RIVALRY: Bills vs Patriots PRIMETIME Clash | Bills Seek to CRUSH Patriots’ Hopes

RIVALRY: Bills vs Patriots PRIMETIME Clash | Bills Seek to CRUSH Patriots’ Hopes

The Bills are the only undefeated team left in the AFC and the Patriots would like to change that. Crossover Thursday begins now. [Music] You are locked on NFL Crossover, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Welcome into this Crossover Thursday episode of Locked On Bills and Locked On Patriots. We are both proud members of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And of course, we want to issue a big thank you, shout out, and welcome to our Everydayers, those of you who never miss a single episode. We appreciate y’all being here very, very much. Crossover Thursday is presented by Prize Picks. Download the prize picks app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. I’m Joe Marino from Locked on Bills. He’s Nick Cattles, the host of Lockdown Patriots. And we’re here to get you ready for week five, Sunday Night Football when the Patriots make their annual trip to Orchard Park to face the Bills. Nick, welcome in. Excited to break down this matchup with you. the first of Bill’s Patriots with Mike Vrabel as the head coach in New England. Welcome in. Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Happy to be here. Fascinating matchup Sunday night. First prime time game for the Patriots with Mike Vrabel. He was in the locker room this past weekend after the Carolina win saying everybody’s going to be watching us and I’m happy that everybody is going to be watching us. So, a lot of excitement uh after what happened last weekend with this team and they’re going to have to step up this weekend against a very tough Bills team. Yeah, I’m I’m excited to get your vibe on this Patriots team because I feel like we have so much to learn about who they’re going to be. I like that quarterback. I like Drake Tay a ton. He looks like he’s going to be a dude, but all right, can they run the ball? What’s the truth on the pass defense now that Christian Gonzalez is back in there? What’s the run defense really going to look like? Do they have enough depth? There’s so many new pieces. I’m excited to see how it all comes together for New England. So, as we get into this thing, Nick, and you look at this game from the Patriots side of things, what’s that big story on your mind? I’m going to kind of keep it simple here for you, Joe. I think it’s can the Patriots level up? Can they level up to the Buffalo Bills? This is kind of a litmus test for Mike Greybel. You get through the first month, you’re 500, 2 and two. You feel pretty good about that. I I think a lot of Patriots fans would have taken two and two after the first month after the past couple of four- win seasons, but let’s be honest. You know, you played against Vegas, they’re not very good. You played Miami, they’re not very good. You played Pittsburgh, their record is good, but I don’t think they’re a very good football team. And then you just absolutely waxed Carolina, who might be one of the bottom three teams in football. So, the biggest question, the biggest storyline to me this week, Joe, is can the Patriots level up? Especially defensively, if you look at the last two games, it’s been weird. Second and third quarter defensively, they’ve been nails. They were excellent against the Steelers. They gave up one first down on second and third quarters. And then you look at this past weekend against Carolina and again they shut out the Panthers in the second and third quarter. Can they replicate that against a better Buffalo Bills offense, especially with no doubt, hands down, unequivocally, whatever word you want to use, the best quarterback they’ve played so far this year. Well, I I’m curious to get a thought from you on just the vantage point of New England coming into this game. Of course, you mentioned it’s prime time and Mike Frael giving messages about how all eyes are on us, but just kind of foiling the last two weeks of the Patriots. They they lose by seven to the Steelers in a game where they gave it away five times. It reminded me of uh a Josh Allen start against the New England Patriots where I think he turned it over like three or four times. The Patriots had a punt block for a touchdown and they won 16 to 10. You’re like, “Oh my goodness.” like all that went wrong and you still had a chance to win the game. And so, you know, you lose by seven to a team that you gave it away five times to and then you come back and bounce back with a big 42-13 uh waxing of the Carolina Panthers where you have a couple of miscellaneous touchdowns in the game, but it’s a big win. Do do you think and I think about this through the lens of the team that the Bills played last week, which was the Saints. They got smoked. They got smoked the week before against Seattle. They came in, you could tell they were like a it was a different vibe. You think this Patriots team’s gonna come in feeling themselves a little bit or are they still very much