New England Patriots (-9) at Buffalo Bills, Total 53.5 |
New England certainly knows that it has won 15 straight games in this series, but nobody is talking about it, as the squad is focused on simply moving its record to 3-0 on the season.
“They have a lot of good football players and they’re doing things well in all three phases of the game,” commented Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. “It’s always tough with Buffalo. We have a lot of work to do.”
The Patriots are third in the NFL in points scored this season, while the team they are facing ranks above them. The team’s 31st-ranked defense has quite a challenge ahead of them, while the secondary is incredibly banged up.
None of it may matter when Tom Brady is your quarterback, as he has thrown for over 400 yards in consecutive games and is on pace to throw for 7,500 during the 2011 campaign. He’s coming off a splendid performance of throwing for 423 yards and three scores in a 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers and 6.5-point home favorites.
It’s significant to point out that Brady may be without one of his top targets, as tight end Aaron Hernandez suffered a knee injury last week. New England’s young pair of tight ends that includes Dan Gronkowski have combined for 337 receiving yards and five touchdowns through two weeks.
Patriots betting fans will see that the Patriots are 20-14 ATS over the last two-plus seasons and 9-6 ATS on the road.
Buffalo is 2-0 on the season and leads the league in averaging 39.5 points per game. The Bills are the best offensive unit in football through two weeks, but that can quickly change.
“That’s a tough pace to keep up, in terms of the points and we know we’re not going to go out and score 39, 40 points a game,” commented Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. “We’re going to try, but it’s just not going to happen.”
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick shared the lead with Brady for the most touchdown passes this season, but the offense has really flourished due to running back Fred Jackson leading the league with 229 yards rushing. He has become the first player in the franchise to open the season with two consecutive 100-yard performances since 1991.
Professional sportsbooks bettors are quick to point out that the two wins have likely come against some pretty weak competition, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders aren’t going to strike much fear in opponents.
New England leads the series, 60-40-1, including a 28-21-1 edge when playing in Buffalo. NFL betting players will find that the Patriots are 7-0 ATS in the last seven meetings inside Sunday’s venue.
It’s also important to note that the ‘under’ is 19-7 in the last 26 meetings overall, including 4-1 in Buffalo in betting predictions.
