NFL Betting – Bills Make Things Interesting in AFC East
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills – Sunday September 30, 2012 1:00PM EST
The Buffalo Bills were supposed to be improved in 2012, but not many people expected the Bills to be ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East standings after three weeks. If you bet on football, then you probably know that the New England Patriots are 1-2 and the Buffalo Bills are 2-1. The Patriots would argue that it has played a tougher schedule to this point, and that would be correct. But that does not mean that the Bills will not be able to exploit the weaknesses in the Patriots’ game that other teams have already exploited.
The world thought that New England had improved its defense heading into the 2012 season. There may be some better players on the Patriots’ defense, but the unit has not improved at all. The New England Patriots are still very susceptible to the run and have problems with the long ball. It isn’t the passing of the Bills that the Patriots will have to watch out for, it is the running game. That will be especially true if Fred Jackson is able to return and play in this game.
New England Patriots
The sports betting sites usually make the Patriots odds-on favorites to make it to the Super Bowl every year. It looks like the Patriots will be fighting its own defensive inadequacies and the replacement officials to try and just get into the playoffs. The replacement refs may be gone by the time this game kicks off. But the Patriots will still be fielding the same defense that has looked out of position and confused this season. The Patriots’ offensive line has also been struggling this year and that has not helped Tom Brady and the Patriots’ air attack.
Buffalo Bills
It is hard for the football betting sites to consider the Bills a threat because Buffalo has yet to beat a quality football team. The Chiefs and the Browns both have weak defenses and the Bills almost allowed a weak Cleveland offense to win the game in week three. The Bills claim that the team is getting better each week, but it is easy to get better when you play back to back games against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns. This game will be a real test, and it could be a test that the Bills pass.
The Bottom Line
The Bills surprised the Patriots in Buffalo early last season by picking off Tom Brady multiple times and winning the game. This year could be a similar kind of ambush for the Patriots if the team is not careful. The Bills are hoping that running back Fred Jackson will be able to play in this game and that could add the offensive dimension the Bills need to walk away with the win.
Click here for more on the Patriots and Bills preseason outlooks.
Pick: Buffalo Bills