3 Matchups To Watch in Patriots' Week 16 Game vs. Bills
The playoffs are out of reach for the Patriots, but there will still be a lot on the line in Foxboro come Monday night.
Buffalo will be playing for seeding and home-field advantage, while New England has the draft order to worry about. Every NFL game has some kind of meaning, and the outcome of this one could be decided by some key smaller battles all over the field.
PatriotMaven is breaking down the three most important matchups before every game all season long, with Monday’s game against the Bills next up on the slate.
Stefon Diggs vs. TBD
The Patriots were without reigning NFL defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore last time they played the Bills, so his absence won't add a new wrinkle to the head-to-head series Monday night.
Without Gilmore, New England held Diggs – who leads the league in receptions – to 92 yards on six catches and no touchdowns. By no means was it a stellar performance, but they held Diggs to an average day by his standard without their best corner.
But now, both Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson are listed as questionable for the game, leaving Jason McCourty and Myles Bryant as the only cornerbacks left on the roster. Belichick won't be able to throw a lockdown corner at Diggs, and he won't be able to throw the house at him either.
Finding a way to cover a top-tier receiver will be difficult for sure, but what is clear is that some mystery suitor will have to step up to slow him down come Monday.
Levi Wallace vs. N'Keal Harry
Former first-round pick N'Keal Harry has had a bumpy ride in year two, but things are trending up for the young wideout.
Now, Harry hasn't been a world-breaker, and he's hardly stuffed the stat sheets either, only picking up 289 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions. Even with lackluster numbers, Harry has managed to increase his offensive snap count percentage in four straight weeks.
To neutralize a physical young receiver on the rise, the Bills will likely send Levi Wallace his way.
Wallace - standing at six feet tall - has more length than Tre'Davious White. Josh Norman has comparable size, but considering he has two passes defended, zero interceptions and two stuffs on the season, he might be more valuable weapon in the run game.
While Norman may match up with Harry on some plays, expect Wallace – with his two interceptions and seven passes defended in 2020 – to draw the head-to-head for most of the night.
Tremaine Edmunds vs. Patriots Offensive Line
For the third-straight year, Tremaine Edmunds has broken the 100-tackle mark.
He's only 22 and he is already one of the best inside linebackers in the entire league, meaning it will be a tall task for the Patriots to avoid his do-it-all presence on the field. In Edmunds' first four career games against New England, he totaled three tackles for less with an average of 9.5 tackles per game.
With all of that in mind, Edmunds has been dropping off this season.
Edmunds is on track to finish with career-lows in interceptions, tackles for loss, quarterback hits and passes defended and currently owns a 45.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. The young linebacker still has promise, but his middling six tackles and complete lack of action behind the line of scrimmage against New England back in Week 8 shows that he can be handled.
Some combination of Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason will have to be used creatively and dynamically, moving all over the field to make sure Edmunds doesn't make a pre-playoff resurgence. If the Patriots’ front lines can do that, their run game should find success no matter who is carrying the ball.
