The magnitude of the Patriots' upcoming matchup against the Bills on Sunday is already being felt nearly a week out, underscoring just how far New England has come this season. With the division on the line, as the Patriots could become AFC East champions with a win, there will inevitably be extra eyes on the game.
That also means injured players on both teams will be doing all they can to get back into the starting lineup to give them the best chance of leaving with the win. That includes the Patriots, who saw Jared Wilson back at practice on Monday.
And unfortunately for them, the Bills are seeing a return of a big-time contributor, too, who is on track to be back this week to wreak havoc on Drake Maye in a way Patriots fans were hoping to avoid.
Joey Bosa could make the Bills' defense much tougher for Drake Maye and the Patriots to deal with
One of the biggest contributors on the Bills defense this season has been longtime Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa. Despite looking like he was washed up in the eyes of LA, leading to cutting him this past offseason, he has played at a high level again, but for the Bills, and that's not a great sign for the Patriots.
Bosa missed last week's matchup against the Bengals, when the Bills miraculously stole a win, and according to head coach Sean McDermott, he could be back in the lineup this weekend.
While that's far from an official return, it's still something the Patriots should monitor, as Bosa makes a difference for their defense that could drastically impact their offensive game plan.
Fortunately, he wasn't much of a force in their first matchup in October, as Bosa only recorded one tackle and no sacks. But that doesn't mean he won't improve this time around, especially with the added motivation of not letting the Patriots win the division on their watch.
The Patriots' offensive line, whether that includes Wilson or not, will have to ensure that doesn't happen, just as they did in Week 5. Although the atmosphere will be different this time, since it's a home game, they need to keep up that kind of protection on Maye and not allow Bosa, or any other pass rusher, to take over the game.