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Week 15 Preview: Bills at Patriots · The 3Ts: Tables, Tailgates, and Toploaders

• WEBVTT 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:13.500 What's up, friends? Welcome into another special 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:17.539 Week 15 game preview episode of Tables, Tailgates, 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:19.980 and Top Loaders. So happy to have you all aboard 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:21.940 for this episode. I am your host, as always, 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:24.539 TB. Thank you so very much for stopping in and 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:27.399 checking out this game preview. So, we have a 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:29.899 lot to get to, a lot to talk about, so let's 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:32.359 not waste any time. Let's dive right in. Week 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:35.659 15, Bills at Patriots, Sunday, December 14th, 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:38.979 1 p .m. from... Gillette Stadium in none other 00:00:38.979 --> 00:00:42.000 than Foxborough, Massachusetts. So I always start 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.619 off with some news and notes. And the first thing 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:47.219 I always go to is the power rankings. So they 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:51.280 are out after 14 long NFL weeks. A little movement 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:54.259 with the Buffalo Bills. I did find Sports Illustrated. 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:56.909 They have... the bills all the way up to the 00:00:56.909 --> 00:00:59.369 number three spot on the power rankings. That's 00:00:59.369 --> 00:01:01.250 pretty good. Pretty good. If you think about 00:01:01.250 --> 00:01:03.909 how inconsistent, how up and down talked about 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:06.489 it, I've used the word rollercoaster before how 00:01:06.489 --> 00:01:08.989 much of a rollercoaster ride this team has kind 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:11.209 of been on and displayed over the last month 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.010 on the low end of the power rankings through 00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:16.290 other publications, I've seen the bills as low 00:01:16.290 --> 00:01:19.689 as 10. So your spread goes from as high as three 00:01:19.689 --> 00:01:22.090 to as low as 10. That's kind of a, kind of a 00:01:22.090 --> 00:01:25.239 big spread seven spots. It feels like this team 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:28.340 is all over the map as far as how people view 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:30.780 them. But the Bills opponent for the week, the 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:33.420 New England Patriots, I have seen them in multiple 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:36.659 publications as high as the number one spot. 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:39.079 So where are they on the back end? I have seen 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:42.400 them no lower than fifth. So their range, one 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.659 to five. How we feel about that? It's clear if 00:01:45.659 --> 00:01:48.400 you put these two teams together, we have a marquee 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.480 matchup on the books for this week. If the Bills 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.219 manage to beat the Patriots, which we will see 00:01:55.219 --> 00:01:57.239 how I predict this game here in a few minutes. 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:01.219 But if they do, it seems to kind of run with 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:03.420 the course of this that they are going to continue 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:06.519 to climb up the rankings. So what else we got? 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.680 Bills are currently sitting at the sixth spot 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:12.039 in the AFC standings after their victory over 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:14.500 the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday afternoon. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:18.800 39 to 34. That was a crazy, crazy game. It looked 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:20.900 like an awesome, awesome spectacle to be at. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.879 Awesome game to be at. Prior to Monday night, 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:24.979 prior to the Monday night game, I think it was 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:27.740 the Chargers and Eagles. They had climbed as 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.099 high as five, but with the Eagles beating the, 00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:32.319 I'm sorry, with the Chargers beating the Eagles, 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:35.419 the Chargers managed to take over that five spot 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:39.759 and drop the bills back down to sixth. Unfortunately, 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:42.939 the Bills are still two games behind the New 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:46.300 England Patriots in the AFC East, and of this 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:49.180 very minute, the Patriots own the tiebreaker 00:02:49.180 --> 00:02:52.680 