on a mission to kind of prove themselves in year one under Mike Rabel? I don’t think they’re capable of feeling themselves just yet, Joe. I I I think they’re in a situation where they got to play clean football. And you mentioned it, you know, they should have dogwalked the Steelers at Gillette and they were moving the football easily downfield all day long, but the turnovers killed them and that’s really what’s hurt them the most defensively. I’m sure we’ll get into it. They’ve had some defensive lapses. They gave up big plays, especially in the first week against Vegas. They gave up nine 20 plus yard plays against that Vegas offense. Uh, but they they’ve they’ve settled down a little bit in that category, but I think they’re just focused on themselves. They got to play clean football. I’m talking about penalties. One of the most penalized teams in the entire league. I’m just talking about the turnovers, uh, some of the lack of execution, especially on the defensive side of the football. So, I don’t think they’re they’re in this mode of feeling themselves. I think they’re walking into Sunday night knowing that they have to play their cleanest game of the year if they want to compete against Buffalo. And and I’ll tell you, you know, I watched the the Saints Bills game this morning, as a matter of fact, and and I thought just looking at that, I I don’t know how you feel, but it was a little unsteady for the Bills in the first half. I I thought they played a little bit better in the second half, but how do you think the Bills are feeling right now? Of course, they’re undefeated, so record-wise, they’re feeling good, but do you think they’re looking at this New England team wondering, you know, can they can they actually sneak one away from us at home? Well, Sean McDermad preaches two things. Defend your dirt and you got to win your division. So, I expect a laser focused Bills team. Obviously, at home, you got the rivalry uniforms for the Bills. Those things look good. I don’t even if you’re a Patriots fan, you know, those things look good. So, th we’ll get to see those on on Sunday night. And I think you’re going to see a very focused uh uh Bills team that is, you know, ready to handle their business, obviously. And they they care so much about home games and and division games. I mean, they’ve have the best divisional record in the NFL, I think, over like the last three years. And then, yeah, they they’ve won I don’t even know how many games in a row at home. It’s been a lot. They they haven’t lost at home in a long time. So, I think they’re they’ll be dialed in, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not some things that they need to be mindful of if they want to get their fifth win of the season. And when I consider the big story for the Bills, it’s their run defense and what’s what’s happening here. It’s not that we haven’t talked run defense really, I don’t know, ever since Shawn McDermott became the coach because the Bills do make some choices with how they like to play defense, but they’ve had struggles this year with how they defend the run. They’re giving up 165 rushing yards per game, six yards per carry. They’re 22nd defensively in EPA per run play. 11% Nick, 11% of runs go for 15 yards or more against the Bills defense. That’s the highest rate in the NFL to the surprise of nobody, right? I mean, that’s crazy. They’ve given up the six most yards after contact per rush. I think last week the p the Saints had 189 yards rushing and 165 came after contact. Uh so there’s some tackling issues and they’ve given up a lot on scrambles. And this gives me a lot of concern about Drake May. 119 yards given up already on scramles. That’s the fourth most in the NFL and opposing quarterbacks are averaging almost 11 yards per carry on scrambles. So yeah, run defense is an issue right now. And so you ask yourself, well, why is that? Well, I think first of all, they’re down some players. Ed Oliver’s missed the last three games. Matt Milano’s missed the last two. There’s a couple of players that are suspended in Michael Hoy and Larry Yagen Joby that are important parts of the front. They’re playing two rookies in TJ Sanders and Deion Walker. And Walker certainly had some flashes, but the snap to snap consistency from both of those young players is is pretty underwhelming, especially against the run. And then tackling has been very, very, very poor when it comes to their safeties and their second level of their defense. And so, the question is, how does this apply to New England? The Patriots haven’t run the ball well, right? They’re under four yards per carry, 29th in the NFL in EPA per rush, but I think we can recognize how potent it is. I mean, we know where Andre Stevenson can be a productive back. Travian Henderson looks like a dynamic young player. I got a lot of respect for Drake May and what he can do with his feet. And so, I think we’re going to find out some things, you know, can can the Patriots run it? Can that be a core part of what their identity