Bills-Patriots Wild Card game set to be another snowy affair
The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots are fierce AFC East rivals. The Bills won the division on Sunday, resulting in the Patriots having to settle for a wild card berth. With rookie quarterback Mac Jones set to lead the team in what will be his first playoff appearance.
The two teams are now headed for a third meeting of the season in a winner-takes-all AFC Wild Card Round clash. The Bills and Patriots have met twice in the last month (Week 13 and Week 16). The first meeting between the two was a cold, snowy night in Orchard Park, New York.
It was a game in which Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw the ball just three times as New England relied on its running game to get the win over their bitter division rival.
The Bills will host the Patriots this upcoming Saturday night in the Wild Card round and the weather is once again expected to be frigid. But will it impact the offensive scheme for either team as much as it did in the first meeting?
Will weather affect the Bills-Patriots Wild Card meeting?
Buffalo, NY weather forecast Saturday night for Patriots-Bills AFC Wild Card game...not quite as windy as December 6. https://t.co/clVQB8n4yY
The New England Patriots' offensive game plan was seemingly altered by the strong winds and icy weather conditions that resembled a snow globe in early December. Bill Belichick and his coaching staff decided not to put pressure on rookie quarterback Mac Jones to complete passes and keep the ball on the ground for the most part.
While that game plan proved to get the better of the Buffalo Bills in that meeting, the Patriots weren't so fortunate in the second encounter between the two teams. The Bills came away a 33-21 win over the Patriots in Week 16. The third meeting between the two teams should prove to be a completely different affair, with much more on the line.
The Wild Card schedule:
Saturday:
4:30 PM: Bengals vs. Patriots/Raiders (NBC)
8:15 P5: Bills vs. Patriots/Chargers (CBS)
Sunday:
1 PM: Bucs vs. Eagles (FOX)
4:30 PM: Cowboys vs. 49ers (CBS)
8:15 PM: Chiefs vs. Steelers/Raiders (NBC)
Monday:
8:15 PM: Rams/Cardinals (ESPN)
The weather on Saturday night is supposed to be a frigid 18 degrees with winds sustaining at ten miles per hour. The Patriots will need to rely on Jones to lead the offense against a Bills defense that has looked good over the last few weeks.
The New England Patriots offense got off to a slow start in Week 18, failing to score at all in the first quarter during their 33-24 defeat against the Miami Dolphins. One would imagine New England will need to get going a lot quicker on Saturday if they are to beat Buffalo.
The game between the Bills and Patriots will likely be the first of many in this rivalry between the two promising young quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Mac Jones.