Betting Breakdown: Week 18 vs. Buffalo BillsAfter an unprecedented week across the NFL, football has rightfully taken a back seat to Damar Hamlin's health and well-being. But, as the league has decided to go forward with Week 18 as scheduled, football will be played. That means the New England Patriots (+7. 5) will travel north to Buffalo for a matchup against Hamlin's Bills. A win for the Patriots would punch their ticket to the playoffs, but the odds are stacked against them as they currently are a 7. 5-point underdog.
Over their past few matchups, Allen has even come close to throwing multiple interceptions but New England's defensive backs were not able to haul them in. With Christian Barmore back and playing well, look for the Patriots pass rush to make things difficult for Allen and the secondary to finally capitalize. The pick: Josh Allen Over 0. 5 interceptions (-110)Discreet DawsonBills' tight end Dawson Knox has been red-hot as of late, scoring touchdowns in Buffalo's last three games and seeing 20 total targets - his most in a three game stretch all season. But, he'll face an uphill battle against New England's defense this week that's allowed just over 40 passing yards per game to tight ends. Back in Week 13 against New England, Knox led all of Buffalo's skill players with 63 snaps and was tied for first with 33 routes run.
5 average depth of target in the first matchup against Buffalo, Jones has recorded 10 big time throws with a 9. 5 aDot over his last four games, via Pro Football Focus. If New England wants a fighting chance in this matchup, they need to live and die by letting Jones air it out - especially if they find themselves in an early hole. The pick: Mac Jones Over 213. 5 passing yards (-115)Attacking AllenThrough all of Josh Allen's awesomeness, he still is vulnerable. Allen is tied with Matt Ryan for the most turnovers from any QB this season (18), while his 13 interceptions are tied for second-most in the league.
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots: Live Score, Highlights and AnalysisJim McIsaac/Getty ImagesIn a wacky and unbelievable game on all accounts, the New England Patriots remained undefeated with a 20-13 win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Quarterback Tom Brady got pressured like he hasn't all season, constantly being hounded by the Bills' multiple pressure looks. Although he was only sacked once, he went 20-of-39 and threw a costly interception on top of his 277 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo rallied to tie the game at 10 in the third, but New England quickly responded with 10 quick points to seize control.
However, he only drew one target as Josh Allen targeted his top-two receivers often and continuously took the profit with eight attempts to his running backs. Knox finished with zero receptions. As New England will likely continue to play a large amount of zone defense to force things underneath, Knox could be in for another quiet matchup.
5 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are our favorite bets for the Patriots' regular season finale. Big MacBack in the Week 13 matchup against the Bills, New England's offense struggled mightily. In fact, while much of the attention is focused on Josh Allen vs. New England's defense, the Patriots offense has been consistently challenged by Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier's defense of late. In their four matchups with Mac Jones under center - including the Monday Night wind game - New England has averaged just 15. 5 points against Buffalo.
In New England's last nine games, the favorite has won every game outright. Road games have favored New England's offense more this season, however. In their last six games on the road, the Patriots have averaged 26. 8 points compared to just 16. 8 points in their last six played in Foxboro. They will hope that trend continues in Buffalo as the point total sits at 43.
The pick: Dawson Knox Under 38. 5 receiving yards (-110)Dominant DameIn Damien Harris' return to action last week, New England was able to manage Rhamondre Stevenson's workload as Harris played 29 snaps to Stevenson's 34, while out-carrying him 9-to-8. Harris turned out 12 total touches for 49 yards in that playing time. The back also recorded the most goal-line carries of the bunch, but came up just short of finding the end zone.
