Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots Preview: AFC East Clash, Josh Allen Injury Status
In Week 7, the Buffalo Bills travel to face the reeling New England Patriots host in Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The AFC East matchup features two teams moving in different directions.
Buffalo found a way to win in Week 6 on the road against the New York Giants to move to 4-2. The defending AFC East champion Bills are on the tail of the 5-1 Miami Dolphins in the division race.
Quarterback Josh Allen injured his right shoulder during the win on Sunday night football, and he was listed as limited for Wednesday's walk-through. X-rays were “normal” but Allen is "day-to-day," according to Buffalo coach Sean McDermott. Allen finished 19 of 30 for 169 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the win over the Giants. He leads the league with a 71.7 completion percentage.
"Defense is still on fire," Bills linebacker Von Miller said after Buffalo's win. "We had three sacks, held up tough toward the end of the game. Great win. I'll take them pretty, ugly, they all count the same. It's a good win and we just keep moving."
Buffalo is tied for the league lead in sacks with 24, and third in points allowed per game with 14.8. However, the injury bug has struck the Bills' defense, losing linebacker Matt Milano, tackle DaQuan Jones, and corner Tre’Davious White to injury.
The Patriots have dropped three games in a row to plunge to their worst start since 1995 at 1-5. Last Sunday, New England lost on the road to the Las Vegas Raiders in a game that did provide a little optimism.
Quarterback Mac Jones completed at least 70 percent of his passes (24-of-33) for the first time since Week 2's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Also, the Patriots snapped a streak of 12 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown
Before that, New England suffered the worst defeats of Coach Bill Belichick's career, being outscored 72-3 in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach now faces a tough challenge in the Bills.
Josh Allen, Bill Belichick
ClutchPoints
RECORDS: Buffalo Bills (4-2) at New England Patriots (1-5)
ODDS: Buffalo is a 8.5-point favorite vs. the Patriots
GAME TIME: Sunday, Oct 22nd, 2023 at 1 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, MA
TV/RADIO: CBS, WGR 550
THE FINAL WORD: Assistant head coach Eric Washington on rookie linebacker Dorian Williams:
“I think the arrow is really pointing up for him,” Washington said. “I’ve not seen a player come in the way that he did, as a rookie, and be as downhill, single-minded, physical as he was.”
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