Patriots-Bills Week 16 Q&A with ‘BuffaLowDown’ Expert

Musket Fire spoke to the Buffalo Bills’ expert on BuffaLowDown to talk turkey ahead of the Patriots’ Week 16 game.

BuffaLowDown’s Brandon Croce stopped by this week once again (and we joined him, too) to enlighten Patriots fans on what’s happened with the Bills since our last meeting, in case you’ve been willfully ignoring that team up north — which we’d understand.

Do the Pats have it in ’em to slow down the AFC’s hottest team with nothing but pride left to play for? And what should we be watching for in primetime on Monday night?

Q: How can the Bills maintain their focus this week and not look past a primetime Pats game towards their monstrous Week 17 showdown with Miami? What’s the motivation to perform here?

A: In a way, this season has been about putting recent history in the past and solidifying the franchise as a legitimate contender. The Bills have made it to the playoffs two of the past three seasons but hadn’t been able to secure a division title. That was one hurdle the team needed to clear to start to put the Patriots dynasty behind them. However, a sweep of the Patriots would also go a long way. It is more of a symbolic victory, but there is something to be said about sweeping the Patriots, something that hasn’t been done since 1993.

This storyline, combined with the fact that the Buffalo Bills could lock up the two seed on Monday night, should give them enough focus to not look past the Patriots.

Q:  Josh Allen seems to have gained even more confidence between now and the Week 8 game in Buffalo that largely torpedoed the Pats’ season. What changed between now and then?

A: Josh Allen had an incredible start to the year, but struggled a bit in the middle of the season, one of those games being against the Patriots. I think one of the reasons he really struggled was defenses weren’t respecting the run as a threat at all. They were able to drop more players into coverage that forced Allen into bad throws and some mistakes. Now that the run game, while not great, needs to at least be accounted for, that has opened up a little more of the field for Josh Allen and he hasn’t looked like he feels he needs to do everything himself.

Q: Is there a player who is a bit under-the-radar that has been playing well that Patriots fans should know about and watch for this week?

A: This goes along with my previous answer ,and that is Zack Moss. The Bills selected Moss in the third round, and the hope was he and Devin Singletary would combine for a good one-two punch. The run game really hasn’t gotten going but has been better as of late. One of those reasons is the power running of Moss. He has started to see more carries, especially late in games, and is due for a breakout game. I could see this being the week, with the momentum he has built and going up against a defense that struggles against the run, that he has a big game.

Q: What do you think will be the deciding factor in this week’s game and who do you think wins?

A: At this point in the season, I don’t think there is any question that the Buffalo Bills are the more talented team. However, if there is a neutralizer in these kinds of matchups, it is turnovers and penalties. The Buffalo Bills have struggled with penalties at times this year, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and if Josh Allen tries to force some throws and not let the game come to him, this game could be very close. I think in the end, though, the Buffalo Bills understand what is on the line, and they are able to come away with the win.

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