Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots Thursday Night Football Betting Preview

Thursday Night Football this week will feature two AFC East rivals, as the New England Patriots host the Buffalo Bills. The Bills enter the game as 3.5-point favorites as they look to put pressure on the Miami Dolphins at the top of the division standings with a win.

However, a Thursday night in New England is not without its risks, as the Patriots are still in the mix in the division as well and will look for a huge victory at home.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are coming off of two straight wins in Detroit, having beaten the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago and the Lions last Thursday on Thanksgiving.

Buffalo took advantage of the indoor conditions in Detroit to move the ball through the air when they needed to in both of those contests. Now, they have to adjust to the conditions of a cold night in Foxborough if they want to move back to the top of the AFC East.

For that to happen, the Bills have to be more efficient when they move the ball into the red zone. Over the last few weeks, Josh Allen and the Bills' offense has been susceptible to turning the ball over when they get the ball deep into enemy territory.

Against a team as well-coached as the Patriots, Buffalo will not be able to afford those types of mistakes when they have the ball in positions to put up points.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots also played on Thanksgiving, losing in the night game last Thursday to the Minnesota Vikings. The Patriots' typically stout defense had a ton of trouble against Justin Jefferson and the passing game of the Vikings. They will need to be better at stopping the pass this week as they take on an elite aerial attack for the second game in a row.

Something that would help the Patriots in this game would be keeping their running game operating at a high level throughout. Doing so would help the Patriots keep the ball away from the Bills for as long as possible.

By limiting the number of possessions in the game, the Patriots could maximize their chances of winning, as Buffalo would have fewer chances to separate themselves with their offense.

Keys To The Game

For the Bills, the biggest key to this game is going to be figuring out ways to get the ball to their top receiving options.

Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox are going to be blanketed by the coverage scheme of the Patriots in this contest. Freeing them up on key passing downs will be essential if the Bills want to avoid being locked into a close game throughout.

On the New England side, the top key to this game is going to be getting something out of Mac Jones and their passing attack. Jones and Hunter Henry were on the same page throughout their Thanksgiving game last week in Minnesota.

Whether it is through Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson, or some other option, keeping the chains moving through the air will give the Patriots a chance in this matchup.

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