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To put it bluntly, the answer is a definite no. Very few times do we stumble upon an NFL match where both involved teams are so radically uneven in terms of quality, but that is exactly what Monday Night Football (week 8) has in store for us. The emerging New England Patriots (5-2) will take their sharp game to the New Era Field to –possibly- crush the failing Buffalo Bills (2-5) at 8:15 pm. Perhaps, the real question ought to be, can the Patriots cover that MASSIVE spread?
And so, the top and bottom teams of the AFC East division will meet once again. The Patriots have a long history of victories over the Buffalo squad, with the most recent examples stemming just from last year, when New England defeated the Bills by 20+ points twice in December. This high point margin is not a recent trend, and throughout their head-to-head record, the Pats have imposed their superiority over Buffalo with ease. This could explain why odds-makers have raised the stakes so high up this time. Our dear friends at YOUWAGER.eu have given Tom Brady’s team a staggering -14 point spread, while the total is standing at 44½.
Football’s David & Goliath
The Patriots quickly recovered from an early season debacle to return to their usual self, and are now possessing a 4-game winning streak that might grow by the count of 1 before Tuesday. Most recently, they beat the Chicago Bears on the road 38-31, keeping up with their impressive 30.6 points per game in average. The Bills are faced by an entirely different situation altogether; they will try their hardest to gain back some of the respect lost to the Indianapolis Colts on week 7, where they were subdued with a 37-5 score, but their depressing 11.6 pts. per game reality will be hard to overcome.
Injury Report
As far as the usual suspects go, our ubiquitous QB Tom Brady has kept up with his expected effectiveness, throwing for 16 touchdowns and 1876 yards. Running back Sony Michel has also done his part in New England’s success story by rushing 422 yards, but he will likely miss Monday’s game due to a knee injury. On brighter news, tight end Rob Gronkowski is expected back with his team against the Bills, as he appears to have sufficiently recovered from his back ankle problem.
The Bills aren’t looking well at all. They will have to do without QB Josh Allen, who’s right now dealing with a right elbow injury; he is currently leading his team with 2 touchdowns, 832 passing yards and 5 interceptions. New starter Derek Anderson is not finding it easy with Buffalo just yet, as was made evident during their embarrassing encounter with the Colts last week, but hopefully, he will find his own way around the field and do better for his team. The Bills will also have to contend with the fact that they’re carrying a 3-7 ATS record in their last 10 matches with fellow AFC lineups.
My Prediction: The only opportunity I see for Buffalo is that they tighten up their defense and try to block New England from scoring big time; after all, the competition has only managed to push an average 210 passing yards on the Bills. I still don’t see them standing a real chance against New England though; these two teams are like the sun and the moon, and we know who’s always brighter. Take the Pats straight up, or spice it up a bit and try their -14 spread.