because they beat the Bills in Week 5. The Bills 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:54.680 will need to beat them Sunday, and then the Patriots 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.539 have to lose at least one more to even have a 00:02:57.539 --> 00:02:59.819 shot at the East title. Now behind the Bills, 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:03.740 behind the Bills in 7th and 8th are the Colts 00:03:03.740 --> 00:03:06.479 and the Texans. The Colts are a flat -out mess 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:08.419 right now, and the Texans are on the move after 00:03:08.419 --> 00:03:11.500 winning five straight. The Colts, kind of full 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.840 panic mode if you're following this crazy story 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.159 after losing Daniel Jones to a season -ending 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.479 Achilles injury. Fear not, Colts fans. If you 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:22.039 want to go down that road, fear not. The Calvary 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:24.919 is coming. 96 -year -old Phillip Rivers. Just 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:29.360 kidding, he's actually 44. So 44 -year -old Phillip 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.300 Rivers has been signed to the practice squad, 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:34.650 and he's back ready to save your season. After 00:03:34.650 --> 00:03:37.949 retiring a mere five years ago, this dude, this 00:03:37.949 --> 00:03:40.009 cat has been coaching high school football for 00:03:40.009 --> 00:03:41.509 the last five years. I'm hearing all kinds of 00:03:41.509 --> 00:03:44.370 crazy stories about this. Is it true? I can't 00:03:44.370 --> 00:03:46.330 seem to figure out if this is true, but the same 00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:48.330 offense or the offense he's running with his 00:03:48.330 --> 00:03:50.090 high school team is the same offense that the 00:03:50.090 --> 00:03:52.469 Colts run. So what could possibly go wrong, right? 00:03:52.550 --> 00:03:54.729 I mean, what could possibly go wrong? 44 -year 00:03:54.729 --> 00:03:56.650 -old Phillip Rivers, he couldn't really move 00:03:56.650 --> 00:03:58.310 at the end of his career anyway, and now he's 00:03:58.310 --> 00:04:00.949 coming in to... potentially start for the Colts 00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:03.490 who are on their fourth string quarterback at 00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:06.169 this point. I don't know. It's a crazy story. 00:04:06.409 --> 00:04:08.990 The NFL loves crazy stories, so we shall see 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:11.789 what happens. But behind the Colts, behind the 00:04:11.789 --> 00:04:14.289 Texans, laying in the weeds, we have a three 00:04:14.289 --> 00:04:16.389 -way tie with the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas 00:04:16.389 --> 00:04:19.110 City Chiefs, and don't look now, but here come 00:04:19.110 --> 00:04:22.649 the streaking Tua Tungabailoa -led Miami Dolphins. 00:04:22.709 --> 00:04:24.529 All three of these teams, Baltimore, KC, Miami, 00:04:24.649 --> 00:04:27.410 they're all sitting at six and seven. What else 00:04:27.410 --> 00:04:31.050 we got? For the third time, In 2025, and for 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:34.269 the 18th time in his complete career, quarterback 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:37.089 Josh Allen was named AFC Offensive Player of 00:04:37.089 --> 00:04:40.009 the Week. If you look back on the year, he won 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:42.490 it in week one against Baltimore, that crazy, 00:04:42.509 --> 00:04:45.569 crazy game. And he also won it in week 11 when 00:04:45.569 --> 00:04:48.329 it was the guns blazing shootout against Tampa 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:50.990 Bay. In week 14 against the Bengals, so last 00:04:50.990 --> 00:04:53.910 Sunday, Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, Allen 00:04:53.910 --> 00:04:57.750 completed 78 % of his passes. He threw for 251 00:04:57.750 --> 00:05:00.509 and three tutties. He was also the second leading 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:03.370 rusher on the team. And he had, what was it, 00:05:03.410 --> 00:05:08.050 nine rushes for almost 80 yards and another tutty 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:10.290 on the ground. So that was quite the game. So 00:05:10.290 --> 00:05:13.230 obviously it led to his offensive player of the 00:05:13.230 --> 00:05:17.269 week for the AFC. Is it fair to say that he's 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:20.089 making a late season push to go back -to -back 00:05:20.089 --> 00:05:22.709 with the MVP? I'm not sure if he's quite up there 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:25.129 in the race yet, but there's four weeks to go. 