Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills have already clinched a playoff berth, but they can no longer be the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs after their win Saturday afternoon over the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, they can still gain the No. 2 seed, and also guarantee that any AFC Championship Game matchup with the Chiefs would be played at a neutral site, if they beat the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park.
In order to do it, here are my three keys to the game, plus notes and stats:
1.) Emotion
We all know it’s going to be an extremely emotional day at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. The positive and encouraging news on Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been incredibly uplifting to the organization and fanbase.
It will be the first chance for fans to express their support in a game setting for him and their team.
The Bills can’t let that emotion overwhelm them. And while they’ll want to use it to help propel them throughout the game, they’ll also need to stay focused on the task at hand against a Patriots team fighting to keep their season alive.
2.) Be ready for anything
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is known for doing something his opponent isn’t expecting in big games, and especially playoff situations. This would certainly qualify.
The last time these two teams played, he used defensive back Marcus Jones on offenses, which led to the speedy Jones catching a pass and flying 48 yards for the first touchdown of the game.
Whether it’s a certain coverage or type of blitz, or personal package, he’ll have something up his sleeve for the Bills, who have to be ready for anything and adjust to it as quickly as possible.
3.) “Protect”
The biggest and most important thing the Bills have to do on Sunday on offense is protect, and in two different ways.
Protecting Josh Allen will be extremely important against the Patriots, who have the third-highest sacks per-pass attempts in the league. In their first meeting, Patriots defensive end Josh Uche sacked Allen and stripped him of the ball, allowing New England to recover.
That’s why the Bills also need to protect the football.
The Patriots don’t have an explosive offense, but their defense has allowed the sixth-fewest points per-game in the league and will keep them in the game. Buffalo can’t waste drives and give the ball away to allow the Patriots to have freebies.
NOTES AND STATS:
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