Foxborough, MA – The Patriots are readying for a massive divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, where New England can clinch the AFC East with a win on Sunday.
Heading into Sunday's showdown, the Patriots listed captain Robert Spillane (foot) as their lone questionable player on their final injury report coming off a Week 14 bye week. Spillane is officially active for Week 15, which is huge for New England's run defense, in particular, against the Bills potent rushing attack led by star RB James Cook. The Patriots game-day inactives are OLB Bradyn Swinson, OT Marcus Bryant, DT Eric Gregory, TE C.J. Dippre, WR Efton Chism III, and QB Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback.
Along with Spillane being active, the well-rested Patriots will also get NT Khyiris Tonga, LG Jared Wilson, and special teams ace Brenden Schooler back from injury this week. All three regulars are returning to the lineup after being inactive for New England's victory over the Giants in Week 13. Pats captain Harold Landry III, who has been managing a knee injury, also seemed to benefit from the bye week as he didn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game. As one would hope, the bye week helped the Patriots roster get healthier.
Starting on the defensive side of the ball, Spillane was first limited by his foot injury when he only played 69.1% of the defensive snaps in Week 13. In the previous eight games, Spillane played every defensive snap, so his lower snap count vs. the Giants was notable. The Pats captain is the team's starting MIKE linebacker and defensive signal-caller, playing a major role in the middle of the defense. This season, the Pats defense allows a stingy -0.03 expected points added per rush when Spillane is on the field compared to +0.05 EPA per rush without Spillane – a substantial difference. Buffalo comes into the week ranked seventh in rush EPA, while Cook is second in the NFL with 1,308 rushing yards. The Bills rushing attack is very underrated, with most of the attention on MVP quarterback Josh Allen. In Week 5, holding Cook to a 36% success rate was a big reason why the Patriots won.
With the Patriots captain active, Spillane's workload and effectiveness will be worth monitoring during the game. Tonga's return should also help the Pats stop the run, as the 335-pound nose tackle has helped New England hold opponents to -0.10 EPA per rush when Tonga is on the field – the Patriots need two of their best run defenders at their best. That said, if Spillane is limited by his foot injury, the Patriots could lean more on linebackers Jack Gibbens and Christian Elliss. Jahlani Tavai is also active as a sturdier early-down run stuffer, while LB Marte Mapu could have a role in the passing game on Sunday.
Moving over to the other side of the ball, the Patriots offensive line gets a boost by the return of rookie Jared Wilson. After playing only three snaps in a Week 12 win over the Bengals, Wilson sat out the Patriots last game against the Giants due to an ankle injury. The third-rounder is expected to return to being the starting left guard, while the Pats still have reliable backup G/C Ben Brown as insurance, as they start their fourth different line combination of the season. The expectation is that the Patriots starting offensive line will be LT Vederian Lowe, LG Jared Wilson, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Morgan Moses.
Offensively, the other uncertainty was at running back, with RB Terrell Jennings ruled out due to a concussion. On Saturday, the Patriots signed RB D'Ernest Johnson to the active roster to back up top backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. After being elevated three times earlier this season, Johnson was out of standard elevations, meaning he had to be signed to the 53-man roster to be active. New England made room for Johnson on Saturday by placing Jennings on injured reserve. Johnson has some experience on special teams, including returning kickoffs, making him an obvious choice to step in for Jennings.
QB Drake Maye's Supporting Cast
OL - LT Lowe, LG Wilson, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Moses
WR - Diggs, Boutte, Hollins, Douglas, Williams
TE - Henry, Hooper, Westover (FB), Tonga (short-yardage FB)
RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Johnson
The good news is that the majority of the Patriots skill players around QB Drake Maye this week are all active. New England will have all their regular contributors available to match Allen and the Bills offense. Above is a look at Maye's supporting cast for Sunday's game against Buffalo.
As for Buffalo, the Bills are getting starting DE Joey Bosa (hamstring/wrist) and RT Spencer Brown (shoulder) back from injury. However, Bills top CB Christian Benford (toe) and LB Terrel Bernard (elbow) is inactive. Benford was a mid-week addition to the injury report after suffering a toe injury during Thursday's practice. He's the Bills best corner, logging a pick-six to spark Buffalo's comeback win over the Bengals last week, and might've covered Patriots wideout Stefon Diggs in key situations. Benford being inactive is a huge blow to Buffalo's defense, which will rely more on vet Tre'Davious White and first-rounder Maxwell Hairston at cornerback.
With a win, the Patriots would dethrone the Bills after a five-year run as kings of the AFC East. Buffalo has won five-straight division titles, with New England's last AFC East crown coming in Patriots Hall of Famer Tom Brady's final season in New England (2019). To win the division in their first season under head coach Mike Vrabel would be a huge accomplishment, especially after having back-to-back four-win seasons before Vrabel arrived.
The Patriots and Bills will kickoff at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