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:27.500 He's got a lot of ground to make up, but if he 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:30.839 puts together a four -week straight, or at this 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.199 point, five -week straight series of games where 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.860 he's just balling out, he's full Superman mode, 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:38.560 does he have a chance? It would not shock me 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.540 at all if he bounces right back to the top of 00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:42.579 the MVP race. And what else do I want to talk 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:44.680 about? I saw this. I don't know if you all saw 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:46.319 this, Mafia. This is kind of cool. It depends 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.100 how you look at it, but Bud Light has announced 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:52.000 a limited edition Blizzard brew that's made from, 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:54.319 check this out, it's actually being made from 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:58.110 the snow. from Highmark Stadium. So I thought 00:05:58.110 --> 00:05:59.730 this was quite interesting. If you've seen this 00:05:59.730 --> 00:06:02.829 commercial, it's kind of cool. So if you go onto 00:06:02.829 --> 00:06:05.089 the Buffalo Bills website, there's a little story 00:06:05.089 --> 00:06:07.649 about it. It says, following the first snowfall 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:10.050 at Highmark Stadium earlier this season, Bud 00:06:10.050 --> 00:06:11.889 Light and the Bills have joined forces to collect 00:06:11.889 --> 00:06:14.470 the snow and transport it to Anheuser -Busch's 00:06:14.470 --> 00:06:18.149 Brewery in Baldwinsville, New York. The snow... 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:21.029 will be integrated in a brewing process to create 00:06:21.029 --> 00:06:23.610 a limited edition brew that will be included 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:27.329 in custom 16 ounce cans and packaging. This blizzard 00:06:27.329 --> 00:06:29.589 brew will be available at participating retailers 00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:32.410 in the Buffalo area and wherever Bill's fans, 00:06:32.589 --> 00:06:35.810 wherever Bill's mafia enjoys the final regular 00:06:35.810 --> 00:06:38.370 season home game. So it's coming your way in 00:06:38.370 --> 00:06:41.649 a few short weeks and that's kind of cool. I 00:06:41.649 --> 00:06:43.810 mean, it's Bud Light, so I'm not going to get 00:06:43.810 --> 00:06:45.930 my hopes up. But I still think it's kind of cool. 00:06:46.029 --> 00:06:48.350 It already tastes like water, so you're not going 00:06:48.350 --> 00:06:51.949 to get too much beer flavor. But, hey, that's 00:06:51.949 --> 00:06:55.470 a pretty cool idea. Blizzard Brew using snow 00:06:55.470 --> 00:06:57.670 from Highmark Stadium. How are we feeling about 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:01.230 that? Anyway, next segment. We always dive into 00:07:01.230 --> 00:07:03.329 the injuries, so let's start with the Buffalo 00:07:03.329 --> 00:07:05.850 Bills side of the field. Defensive end Joey Bosa, 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:08.009 he missed last game against the Bengals with 00:07:08.009 --> 00:07:10.810 a hamstring. It seems he is in limited mode all 00:07:10.810 --> 00:07:13.069 week. With the practices. And there's a good 00:07:13.069 --> 00:07:14.709 chance. I think there's a good chance he can 00:07:14.709 --> 00:07:17.769 return for this game. The pass rush. We have 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:21.050 little to no pass rush without Joey Bosa on the 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:24.189 field. So one thing Drake May does is take sacks. 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:27.730 So we have got to get a pass rush on him. And 00:07:27.730 --> 00:07:30.529 we need to pick up the pace. Our defensive line 00:07:30.529 --> 00:07:34.889 is kind of a mess right now. Greg Russo is not 00:07:34.889 --> 00:07:37.740 really playing too great. So we are definitely 00:07:37.740 --> 00:07:40.180 missing Joey Bosa. But at the same time, I need 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.079 him ready to rock and roll for the playoff stretch. 00:07:43.220 --> 00:07:45.399 So we shall see what happens. Who else we got? 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:47.800 Linebacker Terrell Bernard. He is still dealing 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:49.920 with his forearm, elbow. He's also limited. He's 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:51.439 been practicing a little bit, but on a limited 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.920 basis. In my opinion, if he's still on the fence, 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.800 I think he should not play because Shaq Thompson 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.480 has been great. I think he's played great. I 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.699 talked about this a week ago on the pod. I think 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:07.439 he has kind of solidified the middle of the defense. 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:10.600 And so I know they gave up a ton of early points 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.600 to the Bengals, but I think Shaq has played really 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:15.660 well, and I think we're good there. So Terrell, 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:18.620 you rest up. Whatever ailments you got, let's 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:22.420 just chill and get 100 % before you get back 00:08:22.420 --> 00:08:24.750 out there. Spencer Brown. Now, Spencer Brown, 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:26.529 on the other hand, I think if he's good to go, 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:28.230 he needs to be out there. I don't want to re 00:08:28.230 --> 00:08:30.430 -aggravate this shoulder thing, but he's also 00:08:30.430 --> 00:08:32.429 been limited in practice. I'm surprised that 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:33.769 he's kind of already there because they were 00:08:33.769 --> 00:08:36.570 considering putting