Bill Belichick reminded the Buffalo Bills, who is the boss in the AFC East, with New England pulling off a tough road win in upstate New York in Week 13. Another familiar foe will be standing in the Bills' way in Week 14 with old nemesis Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their next opponents. Can the Bills finally record a win against the 44-year-old Brady, or will the Bucs pile more misery on Buffalo? Here's a breakdown of the Bucs vs Bills clash.
Buffalo Bills installed as +3.5 underdogs
The Buffalo Bills lost for the fourth time in seven games, suffering a 14-10 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots. The Bills had no answer for the Pats' ground game, with New England racking up 222 yards rushing in Week 13.
It was a crushing defeat for the Bills, who lost more ground to the Patriots in the race for the AFC East title. They trail the Pats by 1.5 games following their defeat on Monday Night Football. Their playoff hopes are suddenly hanging in the balance as they are one of four teams in the wild card race with seven wins this season.
Things will become more challenging for the struggling Bills, as they will next face the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 14. For the Bills to grab the upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they will need to perform much better on the offensive end. They generated a season-low 230 total yards in the loss to the Pats. That was understandable given the harsh conditions in Buffalo on Monday night.
What was unacceptable for the Bills was their performance in stopping the Pats' run. They have now allowed at least 200 yards rushing in two of their last three games. New England ran the ball 46 times against Buffalo, with Mac Jones only throwing only three pass attempts.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter Week 14 as -3.5 favorites
Tampa Bay extended its winning streak to three games with an impressive 30-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13. It was a big victory for the Bucs, who now hold a commanding four-game lead atop the NFC South standings.
In Sunday's win, Tom Brady starred for the Bucs, completing 38 of 51 passes for 368 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Chris Godwin was his favorite target in Week 13, with the star wide receiver setting a new franchise record of 15 catches. He made the most of those receptions, gaining 143 yards through the air.
Rob Gronkowski also made history in that contest, grabbing Brady's 89th and 90th regular-season touchdown receptions. They passed the tandem of Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates for No. 2 on the touchdowns list by a duo. Gronk is starting to dominate again after suffering cracked ribs in the Week 3 loss to the Rams that forced him to miss several games. He last scored a touchdown for the Bucs in Week 2 against the Falcons.
Brady loves playing against the Falcons as he improved to a perfect 10-0 in his career against Atlanta. Another team that Brady loves to torment is the Buffalo Bills, who will be paying a visit to Tampa this weekend. Brady is 32-3 in his career against the Bills.
Writer's Prediction
Tampa Bay wins and covers the spread.
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