GAME Overview ::
By HILOW >>
- Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez continues to miss practice with a concussion and appears unlikely to play in Week 18.
- Patriots QB Drake Maye (right hand) was added to the injury report Thursday.
- Expect Josh Allen to start for the Bills as he extends his consecutive games started streak to 115, but I wouldn’t expect him to play more than a series or two considering the Bills have nothing to play for in Week 18 already locked into the No. 2 seed out of the AFC.
HOW BUFFALO WILL TRY TO WIN ::
MVP favorite Allen has a streak of 114 consecutive starts, and current reports out of Buffalo are that the team will allow him to keep that streak intact in Week 18. That said, it is highly likely that he plays only a series or two as the Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC and have nothing to play for. I would also expect most of the starters that are full participants in practice this week to start alongside Allen, likely leaving the game when he does. That is likely to pave the way for Mitchell Trubisky to play most of the game under center for the Bills, likely also joined by a slew of backup primary skill-position players. Considering the matchup, the state of this team in Week 18, and their likely goals from this game, I expect a run-focused attack spearheaded by Ray Davis, with Ty Johnson likely serving as the clear passing-down and change-of-pace option, unless the team elevates a running back from the practice squad.
Davis should serve as the lead rusher in a game the Bills should make every effort to control on the ground, with Johnson mixing in as he normally does. The reasoning is simple: this team, and every team, for that matter, can only have so many inactives on game day. But we’re also likely to see at least two of the starting offensive linemen leave the game with Allen, meaning this isn’t automatically some smash spot on the ground. The Patriots have allowed 2.01 yards before contact per attempt (16th), 4.4 yards per carry (19th), and 22.6 fantasy points per game (eighth most) to opposing backfields this season.
I would expect both Jalen Virgil and Tyrell Shavers to get the call from the practice squad after Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper, and Dalton Kincaid missed so much time this season, with the two likely to eventually serve as the top wide receivers after Allen departs. Mack Hollins, Khalil Shakir, Coleman, Cooper, Dawson Knox, and Kincaid are all likely to suit up, if I had to guess, but they are equally as unlikely to see a large share of the offensive snaps as the team prepares for its Super Bowl run. That leaves this pass offense as a “your guess is as good as mine” proposition, with no clear indications who of these players will be on the field the most come Sunday, or for how long.
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