him on the IR, which is a 00:08:36.570 --> 00:08:38.850 minimum of four weeks. But this is a good sign. 00:08:38.950 --> 00:08:41.190 This is a good sign moving forward. And I hope 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:43.549 that he's ready to go. Ryan Vandermark was playing 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:46.870 or has been playing in his absence. And yeah, 00:08:47.029 --> 00:08:51.710 while I think he's fine. in a pinch i don't know 00:08:51.710 --> 00:08:54.570 if he has a solid long -term answer moving forward 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:56.490 cole bishop he came out in the bengals game he 00:08:56.490 --> 00:08:58.889 had some cramps but he's good to go josh palmer 00:08:58.889 --> 00:09:00.830 he's been limited but it looks like he's moving 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:02.730 in the right direction and he has a chance to 00:09:02.730 --> 00:09:05.470 play on sunday now if you've seen this i know 00:09:05.470 --> 00:09:08.710 ed oliver he obviously has had surgery for his 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:11.629 torn bicep but he is blasting out these tiktok 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:14.899 videos of him like training and running and He 00:09:14.899 --> 00:09:17.580 put one out recently with him doing push -ups 00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:19.360 and he's just knocking, he's crushing out the 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.259 push -ups. So I think he's a lot closer than 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:24.039 we originally expected, but I think they're still 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:25.360 going to hold him out for the regular season. 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:28.480 They don't want to risk re -aggravating or re 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.500 -injuring that arm. So I think he is definitely, 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:33.539 definitely going to be ready for the playoff 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:36.690 run, which is awesome. Injuries on the Patriots 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:38.129 side of the field. Left tackle Will Campbell. 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:40.730 He was placed on IR a week or so ago. This is 00:09:40.730 --> 00:09:43.429 a huge issue for their offensive line. He is 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:46.230 essentially the blindside protector of Drake 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:48.570 May. And he's kind of been a key to the success 00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:51.129 of the offensive line. They've been struggling. 00:09:51.269 --> 00:09:53.149 They've been struggling on both sides of the 00:09:53.149 --> 00:09:55.629 ball as far as their offensive and defensive 00:09:55.629 --> 00:09:58.429 lines are concerned. And then also Jared Wilson. 00:09:58.909 --> 00:10:01.549 He did return to practice. He is their center. 00:10:01.629 --> 00:10:03.470 He did return to practice. He's inching closer 00:10:03.470 --> 00:10:05.450 to return. This could be a significant boost 00:10:05.450 --> 00:10:07.549 to help them. Like I said, their line has been 00:10:07.549 --> 00:10:10.870 kind of a mess right now, and we shall see what 00:10:10.870 --> 00:10:13.470 happens. And the other one of note that I think 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:16.990 is important is Brendan Shuler. He is like their 00:10:16.990 --> 00:10:18.769 kind of jack -of -all -trades on special teams, 00:10:18.789 --> 00:10:22.179 kind of a... a key, huge addition to their special 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:25.080 teams unit. So it looks like he also returned 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:28.379 to practice. He could be a good to go for Sunday. 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:31.500 Themes, storylines heading into this game. I 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:33.440 talked about it before, but I know the Bills 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:35.539 can't get back into first place with a win. But 00:10:35.539 --> 00:10:39.000 I think this game is huge in the aspect of we 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.000 need to change the narrative that the Patriots 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.080 are the kings of this division. Whatever you 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:44.980 want to call them, I just think like winning 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:48.490 this game. I don't want to go as far as to say 00:10:48.490 --> 00:10:50.590 that the Patriots have been frauds this year. 00:10:50.649 --> 00:10:52.870 Look, they beat Buffalo week five. But if you 00:10:52.870 --> 00:10:55.110 really go back and you look at that week five 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:58.909 game, the final score was 23 to 20. 23 to 20. 00:10:59.049 --> 00:11:01.429 The Bills had three turnovers, and these just 00:11:01.429 --> 00:11:04.149 weren't regular turnovers. These were like super 00:11:04.149 --> 00:11:07.409 costly. We've driven a good chunk of the field, 00:11:07.470 --> 00:11:11.330 game -changing turnovers. So three terrible turnovers. 