Keys To Victory - Buffalo
1. Start Fast, Finish Strong - Last time these teams faced off, The Patriots had trouble getting started. Although they scored an early TD, they didn't really get it going until the second half of the 3rd quarter. This time around, The Patriots can't rely on a 4th quarter Offensive explosion to save the game. Brady and the Offense need to be more consistent throughout the game, but they'll want to play from ahead as well. Coming off the bye week, I will be watching out for signs of rust. Ideally, the team should be energized and healthy, but sometimes an extended lay-off is a bad thing. We don't necessarily need a full 60 minute effort, but an early lead will make The Bills more one-dimensional. Also, we need to finish strong because it has been a point of emphasis for the team. I'd like to see that we've made some progress finishing games over the bye week. While this is primarily an Offensive key, it goes for the Defense as well. The Defense needs to figure it out early, and keep it up through to the finish.
2. Pound It Against Nickel D - The Patriots rushed for nearly 250 yards on the ground in the first game, but this time around, leading rusher Brandon Bolden will not be a participant. Nevertheless, Shane Vereen has come into his own in the past few weeks. The injury/suspension of Bolden is not a total game-changer, but The Pats have to find the right RB/personnel combination all over again. Last game, The Bills relied heavily on their Nickel personnel, and The Patriots punished that unit with hard running. The Bills have suffered some injuries that will leave them thin in the defensive backfield, and so The Bills will not have much versatility or depth to match-up against The Patriots skilled players. Although they got torched in Nickel last game, coach Chan Gailey doesn't really have much choice. Ridley and The Patriots just need to make the most of their mismatches in the run game. The matchups are favorable, but it all comes down to executing blocks and forcing missed tackles.
3. McCourty - With 14 players listed as questionable for the game, it is hard to know who will play and who will sit. Still, ESPN's Mike Reiss is projecting that both Gregory and Chung will be inactive for the game despite being limited in practice all week. This would obviously force Devin McCourty to start his 3rd straight game at Safety. However, in an interview this week Steve Gregory said that he was "anxious" to get back into the game. It had seemed to me that Gregory was on the mend, but who knows with the Belichick injury report. Either way, Devin McCourty's role in the game will be key. It will also be interesting to see where he lines up if one of the two injured Safeties is able to play. Wherever he lines up, he needs to be a leader on the field. If he's at Safety, he'll be charged with limiting the explosive plays that have hurt us this season. If he's at CB, then he'll likely be charged with blanketing The Bills best WR, Stevie Johnson. Big plays to Stevie Johnson are probably the Bills best chance to keep pace with Brady and the Offense, so either way McCourty's play is crucial to the team's success.
4. Keep Up The Good Work vs. The Run - With the Offensive potential of The Patriots, The Bills will need to score points just to stay in the game. Buffalo is a much better running team than they are a passing team, so they can't fall behind early and get away from the run. C.J. Spiller is having a career year, and Fred Jackson provides some power between the tackles. The Bills need to get these guys going early, and conversely The Patriots need to stifle them early and often. The Patriots have been a bona fide elite run Defense this year, and that needs to continue. The best thing that The Pats run D has done has been to eliminate chunk yardage on the ground. On the other hand, The Bills have had success on the ground because Spiller has been able to break a lot of big plays. The formula is simple for The Patriots, don't let Spiller break the game open. The key for the D is to set the edge and not miss tackles in the open field. So far this year, they've been very good at these things, so hopefully they can keep it up this week.
5. Gronk, Double Threat - The Bills have seen far too much of Rob Gronkowski over the past three years, but the hometown kid is still well loved in Western NY. He is feared and respected in a football sense, but people in Western NY have a soft spot for The Gronk. Maybe this is why The Bills still don't have an answer for such a talented TE, they like to see their hometown hero score TDs (even if its against their team). I jest, but the fact of the matter is that The Bills have no answer for Gronk. The Bills tried to defend the pass with their Nickel last game, but Gronk still had 104 yards and TD. Making matters worse for Buffalo, Gronkowski made key blocks all game in leading the way for The Patriots 247 yards rushing. I expect The Bills to find themselves in the same dilemma this week, they simply do not have the personnel to account for Gronkowski's double threat.
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| The Bills decided to play Nickel against 2-TE sets last time around, but they really didn't have much choice |
2. Pound It Against Nickel D - The Patriots rushed for nearly 250 yards on the ground in the first game, but this time around, leading rusher Brandon Bolden will not be a participant. Nevertheless, Shane Vereen has come into his own in the past few weeks. The injury/suspension of Bolden is not a total game-changer, but The Pats have to find the right RB/personnel combination all over again. Last game, The Bills relied heavily on their Nickel personnel, and The Patriots punished that unit with hard running. The Bills have suffered some injuries that will leave them thin in the defensive backfield, and so The Bills will not have much versatility or depth to match-up against The Patriots skilled players. Although they got torched in Nickel last game, coach Chan Gailey doesn't really have much choice. Ridley and The Patriots just need to make the most of their mismatches in the run game. The matchups are favorable, but it all comes down to executing blocks and forcing missed tackles.
3. McCourty - With 14 players listed as questionable for the game, it is hard to know who will play and who will sit. Still, ESPN's Mike Reiss is projecting that both Gregory and Chung will be inactive for the game despite being limited in practice all week. This would obviously force Devin McCourty to start his 3rd straight game at Safety. However, in an interview this week Steve Gregory said that he was "anxious" to get back into the game. It had seemed to me that Gregory was on the mend, but who knows with the Belichick injury report. Either way, Devin McCourty's role in the game will be key. It will also be interesting to see where he lines up if one of the two injured Safeties is able to play. Wherever he lines up, he needs to be a leader on the field. If he's at Safety, he'll be charged with limiting the explosive plays that have hurt us this season. If he's at CB, then he'll likely be charged with blanketing The Bills best WR, Stevie Johnson. Big plays to Stevie Johnson are probably the Bills best chance to keep pace with Brady and the Offense, so either way McCourty's play is crucial to the team's success.
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| The Patriots run D starts with captains Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork |
5. Gronk, Double Threat - The Bills have seen far too much of Rob Gronkowski over the past three years, but the hometown kid is still well loved in Western NY. He is feared and respected in a football sense, but people in Western NY have a soft spot for The Gronk. Maybe this is why The Bills still don't have an answer for such a talented TE, they like to see their hometown hero score TDs (even if its against their team). I jest, but the fact of the matter is that The Bills have no answer for Gronk. The Bills tried to defend the pass with their Nickel last game, but Gronk still had 104 yards and TD. Making matters worse for Buffalo, Gronkowski made key blocks all game in leading the way for The Patriots 247 yards rushing. I expect The Bills to find themselves in the same dilemma this week, they simply do not have the personnel to account for Gronkowski's double threat.
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