can be offensively? We’ll see. Maybe the left side of that offensive line still has to kind of come together uh for that to fully happen. But you’re going up against a a Bills run defense that has really struggled so far this year. You’re seeing Kendra Miller out there ripping off long runs against this defense. Yeah. I mean, I I was watching that Saints game as I mentioned and Spencer Rattler, I mean, you’re not playing against you’re not playing against Michael Vic and Spencer Rattler was shredding the defense with his legs. And that’s the first thing that popped up in my mind, Joe, was okay, could be opportunity for Drake May and his ability to scramble and convert on some third downs, especially. And you know, if you look at Drake May, I would tell you, first down, second down, the offense has been shaky because, as you mentioned, running the football’s been tough, but Drake May has been absolutely fantastic on third and fourth down this year. And that’s why I give him a little bit more credit, even though the competition hasn’t necessarily been strong defensively. It’s because in high leverage moments, he’s played his best football. And so, you know, if you can get his legs going a little bit on third down, that presents even more of a problem. And I just look at this and I say to myself, you know, the Bills run defense has given up, you know, a ton of 10 plus yard runs. You mentioned, you know, some of the numbers a little bit earlier, but I mean, they’re giving up 26 runs of of 10 plus yards this year. They are far and away the worst defense in that category. So, I feel like I if the Patriots are going to be in this game, they’ve got to be able to take advantage of that and they’ve got to take advantage of of Drake May. And Drake May has to make good decisions, Joe. That’s the one thing. If if he’s going to run, he’s got to protect the football. And the Patriots keep stressing with him. If you run, remain a passer. Remain a passer. Keep your eyes downfield when you extend plays. Don’t always become the scrambler. So, I don’t know if Drake May is going to be as scrambly, if I can create a word, as Spencer Rattler this past weekend, but I do think there’s an opportunity there. No doubt about it. We’re going to dive deeper into this. We’ll talk more Drake May. We’ll talk more about the challenges maybe that the Bills defense will have here on the other side of it. So, folks, be sure to stick with us. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer that you don’t want to miss. 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Visit fanduel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. Mazda crafts cars for those who do more than simply move. Mazda delivers confidence with every ride. With more IHS Top Safety Pick Plus awards than anyone else. From footwork to breath work, athletes sweat all the details. Mazda brings this same intention to how we craft every model. You can feel the craftsmanship in every detail. From the metallic accents to available Nappa leather upholstery, you can make everyday drives feel like anything but. from smooth handling to intuitive controls. And I love this. All-wheel drive is standard in every crossover SUV so you can drive with confidence through almost any season. Like our players, we sweat every detail because when you make every move count, impossible becomes irrelevant. Mazda move and be moved. Joe Marino locked on Bills. Nick Cattle’s locked on Patriots getting ready for Sunday Night Football. Bills, Pats, AFC East matchup here in week five. We’re going to get into matchups that will change the game here in this segment. And Nick, I want to start by talking a little bit more about Drake May from the Bills uh side of things. I think he presents a lot of challenges. And I think Drake May has the makings of a dude at quarterback. You know, there’s different types of quarterbacks out there. This guy has a chance to be a dude, and I think you’re already seeing that. You mentioned in segment one about uh just the third downs, the high leverage moments. That’s one of my favorite things about watching Drake May, whether it’s back in North Carolina as a rookie last year when the supporting cast just wasn’t there. Whe whatever you want to say, weapons, coaching, O line wasn’t the wasn’t there. The guy was able to figure it out and uh that competitive toughness is a big deal. And uh you know, the Bills got a quarterback like that obviously and I think that you get one of these types of players, it’s it’s really big for your operation. We know that Josh and Drake have the same agent. they spent some time together this off seasonason and so um I wish Drake May played for another team not going to lie to you. So, cuz he looks like a heck of a young quarterback that I think could present some some challenges for the Bills. And you mentioned, you know, we talked about Spencer Rattler and the the the production he had running the football against the Bills last week. And I thought one of the things that made Spencer Rattler