00:11:11.789 --> 00:11:14.649 And also, if you remember in this game, the amount 00:11:14.649 --> 00:11:17.299 of penalties. that we had in this game it was 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:19.299 ridiculous there's a crazy amount of penalties 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:22.320 i think we had like 70 or 80 maybe at 90 yards 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.600 and penalties in that first game and all that 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.379 being said we still only lost on a last second 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.620 field goal so i think we need to change the narrative 00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:33.179 that the patriots are just awesome and like i'm 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:35.580 yes i will i will give them their due they have 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:39.059 won a ton of games and congratulations but they 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:42.690 have played a third place schedule against some 00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:45.289 terrible teams now granted the bills have lost 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:49.429 to some bad teams but i just i don't know i don't 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:52.330 want to over oversimplify this but i just feel 00:11:52.330 --> 00:11:54.570 like we've crowned the patriots already and i'm 00:11:54.570 --> 00:11:57.070 just not ready to say that they're the cream 00:11:57.070 --> 00:11:59.070 of the crop as far as the asc east is concerned 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:01.210 i want to see the bills go kind of knock them 00:12:01.210 --> 00:12:04.100 back down a peg or two What else? The Patriots 00:12:04.100 --> 00:12:06.379 are going to be pretty fresh, pretty rested coming 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:08.639 out of their bye week. If you look at the totality 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.720 of the season, I think a week 14 bye week is 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:13.860 about as good as you could ask for. You can't 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:15.980 land a better bye week in the season. It's perfect, 00:12:16.139 --> 00:12:18.240 especially for a team looking to make a playoff 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:21.639 run. You come back week 15, you play four games, 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:24.379 and then they're sitting in line for a potential 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:27.779 number one seed and a first round bye. I don't 00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:29.679 want to see that happen. That would be awful. 00:12:30.649 --> 00:12:33.549 even more important to get in there and get this 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:35.950 dub. As I said, I think this is probably the 00:12:35.950 --> 00:12:38.210 perfect time to go up there to Foxborough and 00:12:38.210 --> 00:12:41.049 punch them square in the mouth. X -Factors, let's 00:12:41.049 --> 00:12:43.009 move on to the X -Factors. Kind of talked about 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:46.169 this already, generating a pass rush. It's been 00:12:46.169 --> 00:12:49.029 non -existent. And I think Boats is the key. 00:12:49.090 --> 00:12:50.590 And if he's out, I think we're going to struggle 00:12:50.590 --> 00:12:52.309 again. I think we're going to struggle again. 00:12:52.750 --> 00:12:54.389 Epinesa, Rousseau, they need to kind of play 00:12:54.389 --> 00:12:56.590 with a lot more consistency. Drake May, like 00:12:56.590 --> 00:12:58.690 I said, he has a tendency to take sacks. They're 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:00.629 not the worst sacks. It's not like he takes an 00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:02.850 18 -yard sack and after he runs around for 10 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:04.690 seconds, yeah, I see you, Josh Allen. But he 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:06.950 takes like, you know, one, two -yard sacks, you 00:13:06.950 --> 00:13:09.370 know, one, two -yard losses on each sack, which 00:13:09.370 --> 00:13:13.190 is not crazy, but he does have a tendency to 00:13:13.190 --> 00:13:16.149 hold the ball a little too long. But if you get 00:13:16.149 --> 00:13:19.289 no pressure on him, he's going to sit back there 00:13:19.289 --> 00:13:22.279 and pick you apart. So we got to somehow manage 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:25.399 to affect his vision, affect his lanes, and just 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:28.100 kind of get after him. So we don't have the home 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:29.940 field advantage on our side this time, so it's 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:33.000 even more important to generate a pass rush from 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.240 our front four. What else? Keep Dalton Kincaid 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.419 healthy. That's the next factor I have. Look, 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:42.019 if you have seen the team and the offense when 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:44.019 he's on the field and when he's actually playing 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:48.080 versus when he is out or hurt, it's just like 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.490 night and day. So it's a completely different 00:13:50.490 --> 00:13:52.409 offense when he is on the field and when he's 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:54.409 healthy. He makes the other tight ends better. 00:13:54.590 --> 00:13:56.730 I mean, last week it was like tight end university. 