The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots could be headed for a historic round three, an insider is predicting.
The AFC East foes each clinched playoff spots with wins in Week 17, and the final week will now determine whether the Bills can secure their second consecutive divisional title or if the Patriots can complete an amazing turnaround to win the division. Either way, there appears to be a good chance that the rivals could be meeting for what would be the third time in a matter of a month and a half.
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Insider Predicts Bills-Patriots for NFL First
The Bills had a tall task ahead of them just a few weeks ago, losing two out of three games and traveling to New England for a game that gave the Patriots a chance to lock up the division. The Bills ended up winning the game 33-21, then sealed a playoff berth with Sunday’s win against the Atlanta Falcons and now will face the New York Jets for a chance to clinch the AFC East.
Playoff ticket punched.
That could set up a third meeting between the rivals. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the most likely first-round matchup for the Bills is against the Patriots (40%), and Peter King of NBC Sports predicts that the league will give the game the biggest stage possible — Monday Night Football.
“As of this moment, my money would be on a New England-Buffalo show for the first-ever Monday night wild-card game,” King wrote. “The AFC, in fact, is gold for first-round matchups, if form holds. Imagine Raiders or Chargers at Kansas City in the 7-2 game, Colts-Burrow in the 6-3 game (Burrow’s going to be must-see as long as the Bengals are in it), and Patriots-Bills in the other one. Imagine three Buffalo-New England games in a 43-day span, with the rubber match on a frigid Jan. 17 night in the northeast.”
Bills Focused on Final Game
While King and others are looking forward to what could be for the Bills and Patriots, Buffalo’s players and coaches are remaining focused on the task at hand. After Sunday’s 29-15 win over the Falcons, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said playoffs were an expectation for the team this year and they still have another hurdle ahead of them.
“That’s what we expect,” McDermott said, via ESPN. “That’s what we talk about since day one. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of us. Let’s keep our focus where it needs to be, which is right in front of us.”
Sunday’s win revealed a new dimension for the Bills that allowed them to beat the Falcons in unconventional fashion. The team turned to the running game after quarterback Josh Allen struggled, throwing three interceptions through a little more than two quarters. Running back Devin Singletary rushed for a career-high 110 yards while the team rushed for a season-best 233 yards, with Singletary and Allen both running in two scores.
DEVIN SINGLETARY. TOUCHDOWN.
#BillsMafia | #ATLvsBUF
After the win, Allen shared some praise for the third-year running back.
“I urge you guys to watch [Singletary] on every single play, whether he’s got the ball or not,” Allen said. “He continues to go find work down the field, follow the ball, pick up guys when they’re on the ground, and that’s how you should play the game of football.”
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Insider Predicts Bills and Patriots Meet in Historic Playoff Game