Getty Bill Belichick looks on during a game against the Buffalo Bills.
With a chance to snatch the lead in the AFC East on the line this weekend, Josh Allen says the Buffalo Bills need to be able to react to whatever Bill Belichick has up his sleeve for them.
The Bills saw their lead in the AFC East dwindle over the course of the season until eventually Belichick led the New England Patriots past them. The Patriots won the first meeting between the teams, a blustery Monday Night Football game on December 6, but the Bills have a chance to get some revenge when the teams meet again on Sunday. Allen said if the Bills want to win, they have to be able to adjust.
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Allen Speaks Out
In the previous loss to the Patriots, the Bills had plenty of chances to win but failed to seize them. As Nick Wojton of the USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, the Bills were 1 for 4 in red-zone trips that night, a point that irked head coach Sean McDermott this week.
“You got to be able to score touchdowns in the red zone,” McDermott said via video conference.
“Certainly the weather last time was unique to some extent. At the end of the day, we have to execute whatever game plan we have and whatever weather situation it is every week.”
Allen said there won’t be room for mistakes this week, predicting that it could be a low-scoring affair against a Patriots team that have the second-best red-zone defense in the league. Allen said the Bills will also need to account for whatever new wrinkles Belichick and the Patriots bring to the game.
“We’ve got to be ready for whatever they throw at us,” Allen said. “Coverage wise, they know and understand their type of coverages, what leverages to play, when and when not to fall off on certain route combinations, and their route recognition is extremely, extremely good.”
Here’s something: Bill Belichick just opened up his virtual press conference by apologizing to the media “if it seemed like I was a little short with you after the game.”
Said there wasn’t much to say without seeing the film.
“It’s not your fault. It was a frustrating game.”
What Belichick threw at the Bills the first time was a gameplan out of the era before the forward pass. Facing wind gusts of up to 50 mph, he called on rookie quarterback Mac Jones to throw just three times, instead using a run-heavy approach to defeat the Bills 14-10.
Bills Dealing With Adversity
The Bills will need to contend with more than just Belichick’s adjustments when the teams meet in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Sunday. For weeks, the team has been losing players to COVID-19 infections and will be without several key offensive players and two coaches on Sunday. The Bills announced earlier in the week that wide receiver Cole Beasley was headed to the reserve list. As an unvaccinated player, he must stay away from the team for 10 days and will miss Sunday’s game.
The team on Friday added fellow starting receiver Gabriel Davis, who is also unvaccinated and will miss two games. Starting offensive lineman Cody Ford was placed on the reserve list as well. Two other members of the offensive line — Dion Dawkins and Jon Feliciano — had previously been placed on the reserve list but could be eligible to return against the Patriots.
We’ve placed WR Gabriel Davis and OL Cody Ford on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. #BillsMafia
Details: t.co/cRyLa6n3iU
In addition to the players who will be missing, special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and defensive line coach Eric Washington were also placed on the COVID-19 list.
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