FOXBORO, Mass. — The Buffalo Bills team the New England Patriots will host this Sunday looks significantly different from the one they defeated in Week 8, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
For starters, they now have first-round draft pick Josh Allen under center, replacing the Derek Anderson/Nathan Peterman combo they fielded last time out.
Allen has been a surprisingly effective scrambler (506 rushing yards this season, second-most among quarterbacks behind Lamar Jackson), and despite his shortcomings as a passer, he and undrafted rookie receiver Robert Foster have formed a formidable deep-threat duo.
“I’d say (the biggest difference is) all of the big plays — the big plays they have from the receivers and the quarterback,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. “The quarterback is a big difference. That’s a big difference right there.”
Foster, who caught just 14 passes for Alabama last season and was cut by the Bills in October, has been a revelation since returning to Buffalo’s roster in Week 10, catching 14 passes on 19 targets for 438 yards and two touchdowns over the last five games.
His 25.8 yards-per-reception average over that span leads all NFL pass-catchers with five or more targets.
Foster headlines a Bills receiving corps that was overhauled earlier this month when Buffalo cut ties with veterans Kelvin Benjamin and Andre Holmes.
“He’s averaging 25 yards per catch,” Belichick said. “That’s a lot to average. He’s a very explosive player and gets behind the defense, a catch-and-run player. He’s fast — really fast. Allen’s got a great arm and can’t overthrow him. He can’t outrun the quarterback. The quarterback can get the ball down the field to him. He’s been very exciting to watch.”
Allen, meanwhile, ranks dead last in the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating this season but has generated 18 plays of 20-plus yards over the last four games, including six rushes.
The Bills have dialed up some designed runs for their 6-foot-5 QB, Belichick said, but the bulk of his big gains have come on scrambles. Allen and Jackson are only quarterbacks who lead their respective teams in rushing yards this season, with the former doing so despite sharing a locker room with six-time Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy.
“He’s a strong guy,” Belichick said of Allen. “We’ve seen him stiff-arm some people. He’s definitely fast. He can outrun guys. You have to take good angles and obviously wrap him up and try not to let him get started.”
