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Five bold predictions for Patriots and Bills in week 13

By Fran Brown

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills tackles Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Jordan Poyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills tackles Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) returns the ball for a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) returns the ball for a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /

Five bold predictions for Patriots in week thirteen
The Patriots force a punt

You might be confused by this one, but the Bills have gone 20 straight possessions against the Patriots without punting; that’s two and a half games. The last Bills’ punt came with 13:49 left in the third quarter of their blustery Monday night matchup last year. Since then, they have scored 11 touchdowns, kicked three field goals, missed a field goal, turned the ball over on downs twice, and taken a knee three times. All while scoring 83 points in that span. Mercy!

The Patriots spent the offseason getting younger and faster on defense, largely because of their inability to keep up with the Bills’ offense. So far, it has worked out as they rank 6th in points allowed and 4th in yards allowed while forcing 18 turnovers (5th in the NFL). Opponents have only converted 38.5% of third downs and only 29.4% of fourth downs, so I expect the Patriots to force a punt or two.

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