Patriots-Bills weather could dictate Bill Belichick’s favorite game plan

For any New England Patriots fans who’ve grown tired of the Buffalo Bills, we’ve got bad news for you, because the longtime AFC East rivals will meet for a third time in six weeks in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.

The Patriots hitting a lull over the last month of the regular season by losing three of four games allowed the Bills to leapfrog them in the standings and ultimately nab their second straight division title.

These teams went neck and neck for the division for the last two months, so it’s tough to say who has the edge in their third meeting. Who knows? It could come down to something that has nothing to do with X’s and O’s.

Look no further than Saturday’s weather forecast in Buffalo.

With temperatures expected to be in the single digits and wind chills below zero, Bill Belichick could unleash his favorite game plan.

The expected forecast for Saturday night’s Wild Card Game could bode well for the Patriots.

That sound you hear is Bills Mafia prematurely blaming Mother Nature if the favored Bills fall short at home Saturday night.

If you remember — how could you not? — New England used hellacious weather conditions to their advantage en route to a 14-10 victory in their first meeting of the season in Orchard Park back in early December.

The game was deemed one of Belichick’s finest displays as a head coach, as the Patriots dialed up just three pass plays. When the dust settled, Mac Jones went 2-of-3 for 19 yards, while New England’s running backs took a combined 38 carries for 217 yards and a touchdown, equating to 5.7 yards per clip.

When you couple how that blueprint proved to be foolproof with the way Jones looked in the Dolphins loss this past Sunday (20-of-30 for 261 yards with a touchdown and a brutal pick-six) this forecast is just what the doctor ordered.

As we hinted at earlier, Bills Mafia is NOT happy.

The wind isn’t expected to be zipping like it was back in Week 13, but it still gives the Pats a great excuse to deploy a run-heavy approach.

Conversely, Belichick should be wary of Buffalo’s improved rushing attack, which ranked second only to the Rashaad Penny-led Seahawks terms of rushing yards per game over the final month of the regular season.

With Devin Singletary gaining confidence and Josh Allen always a threat to take off with his legs, the Bills could fight fire with fire.

With that said, though, the Patriots’ win back in Week 13 proved they’ll have the advantage if Saturday’s expected forecast holds true.

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