00:13:56.830 --> 00:13:58.830 I thought I was watching Miami football from 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:01.850 the late, I don't know, what was it, the 90s 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:04.330 or something? It was insane. So they all crushed 00:14:04.330 --> 00:14:06.789 it. Dawson Knox had a career game. Jackson Hawes 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:10.570 cut a tutty. It was great. This is a huge, huge 00:14:10.570 --> 00:14:13.870 group, a very solid, stable group, but it is 00:14:13.870 --> 00:14:16.990 so much better when Dalton Kincaid is healthy 00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:19.399 and when he is on the field. Another X factor, 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:22.320 turnovers. Come on, guys. Come on. For the love 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.059 of God, you got to clean up some of these turnovers. 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:29.360 It's one thing if you give up these kind of crazy 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:31.840 interceptions. Maybe you throw a 60 -yard bomb 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.940 and whatever, or a tip pass or something. But 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:38.000 the ridiculous fumbles, James Cook, you can't 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.419 be making these fumbles. You can't. Don't kick 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:42.120 the ball out of your own hands. Don't throw stupid 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:45.200 picks. Just play smart. I know it's so easy to 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:47.639 just get into the team that commits the fewest 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:49.879 turnovers wins the game. But I just talked about 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:52.379 this. Look at week five. Three turnovers, a ton 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:54.299 of penalties. They played sloppy. They didn't 00:14:54.299 --> 00:14:56.960 play well. And they only lost by three. So if 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.039 you clean all that up, you go into Foxborough, 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:00.899 you don't commit any turnovers, and you punch 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:04.120 them in the mouth, I don't know. Something tells 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:06.399 me this has the potential to kind of be a Bills 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:09.100 blowout. I just think we need to play clean and 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.370 we need to play smart. What else? The run game. 00:15:11.509 --> 00:15:14.570 The run game, if you look statistically at the 00:15:14.570 --> 00:15:17.029 beginning of the season, the Patriots were locked 00:15:17.029 --> 00:15:19.789 in. They were holding opposing rushing teams 00:15:19.789 --> 00:15:24.309 to like 50, 60 yards a game. Well, that has changed 00:15:24.309 --> 00:15:26.110 dramatically over the last four to five weeks. 00:15:26.289 --> 00:15:28.929 I know one of their key defensive linemen got 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:32.990 hurt and now they're just like, it's like running 00:15:32.990 --> 00:15:37.480 through cellophane. I see this being a James 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:39.620 Cook runs wild game, which leads me back to my 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:41.759 last point of don't fumble the freaking ball. 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:45.080 I think if we lean on the run game and then develop 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.299 the play action off of that, I think we can score 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:51.259 points. And Drake May has never been. in a shootout. 00:15:51.340 --> 00:15:53.879 So I, for one, would love to see the Bills just 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:57.299 put the pedal to the floor, unleash the Ferrari, 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.659 get James Cook going early and often, get the 00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:02.960 play action going, and just go bombs away because 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:04.620 I would love to see if Drake May could keep up. 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:07.519 I would love to see if they can keep up. Another 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:10.500 point, aggressiveness. I like what Coach McD 00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:14.179 has been doing as far as being aggressive. He 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:16.559 went after it. I know they went for it on fourth 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.379 down four times last week, and I think they were 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:20.919 three of four for fourth down. Don't lose sight 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.220 of that aggressiveness. Get back to this idea 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:25.740 that week after week, we should be trying to 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:29.480 stomp on the opponent's throat. I just want to 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:32.159 see that. I love the mentality we carried into 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:34.500 the Kansas City game and the Pittsburgh game 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:37.220 where we just went and just, it was a beat down 00:16:37.220 --> 00:16:41.340 for 60 minutes. Aggressive, go after it, play 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:44.460 with roughness, play with... Play with this dog 00:16:44.460 --> 00:16:46.919 mentality. That's what I want to see as we take 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:50.299 this team up into Foxborough. I really think 00:16:50.299 --> 00:16:52.360 that if we had played clean and we didn't make 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:55.120 our own mistakes that week five, I don't think 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.980 the Patriots would be in first place right now. 00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:59.440 So let's try to bring them a little closer to 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:02.019 the rest of the pack, but keep that aggression 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:05.640 and just put the hammer down. Defense. Bobby 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:08.119 Babich. I don't know. Is it you? Is it Sean McDermott? 