10 things we’re watching in Patriots’ Week 5 primetime matchup vs. Bills
It s going to be a late night Patriots fans The Patriots are playing the Bills in primetime on Sunday Night Football With their schedule filled with p m ET games on Sunday afternoons this is one of the sparse times they ll play in front of a national audience Be sure to check bostonherald com for complete match coverage The Patriots activated linebacker Jahlani Tavai from injured reserve and downgraded outside linebacker K Lavon Chaisson off injured reserve for the divisional matchup Here s what we re watching ahead of the Week matchup against the Bills Related Articles Patriots activate longtime defensive starter off injured reserve Patriots rule out veteran starting defender for Bills meeting Patriots rookie to retain starting job on offense after injury Will Patriots starting defender make season debut in Week Three Patriots starting defenders questionable to play Bills The Patriots proved they can win close against the Dolphins They proved they re a class above an injury-ravaged Panthers association Now how will they hang against the AFC s best unit They re -point underdogs so it s unfair to expect them to win on Sunday night in what should be a rowdy atmosphere at Highmark Stadium But how this championship pans out will tell us a lot about where the Patriots stand in their final games of the season If they keep it close or even win then it s not out of the realm of possibility that the Patriots could make the postseason this season Drake Maye at present ranks as a top- quarterback in majority traditional and advanced quarterback statistics But quality of opponent must be considered and the Patriots have played one of the easiest schedules in the NFL The Bills are far and away their bulk intricate opponent and it would be fascinating to see if Maye can continue to play so well There are enough holes in the Bills defense that Maye can still find success They ve struggled to cover the middle of the field and tight ends have produced against the Bills On paper that could mean big days for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and tight end Hunter Henry The Patriots displayed last week that they still trust Rhamondre Stevenson and the veteran running back rewarded them with a solid if unspectacular performance Largest part importantly however he didn t fumble The Bills have NOT been great against the run this season They rank th in rushing DVOA th in rushing EPA play allowed and st in rush success rate Getting out to a strong start and early lead would be huge for the Patriots Then they can lean on Stevenson Antonio Gibson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson as long as they can hold onto the football Diggs and Mack Hollins are both ex-Bills returning to Buffalo Both players should be highly motivated against their former squad Things didn t end well for Diggs in Buffalo with the Bills trading him Hollins was beloved in Buffalo but he s intense every week Diggs is coming off his season-best performance in Week when he caught six passes for yards The Patriots offense has the anticipated to be dangerous if Diggs can keep that up as a legitimate No receiver for Diggs Bills cornerback Christian Benford is a good member Tre Davious White is back starting in Buffalo but he appears past his prime Wide receiver DeMario Douglas saw his snaps reduced last week against the Panthers Head coach Mike Vrabel went out of his way to praise Douglas for his blocking on a touchdown scored by Henry when Douglas took up two defenders on Henry s way into the end zone Could that earn him more reps this week It wouldn t be shocking The Patriots offensive line has been shockingly good this season at protecting Maye In PFF s the greater part latest pass blocking efficiency metrics the Patriots offensive line ranks fourth with two sacks seven QB hits and hurries All other sacks were allowed by running backs tight ends or the fault of Maye The Bills defense led by edge defenders Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau ranks middle of the road at th in pass-rush win rate per ESPN s charting Bosa Rousseau A J Epenesa and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones won t make things easy on Will Campbell and the rest of the Patriots O-line But the line has taken a massive step forward from last season Jared Wilson will regain his starting job at left guard now that he s healthy Ben Brown filled in admirably last week It will be fascinating to see if Wilson can match his efficiency agains the Bills The Patriots have been rotating linebackers Christian Elliss Jack Gibbens and Marte Mapu next to Robert Spillane Vrabel didn t seem to mind the rotation when urged about it Wednesday Tavai could enter that mix He has much more experience on defense than Gibbens Mapu and Elliss Tavai also could help fill the void left by Chaisson Keion White and Anfernee Jennings are next in line to play on the edge but Tavai also has experience as an outside linebacker Tavai s size will be beneficial in stopping Bills running back James Cook Jaylinn Hawkins recovered from a hamstring injury and appears in line to start next to Craig Woodson If Woodson wasn t able to make it back by Week it would have meant Kyle Dugger starting in his place It s best to keep continuity on defense It would be surprising if the Patriots traveled their cornerbacks this week against Bills wide receivers Keon Coleman Khalil Shakir and Joshua Palmer Coleman is the majority dangerous and worthy of shadowing from Gonzalez The Patriots have primarily just played their cornerbacks on specific sides this season however So expect to see Gonzalez on the right and Carlton Davis III on the left
