It's hard to overstate the importance of Monday night's showdown between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, even if it's not necessarily do-or-die for either team.
The Patriots entered Monday holding the top spot in the AFC, thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but Buffalo can leapfrog New England in both the division and the conference with a home victory in Week 13.
The Bills are slight favorites for the crucial clash, which could involve some less-than-ideal weather conditions, but some experts expect the Patriots to pull off the upset and extend their winning streak to seven games.
The Athletic's Mike Sando asked two coaches and a team executive to predict the outcome of the highly anticipated contest. Here's what the NFL exec said:
"I'm taking New England because I like the way they are playing defensively. They are taking the ball away and if you are talking about a team that exploits matchups, they do a better job than anybody. The fact that Tre'Davious White is out now, Buffalo has a good safety group, but it was not a good corner group to begin with. They can get some mismatches in the passing game that are favorable for Mac (Jones), and they stick with the run game. Those two things make it more manageable for New England."
You can read the coaches' predictions here, but long story short: Both a defensive coach and an offensive coach like the Bills to win Monday night in Orchard Park, only for the Patriots to turn around and claim victory in the rematch in Foxboro on Dec. 26.
Either way, it's likely Bill Belichick and Sean McDermott will have their teams ready for both games, as the stakes are raised as we head down the stretch of a fascinating 2021 NFL season.