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:09.759 Who the heck is calling the plays in the last 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:12.579 few weeks? I don't know. Regardless of who is 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:14.480 calling the plays and who's running the defense, 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:16.859 can we please have the guys ready to go for the 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:19.740 first half of the game? What is going on? I understand 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:21.599 that there's this huge thing that, oh, we're 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:23.140 a second -half team and we're making all these 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:25.779 adjustments. Yeah, but why is there such a need 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:29.579 to make such drastic adjustments? The Bengals 00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:31.720 went out and scored three touchdowns in the first 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:34.119 three times they had the ball. We couldn't stop 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:37.839 anything. Can we please be ready to go at the 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:40.269 opening kickoff of the game? Please? I mean, 00:17:40.289 --> 00:17:42.930 these brutal first halves cannot keep happening. 00:17:43.049 --> 00:17:45.329 They can't. It's just shocking how much better 00:17:45.329 --> 00:17:47.849 this team is in the second half. And it really 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:50.910 should not ever be that drastic of a contrast. 00:17:51.109 --> 00:17:54.130 It's just crazy to me. So let's maybe tighten 00:17:54.130 --> 00:17:56.029 it up a little bit. Maybe try to get a stop or 00:17:56.029 --> 00:17:59.849 two before halftime. And last week, y 'all tackled 00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:02.730 way better than you had the previous month. So 00:18:02.730 --> 00:18:04.829 let's keep that positivity going. All right, 00:18:04.869 --> 00:18:07.690 it's time for Stress Meter. I do this every game 00:18:07.690 --> 00:18:09.509 preview. I don't know what's going on with this 00:18:09.509 --> 00:18:11.869 game, but I will just come right out with it. 00:18:11.930 --> 00:18:14.410 I am not stressed, folks. I am not stressed. 00:18:15.009 --> 00:18:16.910 Mafia, I don't know how you all feel about this. 00:18:16.990 --> 00:18:19.309 Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm in a holiday festive 00:18:19.309 --> 00:18:21.269 mood. I don't know what the deal is, but I'm 00:18:21.269 --> 00:18:23.470 not stressed. I know we're on the road. I know 00:18:23.470 --> 00:18:25.150 the Patriots are in first place. I know Drake 00:18:25.150 --> 00:18:29.009 May is way ahead of the schedule with how good 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:32.509 he was supposed to be at this point in his career. 00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:35.490 I don't know. I am not buying it. I'm just not 00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:37.869 buying it. Maybe I am completely delusional. 00:18:37.910 --> 00:18:40.970 I'm not scared of this team whatsoever. The one 00:18:40.970 --> 00:18:43.089 concern I have, I should have talked about this 00:18:43.089 --> 00:18:46.470 as an X -factor, but Stephon Diggs had a huge 00:18:46.470 --> 00:18:49.509 game against us, and historically he lines up 00:18:49.509 --> 00:18:51.730 in the slot for the Patriots, and we have nobody. 00:18:52.049 --> 00:18:53.930 Christian Benford, Trey White, who's going to 00:18:53.930 --> 00:18:56.509 guard him? Christian Benford doesn't play in 00:18:56.509 --> 00:18:58.789 the slot. So are we going to put Taron Johnson? 00:18:59.390 --> 00:19:02.250 That's the one defensive nightmare that I'm kind 00:19:02.250 --> 00:19:05.210 of looking at Bobby going, hey, I don't know 00:19:05.210 --> 00:19:06.509 what we got to do, what we got to scheme. Are 00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:09.130 we putting Hairston on him? What are we doing? 00:19:09.289 --> 00:19:11.130 We got to have a better plan. Hairston wasn't 00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:15.130 there for week five. We got a lot. I think our 00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:17.269 look, I think our defensive look is drastically 00:19:17.269 --> 00:19:20.210 different from where we were 10 weeks ago. And 00:19:20.210 --> 00:19:21.890 so we shall see how they handle Stephon Diggs. 00:19:21.990 --> 00:19:24.809 But they got this, they got that big booty on 00:19:24.809 --> 00:19:28.390 the outside. Boutte or whatever the, however 00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:30.130 the heck you want to pronounce his name. I think 00:19:30.130 --> 00:19:32.329 Christian Benford is playing amazing in the last 00:19:32.329 --> 00:19:34.549 few weeks. And I think he kind of takes Boutte 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:37.170 right out. So now the X Factor is going to be 00:19:37.170 --> 00:19:39.329 Stephon Diggs. But anyway, getting back to my 00:19:39.329 --> 00:19:41.029 stress meter. Like I said, maybe I'm completely 00:19:41.029 --> 00:19:42.750 delusional, but I'm not scared of this team. 