very effective doing that was how decisive he was when he committed to running. Like he he went and you know, I think that’s going to be a big part of Drake Mo May and and taking advantage of those opportunities. But whether it’s uh containing the dual threat nature of him, the high leverage moments, uh the arm talent that he has, he presents a lot of challenges and uh the Bills are going to have to shore up some things on defense to contain him and you know make it make it not harder than it needs to be on Sunday night. what the Patriots have done this year so far, and credit to Josh McDaniels, who’s I think been terrific the last three weeks as a play caller, aside from a red zone possession that I did not like from him uh in the Steelers game, but other than that, I mean, he’s he’s been mostly terrific the last three weeks. And what he’s doing, Joe, with with Drake May more than Alex Vampelt did last year, thankfully, is he’s moving the pocket. He’s utilizing Drake May’s strengths and and he’s allowing him to extend plays. He’s, you know, calling play action bootleg action and he’s allowing, you know, Drake to throw on the run on the roll out, which he’s very effective doing. Some might say he’s even more accurate as he’s rolling out than he is standing in the pocket this early in his career. So, they’ve they’ve moved the pocket. They they’ve really leaned in on the strengths of Drake May. And I would say for me personally, it’s funny. I I thought this offense would, you know, eventually get to about the middle of the pack in the league. And I thought they would start the season running the football a ton and wanting to establish the run and and they’ve tried to establish the run. And I thought Drake May would kind of ease himself into this season. This is his fourth offensive coordinator in his last four years as a quarterback. He’s got a lot of new around him. He has by far exceeded my expectations with how he’s played in this system, his comfort in the system, his poise in the pocket. Uh, I would say he’s had, you know, two or three bad halves of football this year. The second half against Vegas, the entire offense was a debacle. And then against the Steelers, he had two very costly turnovers. He threw a pick in the end zone uh from inside the five. He didn’t float the ball to the corner of the end zone to Kahan Booty. He more threw a flat pass. It got tipped at the line of scrimmage, turned into a pick. It was a major swing in that game. And then he he didn’t protect the football when he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off in the second half. and he fumbled the ball. So, he’s still prone to some of those Josh Allen early turnovers that you guys saw in Buffalo. And that’s really what’s going to bite him. I if he if he fails at any level, it’s going to be because of decision-m at times, trying to do too much, taking too much risk when he shouldn’t. He’s still learning to, you know, live to see another day. I feel like he’s getting better with that. Uh but he’s still not there yet. So, I’m concerned about the turnovers. They could always bite you, especially tough place to play in Buffalo with a very loud crowd on in prime time Sunday. I I I don’t know much about Buffalo fans. I do know a few of them. I know they like to get a little bit lubed up on game day. I have to imagine that Sunday night’s going to be a little bit chaotic. So, you know, can can Drake May kind of deal with that stuff? And uh you know, can the rest of the team deal with that atmosphere? My question, my my first marquee matchup that I’m looking at, Joe, actually between the coordinators, you know, Joe Brady, very respected. I have I have followed him since his LSU days. I think he’s a very good offensive mind. He might want to put that Shakir pitch play on fourth down from the Saints game. He might want to put that on the shelf and and keep that away for a little while cuz that wasn’t nice. But he’s a very smart guy, very respected, and I’m sure he’s got some tricks. And you know, the Patriots defensive coordinator situation’s been a little bit of a mess. Terrell Williams was originally going to be the guy. Uh he missed a lot of camp due to an illness. He ended up being ready for week one. Uh he called the game against the Raiders, but he has not called the game since. