Bills at Patriots: 5 things to watch for in Week 18
The Buffalo Bills (13-3) are at the end of the 2024 NFL regular season with a matchup on the road against the New England Patriots (3-13) at Gillette Stadium.
All week, topics and storylines have been discussed ahead of the Week 16 matchup.
In the end, regardless of what is said by players, coaches, media outlets, and fans, it always comes down to what unfolds on the field in the NFL.
And once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind to look out for.
Here are five things to watch for during Sunday’s Bills-Patriots clash:
Who plays and how much?
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All eyes will be on quarterback Josh Allen here, but there are others to consider too.
Most starters for the Bills won’t play much, if at all.
Allen has made 114 consecutive starts. That’s the longest active streak in the NFL and the 13th longest streak for a QB in history. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said the team wants that streak to live on. That means all Allen has to do is take the first snap of the game for the Bills to be considered the “starter” to keep his streak alive.
Regarding others, McDermott said that some will sit and some could play. In terms of the latter, a player like Damar Hamlin (rib) is one to watch. He has been injured in recent weeks and might get a chance to knock off the rust before the postseason.
This all relates to the Bills already having locked up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming AFC postseason.
The future
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If starters do not play, some potential pieces for the future might get some valuable playing time here. Second-round rookie safety Cole Bishop comes to mind as someone worth watching.
Naturally, there are plenty of others too. It will be similar to a preseason game.
What does Drake have?
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But there’s more future than Buffalo’s to consider.
The Patriots announced their starters will play despite 2025 NFL draft implications factoring in. The No. 1 player to watch for in New England is quarterback Drake Maye. While no one in western New York wants to hear the Patriots might have a QB for the future… Maye isn’t doing so bad. He could be the answer. That’s worth keeping an eye on, even in Buffalo.
AFC East outcome
It might sound easy but it is not. Can the Bills make a clean sweep of the AFC East in 2024? They would with a win.
Sure there are other things to watch for. Can Buffalo keep leading the NFL with a plus-23 takeaway margin? But what fun is that? Having divisional bragging rights, on top of winning the AFC East for a fifth-straight year is better.
Stay healthy
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The biggest thing in all of western New York on Jan. 5, 2024. Can the Bills stay completely healthy heading into the 2024 NFL postseason?
Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
