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New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills NFL Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

pats-bills

With a win over Buffalo on Sunday, the New England Patriots will notch yet another 11-win season. But this time there’s a catch. 11 wins might not be enough to get them into the playoffs. The Patriots will also need some help from the New York Jets beating the Miami Dolphins to capture their sixth straight AFC East title and to advance to the postseason. The Patriots are 6.5-point favorites with the total set at 42.

The Patriots have not missed the postseason since 2002, but a team that finished just 1-15 last season may stand in their of yet another January reservation. While New England and Miami would both have 11-5 records with wins Sunday, the Dolphins would hold the tiebreaker to advance to the playoffs. We saw this situation happen in the AFC North a year ago with the Browns and Steelers both finishing with 10-6 records, but the Steelers advanced via the tiebreaker.

New England can thank the Seattle Seahawks for giving them more hope than they could have had. If Seattle had not knocked off the Jets last Sunday, the Patriots would have all but been eliminated them from the division race. Now, the Patriots will need their former assistant, Eric Mangini, and his boys to win this week. The Jets have been fading down the stretch, however, losing three of their last four.

If the Patriots don’t earn a division title, they can still earn a wild card berth if the struggling Jacksonville Jags can find a way to knock off the Baltimore Ravens. If New England prevails and neither the Jets or Jags win, it will become just the second 11-5 team to ever miss the playoffs. The 1985 Denver Broncos also missed out on the postseason with 11 wins.

For the Patriots to even be in contention at this point is quite the story in itself. They have persevered through an injury to Tom Brady and several other key defensive starters, and the last two weeks they have found the offensive fire power that helped them finish the 2007 season 16-0. The Pats destroyed NFC West champion Arizona last Sunday 47-7 on a snowy day in Foxborough, only allowing the Cards 45 total yards through three quarters. Running backs Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan thrived in the conditions, racking up 183 yards on the ground. QB Matt Cassel has been a great story this season and once again earned his paycheck with 345 yards and three touchdowns with no picks. The Patriots may have to get the job done in the snow again this week with meteorologists predicted a wintry mix in Buffalo.

New England has become the best cold weather team in football with a 23-2 December record since 2003. The Pats have also won at least 11 games in five of the past seven seasons and NFL odds makers have them doing it again. Bet the Patriots at -6.5 at BetUS.

The Bills are 7-8 and have undergone a terrible collapse following a hot start, a collapse that has left Bills NFL betting backers out in the cold. Things don’t figure to look up this week as New England has won 10 straight against Buffalo and 15 of the last 16. Buffalo was much more competitive in this season’s earlier meeting, losing 20-10 in Foxborough. Buffalo showed some resiliency last week, and beat the AFC West leading Broncos 30-23 on the road to keep Denver from clinching. While Denver gained nearly twice as many yards, Buffalo used big plays on defense to secure a win. The return of QB Trent Edwards from a groin injury seemed to boost the morale of this team. He was efficient in throwing for 193 yards and a score. The Bills will be without running back Marshawn Lynch, who injured his shoulder last week. If you think Buffalo can take the Patriots down to the wire, bet the Bills at +6.5 at BetUS.

Jimmy Boyd has profited backers on four consecutive Sunday’s with his NFL picks and you don’t want to miss his fifth straight Sunday cash!

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