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. So they have moved Zack Core to defensive coordinator, and he’s wet behind the ears. So, I’m I’m a little concerned about what Joe Brady has in store for Zack Core because I think if it’s if there’s going to be a coordinator that can adjust and take advantage of matchups and do things, it’s going to be Brady and not Core. Yeah, it’s a it’s an interesting call out and I remember uh when Frabel was in Tennessee and he was working to replace a defensive coordinator. That was a very deliberate process and he really was intentional about, hey, they need to be part of what we do and who we are and know, you know, our DNA. And so, I’m I’m kind of curious to see how they navigate that because I know that’s not a decision that Mike uh takes lightly. uh kind of working a little bit on the Bills offense against this Patriots defense. I wanted to bring up the Bills rushing offense against this Patriots rush defense. And my question is this, is this good on good? Uh the Patriots have been pretty good, stingy defending the run, 3.3 yards per carry. Um they’re number four defensively in EPA per run. Well, the Bills are really good at running the football. They averaging 4.9 yards per carry. And they’re they’re very comfortably number one in EPA per run so far this season. And they they have a very unique run scheme. Uh they’re very multiple. They’re they can be zone heavy. They can be gap heavy. Uh they’re going to put multiple tight ends on the field. Dawson Knox and Jackson Hall, this rookie out of Georgia Tech, he’s going to play 30 40% of snaps. And he’s already kind of cemented himself as a premier blocking tight end that structurally gives the Bills a lot of opportunity with how they can introduce gaps um and really spread you out with their run scheme, but also, you know, he can pull and get out in space. And he’s been really instrumental. The Bills will put Reggie Gilliam, the fullback on the field. you’re going to see 21 personnel. You’re seeing 22 personnel. You see 23 personnel. That’s a different type of challenge. Oh, by the way, Josh Allen’s a quarterback, so the Bills are always plus one in the run game. And I don’t think the Patriots have faced a a dual threat quarterback uh yet this season that I mean, not many quarterbacks can stress a defense like Josh Allen. But, you know, just kind of looking at the inventory of players that New England’s faced this year compared to Josh Allen, it’s a different type of of a challenge. And so I I I think we’re going to find out some truth about the Patriots and their de their ability to defend the run. I I know the Bills can run it. Uh but what type of run defense does New England have? I think it’s going to be stressed in some unique ways. And look, the Bills are very much a two-dimensional offense. They’re going to run the football. You watch the Saints game, you know they’re going to run the football. And I think the Patriots will be tested on that. Yeah. I also have James Cook and fantasy, so I pay a lot of attention. It’s working out for you. Dude’s a beast. Dude’s a beast. Um, I would say look, I would start with the interior defensive line and the Patriots are going to have to win there. They’re they’re absolutely going to have to win on the interior and that means Milton Williams, who’s been good, if not very good through the first month of the season after signing that gigantic contract. Christian Barour just had his best game of the season last weekend against Carolina coming off the the blood clot situation in 2024. Feels like he’s knocking the rust off, but he was a big impact player last week. He can make plays against the pass and the run. And a guy who has been sneaky good, Joe, has been Kyres Tonga. Out of nowhere, one-year deal, short money, veteran guy, thought he was going to be a run stuffer. He’s been good against a run, but he has been collapsing pockets in the middle. So, you know, Williams, Barour, and Tonga have to be good and and the Patriots started to uh tweak some things defensively last weekend. They want to get Tonga on the field more. So, you’ve seen them kind of moving Christian Barour and Milton Williams a little bit uh towards the defensive end and going with the four-man fronts. They did that a little bit last week defensively. So, I I think they know their strength and and that’s those three guys. Harold Landry has had a very good season so far, but it was really mostly the the first three weeks. Last week, he took a step back. The Patriots have been a little inconsistent on the edge. I will say that. You know, Calebon Cheson has been feast or famine there. He’s given up some runs. He’s given up the edge a few times. Uh Landry tends to be good against the run. So teams are running against Chson. Uh so be prepared for that. I would imagine uh Cook will run a lot towards the left side of the of the line because of Chaan. So the other thing you got to keep in mind too, Joe, I would say is linebacker play. Patriots have not been good at linebacker. Robert Spelain’s played better the last two weeks, but Christian Ellis has been absolutely atrocious on the second level um against the run, against the pass. equal opportunity from that dude. Uh so you might see a little bit of Jack Gibbons thrown in there, but I I do think as far as uh the run defense for the Patriots really comes down to that, man. It’s it’s linebackers being responsible. It’s holding the edge and it’s winning in the middle. And we’ll see. It’s a big question for me as well if the Patriots can handle this this Bills run game. One other thing I wanted to call out uh is a matchup for me with the Bills is Josh Allen throwing the football particularly in the middle of the