Patriots at Bills: Mac Jones, Stefon Diggs Among 3 to Watch
The New England Patriots are looking to qualify for the postseason as they prepare to face off against the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Emotions will understandably be high as the Bills will be taking the field for the first time since the horrific collapse of safety Damar Hamlin during the first quarter of Buffalo’s Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite having been resuscitated twice due to cardiac arrest, Hamlin is on the road to a remarkable recovery. In a league-wide demonstration of solidarity, the Patriots and Bills will join all teams showing their love and support for Hamlin through pregame activities, as well as on-field apparel and markings.
Logistically, New England and Buffalo will meet for the second time in 2022 with the Patriots trying to avoid a series sweep for the first time since 2020. Buffalo traveled to New England on Thursday, Dec. 1 and earned a 24-10 win.
While a murky path to the postseason may still exist with a loss, New England will earn the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC with a win in Week 18.
As such, many Patriots players are expected to garner some attention during Sunday’s matchup. Here is a look at three players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Bills.
Mac Jones
While Jones’ 2022 season has been defined by ebb and flow, a strong performance against Buffalo on Sunday would go a long way towards redeeming his evaluation. It would also help New England’s punch their ticket to the postseason. The 24-year-old has had his share of difficulty against Buffalo’s defense. Though Buffalo’s safeties and corners have not been overly active in the pass rushing Jones, it is likely that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will attempt to dial-up some strategically placed blitzes from the second and third level of the defense in hopes of confusing him. When under pressure, the Pats starter is typically less accurate. However, Buffalo would be smart to also utilize their perimeter corners to take away his preferred routes and targets. Cornerback Tre’Davious White is still among the best in the league at doing so. In order for Jones to neutralize Buffalo’s linebackers and secondary, he should operate out of 11-personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) and utilize the intermediate areas of the field to advance the ball.
Tyquan Thornton
While the Patriots are unlikely to turn to the deep ball often, they will need to periodically test the secondary to keep Buffalo’s defense on its heels. While this is a task easier said than done, the Pats have a potential deep threat in Thornton. The Baylor product had two receptions of more than 20 yards with a 24-yard pass from Jones in the first quarter, as well as a 29-yard reception in the third quarter of last Sunday’s victory over the Miami Dolphins. For a team which has largely been devoid of the deep ball, Thornton hauled in the two longest receptions of his young career on New Year’s Day. His previous best was a 21-yard reception at Cleveland on Oct. 16. All in all, Thornton finished with three receptions for a team-leading 60 yards, and was arguably the catalyst for New England’s offensive awakening against the Dolphins. His budding synergy with Mac Jones may allow Thornton to see a greater amount of targets in Week 18.
Stefon Diggs
For those furrowing their brows seeing Diggs’ name among this trio, rest assured that Diggs is still a member of the Buffalo Bills. However, he is the player most likely to affect New England’s defensive game plan. Since joining the Bills in 2020, Diggs has compiled 33 catches, 465 yards and five touchdowns in five regular season games against the Patriots. He also caught three passes for 60 yards in New England’s lone playoff loss in January 2022. Though Diggs has not had a dominant performance against New England since his 145-yard, three-touchdown showcase in December 2020, his impeccable route-running and field awareness frequently lead to big plays. In Week 13, New England erred by failing to properly game plan against Diggs. Despite splitting their schemes between zone and man coverage, New England’s man patterns were designed to cut-off slot receiver Isaish McKenzie from working across the field. In fact, they did so to the detriment of providing adequate help on Diggs. The Bills’ top wideout easily beat Patriots perimeter cornerback Jonathan Jones one-on-one in man coverage for a touchdown from quarterback Josh Allen in the second quarter. In what was a rare double-downer for coach Bill Belichick and the Pats secondary, slot corner Myles Bryant was still unable to adequately contain McKenzie, who finished the night having caught all five targets for 44 yards.
With New England’s most physical cornerback Jalen Mills out with a groin injury, rookie Marcus Jones may draw some man coverage against Diggs due to his speed. However, the Pats would be better served by utilizing packages of four safeties consisting of team captain Devin McCourty and strong siders Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and Adrian Phillips. Peppers physical style should help to jam Diggs at the line of scrimmage. With Allen’s penchant to seek Diggs as his primary target, any delay may facilitate the Pats pass rush (namely Matthew Judon and Josh Uche) to pressure Buffalo’s star quarterback.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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