There will be three teams squaring off Monday night in Buffalo: the Bills, the New England Patriots and Mother Nature.
Near-freezing temperatures and 25-plus-mph winds are expected throughout the night at Highmark Stadium — difficult conditions that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged will have a definite impact on the game.
“I think it’ll definitely be a factor in the game,” Belichick told ESPN’s Lisa Salters during a pregame interview aired on “Monday Night Countdown.” “Kicking game probably more than the passing game, but it’ll affect both.”
The effect on the kicking game was clear during pregame warmups, as both teams’ kickers and punters struggled to navigate the gale-force gusts.
How will the teams’ passing attacks be affected? We’ll find that out once the game kicks off. These are unfamiliar conditions for Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, a Jacksonville, Fla., native who played his college ball at Alabama.
Jones sported winter-appropriate attire, wearing a full hood underneath his Patriots helmet.
The 8-4 Patriots are seeking their seventh consecutive win and looking to maintain their grip on the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The 7-4 Bills trail them by just a half-game in the AFC East standings and would leapfrog New England with a victory Monday night.
