Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots defense look to blunt Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills

Will Bill Belichick have a master plan for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense in their first meeting since their crushing playoff loss in January? Watch the Bills (8-3) take on the New England Patriots (6-5) live on Sky Sports NFL at 1:15 AM Friday morning.

How Bill Belichick rocked the Lombardi Buffalo Bills van for his part. What would it be like for Bill Belichick to masterfully blunt MVP contender Josh Allen. What it was like for Bill Belichick to lead his purgatory New England patriots into the territory of “unwanted thorns.”

Not with the same obsessive championship inevitability or robotic consistency, but as constant competitors capable and trustworthy of doing more with less. While the reigning Super Bowl champions falter, regain their stutter, and beefed-up AFC West teams not named the Kansas City Chiefs fall behind, Belichick’s kit represents a flawed, flawed, but respected non-title obstacle.

Josh Allen’s planning is as much hard work as one finds in today’s NFL, but it may also be part of Belichick’s continued love of football at the age of 70 and after nearly five decades of coaching. How to limit the person who can make each throw, how to contain the outside pocket’s custom magic, how to match Sean McDermott and Ken Dorsey’s steamroller.

Belichick has a history of eating young quarterbacks. Allen, though now more of a youth than a rookie, has gone 4-4 against the Patriots since joining the league in 2018 (including one playoff encounter). He lost three matches in a row, with a completion percentage of no higher than 50, to start his career. before winning four of his last five and surpassing 300 passing yards in three of those wins as he became one of the league’s best players.

The Patriots’ only triumph over Allen since the start of 2020 came last December, when Mack Jones had just three passes as New England moved to a running game plan with 40 mph winds and intermittent rain to thwart a 14- ten. But it was Allen who claimed the highlight of their duel so far, when he threw for 308 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 66 yards in Buffalo’s 47-17 crushing victory in the January Wild Card playoffs.

This was the most points any team has ever scored against Belichick during his tenure as head coach, including in the playoffs, as the Billies became the first team since 1950 to not throw a shot, try not to score from games and did not record losses in the game. , scoring a touchdown on each of his seven possessions, except for kneeling at the end of the first half and lining up in winning formation at the end of the game.

This prompted Belichick to approach his opponent after the game to praise him while admitting that his side had failed to find an answer for him. Before he retires as the greatest coach in NFL history, Belichick would like to find that answer.

“They are explosive [in the passing game] On offense,” Belichick said Sunday. Allen is the best rusher so that tells you everything you need to know about what you need to protect every time he touches the ball, it can be anything and he does everything well. Great player, definitely an MVP candidate. He does a lot for their team in many ways.”

New England ranks first in the league in EPA/defensive play (expected added points) and ranked first in DVOA (above-average defense-adjusted value), second in sacks (37) and sixth in rushing (18) . They meet with the Bills offense ranked second in EPA/game, first in success rate, and sixth in DVOA of the year behind quarterback Allen, who is third in EPA/game and first in success rate. Chess match material.