JACK HOADLEY
Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bills
The biggest game of the season awaits Buffalo, with a win; they can lock up the AFC East early, but with a loss, it’s a whole new season.
With the Patriots looming, a rocky game against LA was the last thing most Bills’ fans wanted to see, but good teams win rough, and Buffalo clearly does.
The Bills took down the Chargers last Sunday after an auspicious start, sending Justin Herbert home 0-3, after a 24-16 win.
As much as I wish I could say this game changes my outlook for the Bills, some issues from the past two weeks remained relevant, and maybe some more appeared.
Starting on defense, credit is due to the pass rush, particularly Gregory Rousseau, who took home AFC September Player of the Month Honors.
He was just as strong in this game, recording 2 sacks on the way to being Buffalo’s most impressive player from the game.
While that title is usually reserved for #17, it was a worrying showing from the entire offense, especially considering the Chargers have failed to look impressive through three weeks.
Allen finished the game accounting for three of Buffalo’s five (!) turnovers, a mark that is a sure-fire way to lose.
However, Buffalo pulled off the win despite the loose control of the ball they had the entire game.
A lot of my initial fears about Buffalo centered around the defense lacking early on, but without the defense playing how they did Sunday, Buffalo may have lost by two or even three scores.
My biggest takeaway from this game is that this is all a good thing for the Bills; I don’t attribute that to any blind, hopeful optimism.
As I said earlier, the best teams find new ways to win, and it’s often ugly.
This game is defining the Bills in a new way because they will need to win like this, especially in January, if they want to be playing in February.
Few teams can say they went through what the Bills did and managed to win, so this is much more of an encouraging sign than it is worrying.
Cleaning up the offensive play and avoiding this becoming a trend should be a key focus, especially against New England and their defense this weekend.
There are a number of ways this game could go, but two factors stand out to me: the Bill’s defense, and of course, New England signal caller Drake Maye.
Other than wrecking fantasy teams across the nation recently, Maye is best known for being last year’s MVP runner-up following an electric sophomore season.
But it isn’t 2025 anymore; expectations have gotten higher, and Maye’s play has done anything but that.
Maye has thrown just one touchdown this season while also slinging a league-leading six interceptions.
He hasn’t looked as strong as last year for several reasons, but one to note is the state of his offensive line, which looks just as average as it was during last year’s Super Bowl.
This game against the Bills will be an early “must win” for the Patriots, considering a loss to the Bills gives them a three-game lead over New England in the AFC East.
The other side of this battle is one we’ve already spent time on: The Bills’ defense which will have to, again, ensure they don’t allow a struggling team to get right.
The Bills will look to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding Maye and certainly will send lots of pressure Sunday.
The battle between Maye and the Buffalo Bills’ defense is the most important part of the game, but Josh Allen will need to bounce back against a strong defense for New England to secure a win.
I could see this game be lower scoring than most think, especially if the Bills can force some turnovers and limit the Patriots’ offense.
I am close to picking this game as a loss for the Bills, but I feel like New England still has some things to figure out before they can truly bounce back and beat the Bills.
My prediction will be a 17-13 win for the Bills, and while the stats won’t be eye-popping, Josh Allen will have to play some hero-ball to improve the Bills to 4-0.
As far as beyond week four, Buffalo will have to stay ready as they play the Rams in week five, which is where they could lose their first game of the season.
Overall, it is still a great start for the Bills, and it said much more for them to win the way they did this week than it did against Detroit.
Tough games make teams tough, and Buffalo continues to get stronger.