field. I think Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, that’s a really good pair of outside corners. But you mentioned the linebackers, Robert Spalain, Christian Ellis, a rookie safety, and Craig Woodson, Jaylen Hawkins, who’s been more of a depth player throughout his career. That feels like the ripe opportunity for the Bills to kind of work the football. Whether it’s to, you know, the the tight ends like a Dalton Concade, middle of the field, Khalil Shaka. I think those are probably the Bills two best ca pass catchers. That’s really where they they work is the middle of the field. And so it feels like this is an important game for Buffalo outside of running the football to work the the ball to the middle of the field and and stress New England where I think they might be a little under manned in that spine of the defense in terms of pass coverage. Yeah, Jaylen Hawkins uh left the game against Carolina with a hamstring situation. We we’ll see if he’s going to practice this week, if he’s going to be out this weekend. Uh if Jaylen Hawkins is out, Kyle Duggar’s next man up. And I’ll tell Bills fans, that’s that’s probably good news. Uh especially in coverage because I’m not telling you Jaylen Hawkins is is good or or very good. But Kyle Duggar’s given up some big plays the past couple of years. He gave up some big plays during camp. And uh if he’s going to be that guy that replaces Hawkins, like I think he’s going to be, there could be some opportunities 100% against Kyle Duggar in coverage. and you know, one or two big plays can can swing a game and change it dramatically. So, that’s something I would keep an eye on as well. All right, coming up next, we’ll make sure that if Nick has any other matchups, we’ll do that. And of course, our keys to victory for both sides. So, folks, be sure to stick with us. Folks, the NFL season is here and there’s nothing like being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let’s be honest, getting tickets be can be a hassle. Between cues, login screens, and prices jumping at checkout, it is frustrating. And that’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to fans. Game time is fast, it’s easy, and it’s backed by the Game Time guarantee. You’re always going to get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all fees are included. So, the price you see is the price you pay. Maybe you want to get to High Mark Stadium for this uh Sunday night game, rivalry night, the white out in Buffalo. Maybe you’re a Bills fan. You want to get there. Maybe you want to come from Boston. Go go go to the game. The best place to get those last minute tickets, game time. So download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code lockdown NFL for $20 off your purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code Local for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download Game Time today. Joe Marino, Lockdown Bills, Nick Cattles from Lockdown Patriots, getting you ready for week five, Bills Patriots Sunday Night Football. Nick, before we get to uh the path to victory for both teams, wanted to make sure if you had any other matchups you wanted to get into that we gave you that chance. I I’ll just throw it out there very quickly here, Joe, and that’s Patriots tight ends, Pats tight ends, Pats tight ends, Pats tight ends against Bill’s linebackers and safeties. Uh without Hunter Henry, this offense doesn’t really click. Uh he is impactful. He is critical and don’t overlook Austin Hooper. Had a had a explosive play last week and a nice little tight end screen called by Josh McDaniels, but he’s done a really good job blocking. And so I think the Patriots going to play him more uh moving forward because of that. Hunter Henry’s had a little bit of an issue with with blocking at time. He’s been a little inconsistent. So, uh, if the Buffalo Bills want to slow down the Patriots offense, uh, the first thing I would be looking at is to to make sure that you you do a good job on those tight ends because if those tight ends get going, that opens up a lot for the passing game. It’s kind of cool to watch Hunter Henry. I thought he me meant a lot to Justin Herbert early in his career and you can kind of see that happening again for the Patriots um, with Hunter Henry. Good good player. All right, let’s do it. Let’s talk about what each team needs to do to win this football game. Nick, for me number one is the Bills pass rush has to show up. Has to show up in this game. Drake May passer rating of 121 when he’s clean goes down to 62.4 when pressured. And look, that’s not a knock on Drake May. Every quarterback’s passer rating goes down when they’re pressured. But you can see this thing’s cut in half and it’s, you know, unbelievable when he’s kept clean. You can’t let this guy get comfortable. You can’t let him find rhythm. You have to make him work off script and, you know, see if you can get him into some of those young quarterback mistakes. Um, the Bills have been using a lot of five and sixman pressures, but