New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 9/25/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New England -10.5
Current Betting Line: New England -9
Opening Total: 51
Current Total: 53.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
A battle between unbeaten teams in the AFC East will take place in Orchard Park on Sunday when the New England Patriots visit the Buffalo Bills. While it is certainly no surprise to see the defending division champion Patriots (2-0) without a loss through the first two games, the Bills are also 2-0 for only the second time in eight years and have a lot to prove against a team they have lost to 15 straight times.
New England quarterback Tom Brady is off to an awesome start with an NFL-leading 940 passing yards and seven touchdowns, and he is 17-1 lifetime against Buffalo with a 103.0 passer rating. Brady leads the league’s top offense with 563 yards per game, but the Patriots (-9, O/U 53.5) are third in scoring offense behind a pair of surprising teams in the Bills and Lions.
Buffalo has averaged nearly 40 points per game so far and needed to come from behind last week en route to a 38-35 home victory against Oakland. While Brady has been spectacular so far for New England, Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has matched him in touchdowns with seven and emerged as a legitimate NFL signal caller.
Fitzpatrick will try to pick apart the NFL’s 31st-ranked pass defense in the Patriots, who are surrendering 381 yards per game through the air and could be limited with four players dealing with injuries. Safeties Josh Barrett and Patrick Chung along with cornerback Leigh Bodden all have thumb injuries while cornerback Ras-I Dowling has a thigh injury.
New England is expected to be without tight end Aaron Hernandez, who has a knee injury and could miss a few games. However, the team already one of the top tight ends in the league in Rob Gronkowski, who has made 10 catches for 172 yards and scored three touchdowns.
One of Buffalo’s top receivers so far is also a tight end, as Scott Chandler leads the team with three touchdowns and has made seven receptions total for 79 yards. But the passing game is not the only way the Bills have dominated opponents offensively. Running back Fred Jackson leads the NFL in rushing with 229 yards, and he has scored two touchdowns.
Jackson’s role might be even more important in trying to slow down the Patriots and run the clock. New England scored 72 points in two wins against Buffalo last year and has gone 7-2 against the spread in the past nine meetings. The UNDER is 4-2 in the last six games between the teams, with the Bills scoring more than 10 points once in the past three.
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