s filed a grievance regarding the suspension.
Despite the strange suspension and ending to his rookie season, Jones likely still has a bright future in Foxborough. The same probably can’t be said for Bailey, the former All-Pro who’s coming off consecutive poor seasons, including ranking dead last in both gross and net punting average in the NFL prior to landing on IR with a back issue. Given the suspension, New England can void the future guaranteed money in the $13.5 million contract extension he signed in August. ESPN has reported that it’s “hard to imagine” Bailey ever playing for the Patriots again.
7 – Prediction Time: By pretty much any measure – wins, statistics, series history – the Bills are the better football team in this matchup. They will also have pretty unique emotion and an incredibly supportive home environment on their side. The reality is this a tough spot for New England in a win-and-you-re-in playoff scenario. Two possible keys to a victory for New England would be running the ball consistently with the two-headed monster of Stevenson and Damien Harris while also applying consistent pressure to Allen via the Matt Judon-led pass rush. Still, if Buffalo doesn’t turn the ball over it’s hard to envision the Patriots pulling off the road upset in such a unique emotional environment against an obviously superior football team. The guess here is that Buffalo rolls to something like a 35-13 victory and New England has to hope the other pieces fall into place in Miami and Pittsburgh in order to sneak into the postseason. Otherwise, the offseason could begin on Monday.
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