The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills square off Sunday in a Week 16 matchup that very well could determine this season's AFC East champion.
Those stakes alone make the game fascinating, obviously, but it'll be really interesting to see how each team responds just three weeks after New England defeated Buffalo in a bizarre "Monday Night Football" showdown in Orchard Park, N.Y., that featured 40-mph wind gusts.
ESPN tasked its NFL Nation reporters with previewing each matchup on this weekend's slate, asking for a "bold prediction" in the process. Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg offered the following prognostication for a piece published Friday on ESPN.com:
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen will pass for two touchdowns, reaching 100 for his career, and run for at least one score against a Patriots defense that limited the Bills to just 10 points in their first meeting. A major issue for the Bills' offense when the teams' first met was scoring touchdowns in the red zone, but that has improved for Buffalo as of late, and the offense will rise to the occasion with the division lead on the line.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones attempted just three passes in the teams' Week 13 matchup, which New England won 14-10 behind a strong rushing attack and an excellent defensive performance. It's likely the rookie will need to do a little more heavy lifting this time around, with the forecast in Foxboro calling for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 40s.
Allen, meanwhile, completed 15 of 30 passes on Dec. 6, totaling 145 yards through the air and 39 on the ground. The Patriots mostly held the reigning NFL MVP runner-up in check, but the Bills still moved the football at times.
Perhaps Allen will rise to the occasion Sunday, with the conditions much more conducive to passing, and flash his dual-threat prowess with the division hanging in the balance.
