Patriots vs. Bills: Top 5 Matchups to Watch

You don’t want to mess with Tom Terrific right now. After shutting out negative attention for all of last week and coolly taking care of the last undefeated team in the NFL, Brady is back to being Brady. It will be interesting to see how the Bills’ underwhelming pass defense (they rank 24th in yards allowed through the air) can handle the angered future Hall of Famer.

This is another area that favors the Patriots. Buffalo ranks 27th in third-down percentage, and things won’t get any easier this week against a Patriots defense that didn’t allow a single third-down conversion last week against the Bengals.

Spikes isn’t exactly on good terms with his former team after an ugly falling out at the end of last season. In the offseason, the linebacker went so far as to compare his time in New England with slavery. Look for Spikes to exact some revenge on unlucky Patriots ball-carriers this Sunday.

The Buffalo run defense is playing at an elite level; they rank fourth against the run, having allowed only 3.0 yards per carry. It’s no secret that the Patriots like to run the ball, as Ridley has logged the sixth most attempts out of all active running backs thus far. The outcome of this matchup could be reflected by the end result on the scoreboard.

This is a matchup that we will be lucky to see yet again in 2014. Watkins is angling for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Revis has to be considered a contender for Defensive Player of the Year if he keeps forcing fumbles and blanketing receivers in man coverage. The veteran has the upper hand here, but don’t sleep on Watkins.