ultimately they have to be able to win one-on-one matchups and and Drake May’s taking sacks. A 9.25% sack rate this year, which is actually a tick higher than it was during his rookie season after he was pretty clean last week against Carolina. So, I think they got to find ways to make Drake Mayaf uncomfortable. And this pass rush has to show up on Sunday night. Yeah, man. And you you look at the Pittsburgh game that I mentioned earlier, you know, the the one week that aside from the Vegas game, and I thought the Vegas game was a little bit of, you know, opening season kind of jitters from Drake May. You know, in a new system, he looked kind of unsure of himself. He looked a little indecisive, and that’s really the only week he did look those ways. So, I I thought it was a little bit of a shaky start for him against Vegas because he just didn’t look confident uh on that first Sunday. Uh but then you go to the Pittsburgh game and and that’s the toughest game he’s had for sure. Uh aside from the opener because Pittsburgh went after him and and they blitzed him and they got pressure on him and that cost him. He made those two huge mistakes. For me, I look at the Patriots and what helps what helps settle down a pass rush and pressure. If you can run the ball and I think a major issue is the Patriots have not been able to run the ball, they’ve been way too dimensional this year. Uh they ran the ball well in one half which was the first half down in Miami of week two and we mentioned it earlier Buffalo struggles there. Patriots running backs have to be better. The offensive line has created some space. They’ve gotten some push but the running backs are not getting what they should get. So the Patriots need to run the ball uh on Sunday if they want any chance. Yeah, I think that’s a that’ll be a big part of of that script. Um number two for me, Nick, is is the Bills have to maintain their offensive identity. I don’t have any concern that they won’t. Um, but I I do look at the Bills and I I I can appreciate just how unique of an offense they have. Of course, with Josh Allen, but with the multiple run scheme with, you know, not having a number one receiver and you don’t know who’s going to be the guy. There might not be a guy. It could be just that they’re all involved, right? I think that’s kind of the challenge is is 17’s the guy that orchestrates and here’s, you know, like five or six pretty good players that he can throw the football to. And so I think that the Bills can stress the Patriots defense in ways that they haven’t seen. I mean, we’re talking about an inventory of offenses that are the Raiders, Dolphins, Steelers, and Panthers. That that’s that’s nothing like what they’re going to see in in Buffalo. And so I I I want to see what this run defense is made of in New England. And I talked about that middle of the field coverage and some opportunities there. And so I I I think there’s just an element of of being who you are offensively and seeing if New England’s equipped to deal with it at this point in the Mike Vilbril era. My second key for you, Joe, is it goes hand in hand with what you just mentioned. Can the Patriots get Buffalo off the field? I I look at Buffalo’s offense. You know, they’re they’re the seventh best offense in football on third down. The Patriots are 19th, so towards the lower third of the league on third down defense. Can can you can you force some third and longs? C can you keep Josh Allen away from, you know, moving this offense with third and manageable all day long? Uh that’s going to be a big big challenge because if if we’re looking at third and five or less, I think this Buffalo Bills offense is going to eat. And you know, this is a situation where you’re right, you know, you look at the Patriots, look, Bryce Young’s not a good quarterback. Uh he missed some opportunities last week. He missed an open T McMillan down the field against Carlton Davis that should have been six. He missed it. He missed a couple of other plays on third down. So Bryce Young’s not great. Uh Aaron Rodgers, you know, he’s he’s good if you if you don’t stop the quick game. uh but he’s not necessarily awesome. I think Tua is pretty limited in in what he can do even though he played well in week two. And of course, you got Gino Smith who runs hot and cold. Uh so yeah, the Patriots have to get Buffalo off the field on third down. They’ve got to make sure they’re they’re creating uh difficult situations down in distance for that Buffalo offense. Last thing for me in terms of keys, Nick, is the Bills just need to have zero panic in this game. I I think I’ve said a lot of very kind things about the Patriots in this conversation because I think they deserve that. I I like their quarterback. I like the direction of the team. I really do. But this is still game five of the Mike Vrabel era. It’s still the 17th start of Drake May’s career. There’s a roster that I don’t know, you probably have the numbers. Was it top three and and turnover year-over-year with all new