Getty Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills on the field after a game on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys at NRG Stadium on November 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas.
The Buffalo Bills are no strangers to playing on Thanksgiving Day, and when they take on the New Orleans Saints at the Caesers Superdome on November 25, it will be the 10th time the franchise has been involved in the marquee holiday matchups.
However, the Bills were unexpectedly torn apart against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and they have just four days to prepare for their next tilt. Also, it’s imperative for Buffalo (6-4) to win if they’re looking to remain Super Bowl contenders.
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After losing 41-15 on Sunday, to remain competitive in the AFC, “Bills at Saints on Thanksgiving night is suddenly a pretty massive game,” NBCS Sports reporter Albert Breer tweeted, and he’s not wrong.
Most importantly, however, the Bills need to be both mentally and physically prepared for Thursday’s game. According to head coach Sean McDermott, having such a short turnaround is not an entirely bad thing.
“There’s some bad to short turnarounds because you can’t really get back on the practice field for all that much time,” McDermott said, per Bills Wire. “Then there is some good to it so you can move on and move forward. I’m not really sure which one I like more, to be honest with you.”
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Left tackle Dion Dawkins agrees with McDermott, noting that there are definitely pluses and minuses with the shorter than usual break between matchups.
“Well, it’s both ends,” Dawkins said. “It’s a disadvantage and it’s an advantage because we don’t have to have to let this one sit on us for a full week. We can flush it fast and keep it going naturally. But the best thing that we have to do is just recover as fast as possible and get our minds and our bodies ready for this Thursday night game.”
The Patriots Have Taken Over No.1 Spot in the AFC East
It’s feast or famine when it comes to the Bills this season. It seems as if they’re either winning by 30 points or going down in flames. After playing the Saints on Thanksgiving, the Bills (6-4) will have another very important matchup against the New England Patriots, a team that’s unexpectedly usurped the No. 1 spot in the AFC East.
If the Bills can beat the Saints, and the Patriots (7-4), it will be smooth sailing for Buffalo’s journey to the postseason.
Josh Allen Looking to Right the Team’s Wrongs By Thursday
GettyJosh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills looks on during the third quarter in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium on November 21, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York.
The Achilles heel of the Bills seems to be turnovers, and quarterback Josh Allen admitted after Sunday’s loss that he needs to do a better job of protecting the football. The franchise star is looking to start making those changes by Thanksgiving.
“We got to rely on each other, rely on our coaching staff, and rely on what they’re telling us,” Allen said. “Try to put together a game plan again. We’ve played in a few Thursday nights since I’ve been here. These are the ones that that come up on you quick and you got to find the game plan as quickly as possible, and it really just comes down to execution.”
While speaking to the media on Monday, November 22, “Brian Daboll echoing Sean McDermott when hammering home point that a lot of #Bills offensive issues center around turnovers,” Jon Scott tweeted.
The Bills play against the Saints at 8:20 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 22.
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Bills vs. Saints: Short Turnaround to ‘Suddenly Massive’ Thanksgiving Game