NFL Odds: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

A key NFL week 10 AFC East divisional battle will be taking place at Gillette stadium in the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots match-up. Buffalo has cooled off after a fast start; dropping their last two games by an average of 9.0 points against Miami and the Jets. The New England Patriots meanwhile are adjusting better to QB Matt Cassel who has blossomed into a solid NFL QB somehow. Last season, the formerly immortal Tom Brady Patriots outscored the Bills 94-17 in their two meetings. The NFL odds for the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots is New England -3.5 on the SPREAD.

Matt Cassel (83.4) is starting to come into his own for the Patriots when they need him most. Even with a rookie Free Agent at running back last week BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cassel was able to lead his team to a close loss against Indy. In his first NFL start RB Green-Ellis (5’11″ 215) scored 3 TD’s and ran for 137 yards. With the emergence of a more poised Cassel, and a gem in Green-Ellis, the Patriots were strong enough to play the Indianapolis Colts down to the wire on the road. Cassel knows how to make plays with his feet and will always have an elite weapon in WR Randy Moss (6’4″ 210 4.40 40-speed). Moss, however, is listed questionable Sunday with a nagging foot injury. Patriots head coach Bill Bellichik has been impressed with Matt Cassel’s play: “I think Matt has continued to improve every week since Week 1,” Belichick said. “It doesn’t surprise me. He works hard. He is a very attentive, smart kid who has talent, and every opportunity he gets a chance to practice, take reps and play, I think he improves.”He’s worked hard on it and I think that has shown up in his performance on a consistent basis.” The Bills pass-rush has been hurting from the abscence of DE Aaron Schobel and the whole team has felt his loss. “Losing the last two games is hard. There’s nowhere to hide,” cornerback Jabari Greer said. “No matter what we’ve done before, having that two-game losing streak, the taste in your mouth can easily become something if that’s not corrected. It can change the whole mind-set of the season.” If you like NFL betting on totals then the OVER\UNDER for the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots game is at 41.0 to 41.5 points.

The Buffalo running game will need to get in gear fast against a well-schooled Patriots defense if they want to end their two-game skid. The Bills have a physical O-line that needs to step up an have a big game for RB’s Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson. Both Lynch (4.40 40-speed 400+ Bench-Press) and Jackson (4.60 40-speed 6’1″ 215) are good runners that could challenge the Patriots aging linebackers if they get some creases. Buffalo tackle Jason Peters (6’4″ 340 Lb.) is a brutish man that can get the job done for Buffalo’s running game. New England’s defense has lacked a consistent pass-rush with only 14.0 sacks. The Patriots patchwork secondary will also be tested by the right arm of Bills QB Trent Edwards (90.8 passer rating). Edwards can be very accurate when he has time to throw. Edwards has been under lots of pressure from breakdowns in pass-protection however in recent weeks. “For the most part, we’re kind of beating ourselves,” said Edwards, who was 24-for-35 for a career-high 289 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on Sunday. “The only finger I’m pointing is at myself.” New England uses exotic blitzing schemes that they will need generate a pass-rush with. The key match-up in this game will be the Patriots secondary against Wisconsin jitterbug WR Lee Evans. Evans (4.35 40-speed) could blow by New England’s secondary on a few plays and Edwards must take advantage. The NFL betting odds OVER\UNDER for the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots game is at 41.0 to 41.5 points.

This is a big AFC East game to determine who has the edge in the division, and our handicappers have plenty of NFL expert picks available with that answer and more. The Patriots have had the Bills number with nine straight wins in the series. The Bills lack of a consistent running game, and mental errors have cooled their hot start. Matt Cassel has shown as much improvement as any player in the NFL over the past 2 weeks. If Cassel can get more solid from his banged up running corps he should continue to improve. The Bills are hurting and have not shown that they can sustain drives on offense. Edwards and Lynch will need to return to form to help Buffalo pull off the upset on the road.

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