coaching? This is year nine of Shawn McDermott and year eight of Josh Allen. And the Bills maturity needs to shine in a game like this. I think they have a deeper, more talented roster. They’re at home. I’m expecting a very spirited effort from New England. I’m sure there’s a lot of messaging from Mike Rabel about division games and, you know, the Bills as a measuring stick and they’re the standard in the division and somebody has to come take it. And I am not comparing the Bills right now to what the Patriots were because that was like on steroids and they won Super Bowls and the Bills need to prove that they can do that. But the point is the Bills have owned this division now for five years. they’ve won it. And Mike Vrabel was hired to change that. And I I’ve listened to Mike Vrabel for years. I don’t think he likes Josh Allen very much. I think he frustrates the hell out of them. And we’ve seen some of those matchups headtohead and the frustrations and, you know, kind of what some of the players have even said about how Mike Vrabel’s coached against Josh Allen. And so I I think you’re going to get I think the Bills are going to get everyone’s best shot, but especially a team like New England, uh who I think is positioned to be the biggest threat to the Bills and their reign over the AFC East moving forward. And so uh I think you have to come in and just kind of like that Saints game where maybe it’s going to be a little bit close for a while, but eventually like your experience, who you are as a team should balance it out when it’s all said and done. So yeah, maybe it’s close in the third quarter. Maybe the Patriots have a couple of chances to take the lead late, but ultimately be who you’ve been. You’ve been the team that always is able to kind of get through those moments. And um I I think that you just have to go into this type of game with zero panic and kind of just trusting and being comfortable with who you are as a football team and who New England still needs to prove that they’re becoming as a football team. I think you’re right on on many accounts there. You know, this is absolutely going to be, I think, the most overwhelming environment that the Patriots have played in under Mike Vrabel. So far, I mean, they’ve had one road game that was in Miami, and Miami was tougher against their own Dolphins, booing them off the field than they were against the Patriots on that second week in that second week game. So, three out of four have been at home, which is nice. Now, you’re on the road Sunday night. Loud atmosphere, chaotic atmosphere from Bills fans. It it’s going to be a huge challenge. And I’m sure Vel is messaging as you just mentioned. And I’ll just say finally, this might be lowhanging fruit, but the Patriots, they they’ve got to keep Josh Allen in the pocket. they can’t allow him to to break out runs on the interior, which he loves to do. You know, he busted out a big what 30 35 yard scramble against the Saints, which was a huge play in that game. The Saints were kind of lingering and and trying to stay in that game and it was a huge huge run during that moment. So, they just got to keep Josh Allen in the pocket cuz I don’t think this Bill’s offense is explosive with passing wise. So, you you’ve got to make sure that you keep him in the pocket. You don’t let him extend. You don’t let him run and pick up easy first downs. and maybe you have a shot. Maybe you have a shot uh in going into the fourth quarter. All right, this is gonna be a fun one to to see. I think there’s some interesting elements on both sides and I think we’re going to learn a lot about both teams on Sunday night. But then we get to do it again. What is it? Is it week uh 15? Week 15 in Foxboro. So Nick will take control of that podcast and get us through it. I’m looking forward to it. I enjoyed uh this conversation, Nick, and excited for Sunday night. Yeah, Joe. I I appreciate it, man. First time doing a show with you. Uh, I enjoyed it thoroughly and we’ll see if we have a good game on Sunday. Hopefully we do. All right, everybody. Thank you so much for being here. As always, we kindly ask that you share, subscribe, rate, and review. Have a great rest of your day and we will catch up with you again real soon.

Bills and Patriots clash in crucial Week 5 showdown. Can New England’s defense level up against Buffalo’s high-powered offense?

Joe Marino and Nick Cattles break down the upcoming Sunday Night Football matchup, analyzing key strengths and weaknesses. The hosts dissect the Bills’ struggling run defense, Drake Maye’s impact on the Patriots’ offense, and Josh Allen’s ability to extend plays. They explore how Buffalo’s multiple run schemes challenge New England’s interior defensive line and linebackers.

Will the Bills maintain their offensive identity in a hostile home environment? Can the Patriots contain Allen and exploit Buffalo’s defensive vulnerabilities? Tune in for expert insights on this pivotal AFC East battle.

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