It’ll be throwback Thursday for the New England Patriots (6-5) when taking on the Buffalo Bills (8-3) in Week 13. Not only will it be an important AFC East matchup with potential playoff ramifications, but it will also feature the Patriots wearing their alternate red uniforms for the game.
New England will need every win they can get to realistically have a shot at making it to the big postseason dance. They will need to win four out of their next six games, which contain two matchups against the Bills and one against the Dolphins.
Let’s take a look at this week’s keys to victory.
Red zone offense needs to come alive
The Patriots offense looked much better last week, and Mac Jones had one of the best games of his young career against the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, the team fell just short with continued struggles in the red zone.
They need to capitalize on opportunities to score touchdowns if they want any chance of beating the Bills. The Patriots can use last week as a building block and continue to keep the offense rolling, but until the red zone offense comes alive, they’re going to have a hard time making any noise as a potential playoff contender.
The time is now, and what could be more perfect of an opportunity than to show out than against one of the league’s Super Bowl favorites on national TV?
Spread the ball and play with pace
Going along with the increased red zone efficiency, the Patriots offense needs to get into a rhythm. Typically, when they play with pace and the play-calling matches the pace, Mac Jones is at his best.
Without Von Miller, the Patriots will still have troubles keeping Jones upright, but if they can play hurry up offense, they might not have to worry about it for too long, as the defensive pass rush would be gassed.
That’s one way of slowing the Bills down and creating even more time in the pocket for Jones to throw the ball, assuming the weather isn’t an issue during the game.
Keep the Bills off the field
The age-old strategy of scoring more than the other team and keeping them off the field wins games.
If the Patriots can do their defense a favor by keeping the Bills off the field for as long as possible while also putting up points, the defense should get much-needed game rest and stay fresh throughout. The Bills would then be forced to play hero ball, which could cause turnovers naturally.
Even though the Patriots should be playing with pace, they can keep the Bills off the field by not handing them the ball and converting on third downs.
If they can do that, there is no reason to bet against them in this game. Allen and the Bills are a tough matchup, and it is difficult to keep these star quarterbacks, such as himself and Patrick Mahomes, off the field, but when you can render them virtually useless, it is a recipe for success.