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:45.109 I was way more worried about Joe Burrow, Jamar 00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:47.670 Chase, Tee Higgins than I am about Drake May, 00:19:47.869 --> 00:19:51.680 Stephon Diggs. and Boutte. I'm sure once this 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:54.440 game kicks off, once it's here, I'll be trying 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:56.599 to reach through the TV and maybe punch Coach 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:59.089 Vrabel's face because I'm so... At last game, 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:00.869 I got so mad because he was literally arguing 00:20:00.869 --> 00:20:02.630 with the refs on every single play, and it was 00:20:02.630 --> 00:20:04.869 just so annoying. So maybe the stress will kick 00:20:04.869 --> 00:20:08.109 in at 1 .05 p .m. on Sunday, but for right now, 00:20:08.150 --> 00:20:10.690 I got to go with a three. It's a three. The one 00:20:10.690 --> 00:20:13.069 caveat to this whole stress meter is the meter 00:20:13.069 --> 00:20:15.109 has proven to be broken numerous times during 00:20:15.109 --> 00:20:17.049 the season already, and I don't know what to 00:20:17.049 --> 00:20:19.269 think about it. So it's prediction time. Here 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:21.509 we go. The Bills are favored by one and a half 00:20:21.509 --> 00:20:23.069 points. If you could believe that, Bills are 00:20:23.069 --> 00:20:24.910 favored by one and a half points on the road 00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:27.269 in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:30.680 this Sunday afternoon at 1 p .m. In my opinion, 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.480 this kind of should be a 4 o 'clock game. This 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:34.740 should be the marquee game of this weekend. Hey, 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:37.180 I'm not the NFL. I don't make the schedule. I 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:39.920 don't flex teams. Looking back, I think the NFL 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:41.720 was probably a little upset that they moved that 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:43.539 Bills -Bengals game out of the 4 o 'clock slot 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:46.460 because that was a banger of a game, and it would 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:50.470 have drew big, big ratings. Nevertheless, for 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:52.869 this upcoming Sunday in Foxborough, the forecast 00:20:52.869 --> 00:20:55.289 is looking to be right around 30 degrees. They 00:20:55.289 --> 00:20:57.470 are expecting some snow in the morning, but it 00:20:57.470 --> 00:21:00.309 looks to be tapering off by kickoff. But maybe, 00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:02.589 you know, we're still a few days out. Maybe this 00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:04.109 could shift a little. Maybe you could see a few 00:21:04.109 --> 00:21:05.569 flakes. I don't think it's going to be a major 00:21:05.569 --> 00:21:07.809 factor. It's just going to be kind of cold. Hey, 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:09.569 it's the middle of December and we're going to. 00:21:10.439 --> 00:21:12.279 Massachusetts so what do you expect it's not 00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:14.660 going to be Miami the Bills will be rocking the 00:21:14.660 --> 00:21:16.839 white jersey the blue pants and a white helmet 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.900 as the visiting team so what is my call as I 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:22.579 said I'm not stressed about this game and I think 00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:24.720 this carries over into my prediction I think 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:26.279 the Bills come into this game with a bit of a 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:28.619 chip on their shoulder if you will I think they're 00:21:28.619 --> 00:21:30.079 kind of pissed off if they're losing the first 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:31.740 matchup and I think they're also kind of mad 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:33.720 that they're staring up at the Patriots in the 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.519 standings so I think they march into Gillette 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.089 I think they Smack the Patriots square in the 00:21:39.089 --> 00:21:41.210 mouth. I think the Bills will win this game 31 00:21:41.210 --> 00:21:44.609 -20. I have the Bills moving on to 10 -4 before 00:21:44.609 --> 00:21:47.210 heading out to good old Cleveland in a matchup 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:50.349 with Shadur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns. 00:21:50.349 --> 00:21:52.029 So there you have it, folks. Thanks for tuning 00:21:52.029 --> 00:21:54.569 in to the 3Ts. Thanks for checking out this week's 00:21:54.569 --> 00:21:57.589 game preview. Enjoy the game on Sunday, and as 00:21:57.589 --> 00:22:03.579 always, Go Bills! So until next time... Whether 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:06.240 it's ripping packs, breaking tables, or dropping 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:08.900 elbows, keep doing what you love. And as always, 00:22:09.099 --> 00:22:10.200 Go Bills!