Buffalo Bills News & Predictions: Knocked Out Of First Place, Scorigami, Prediction vs. Saints
Bills Back In Familiar Territory With Loss To Colts: Behind The Patriots
Back in October, the Buffalo Bills looked poised to run away with the AFC East division title for a second straight year.
But following their 41-15 blowout loss at home to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the Bills now find themselves behind the New England Patriots (7-4) for first in the division.
It’s an all too familiar story for the Bills. After all, the Patriots won the AFC East division title 11 straight years from 2009 to 2019. In that span, Buffalo only made the postseason twice (2017 and 2019).
Following a 2-4 start, the Patriots have caught fire with five straight victories. The Bills have now dropped three of their last five games, and they’ve already surpassed their season loss total from a year ago (three).
The Bills’ stingy defense gave up 264 rushing yards to the Colts. Running back Jonathan Taylor had 185 of them, and he finished with five total touchdowns in the contest.
Josh Allen and Mitch Trubisky (who came on in relief) combined for just 216 passing yards and three interceptions.
“One thing led to another today, I think, on all three phases of the ball,” Allen said after the game, per ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “Starts with us taking care of the football, and we didn’t do that today. It’s a terrible feeling, but at the same time, we’ve got to play Thursday, so this one’s got to be out of our system before tomorrow.”
Buffalo and New England play each other twice in December, in Weeks 13 and 16. Those two matchups will very likely determine the winner of the 2021 AFC East crown.
The Bills will look to rebound when they visit the New Orleans Saints in the third Thanksgiving Thursday game (8:20 p.m. EST).
Buffalo opens as a 4.5-point favorite over New Orleans. Caesars New York is offering $1,001 in risk-free bets for bettors in New York.
Bills & Colts Achieve Scorigami
According to the website Scorigami, the Indianapolis-Buffalo Week 11 showdown marked the very first 41-15 final score in NFL history.
As noted by Ben Tsujimoto of The Buffalo News, the Bills achieved Scorigami twice last season: In Week 5 when they fell 42-16 to the Tennessee Titans and in Week 17 when they defeated the Miami Dolphins 56-26.
Bills vs. Saints Prediction
Both the Bills and Saints are in desperate need of a win this Thursday. Buffalo can’t afford to fall behind any further in the AFC East standings this late in the season.
As for the Saints, they’re coming off a third consecutive loss, the latest being a 40-29 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
New Orleans remains in playoff contention thanks to the wide open race for the NFC wild card berths, but the injuries and sluggish offense don’t leave a lot of room for optimism right now.
After hosting the Bills, the Saints will play the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football (8:20 p.m. EST) in Week 14.
Following a visit to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets in Week 14, the Saints will go up against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15.
Buffalo and New Orleans boast two of the NFL’s most suffocating defenses, allowing just 17.6 points and 21.8 points per game, respectively.
The Saints are greatly lacking the playmakers on offense this season, and if superstar running back Alvin Kamara isn’t back by Thursday, a win will be that much more difficult to come by.
Buffalo undoubtedly has the edge on the offensive side of the ball. But can the offensive line hold up for Josh Allen against one of the league’s better pass rushing groups? And can the likes of Stefon Diggs, Dawson Knox and Emmanuel Sanders win their one-on-one battles against a top-notch secondary led by Marcus Williams and Marshon Lattimore?
Realistically, the Bills should win this game as long as they don’t let a struggling Trevor Siemian torch their lockdown secondary. As good as New Orleans’ defense is, it’s hard to imagine this star-powered and deep Buffalo offense having two awful games in just five days.
It may not be the prettiest of victories, but the Bills’ superior depth on offense will be the deciding factor in a Thanksgiving.
Prediction: Bills 27, Saints 16
