Bills Keys: Make Drake Maye Feel the Heat
Credit: Jamie Germano via Imagn Images
The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots face off on Sunday in an AFC East matchup, and even though the Bills have already locked up the division, this is a game they can’t take lightly coming off an emotional win against the Detroit Lions. Even though the Bills have as many losses as the Patriots have wins, this is still the NFL. As they say, Any Given Sunday. Let’s take a look at what the Bills have to do to ensure they come out on top.
Create Natural Pressure on Drake Maye
Drake Maye’s completion percentage only drops 8% when he’s blitzed, but that number drops almost 18% when in a clean pocket (74.4), compared to under pressure (52.6).
Bltizing doesn’t have a huge impact on Maye’s success. But if Buffalo can create pressure with only three or four rushers, instead of needing to send seven, that’s what seems to thwart the rookie. Pressuring him early in the game will speed up his decision-making and create more turnovers. Fortunately, the mediocre Bills pass rush is on the upswing. Ed Oliver had 10 pressures last week and will look to be even better here.
Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was impressed by last week’s effort but knows they need to build on going forward. “I think the biggest thing is we stay in the process that we know for us works,” Babich said. “I tell the guys all the time that anything you think has worked for you within in that routine or process, bottle that up and make sure you store it and take it with you. No matter the opponent, no matter the week of the season, once we find our groove, we need to stay in that groove, and that’s very important.”
As for Maye, even Josh Allen has been impressed with what he has seen this season from the former Tar Heel. “I think their quarterback is going to be really good for a really long time,” Allen told reporters. “He’s making some unbelievable plays, extending and from the pocket. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his game.”
He has shown flashes, but the Patriots have an opportunity to stunt his progression by making him lose some confidence over the next few weeks. There has been a lot of chatter about Maye and Allen looking similar coming out of college. The Bills need to put an end to those comparisons, and it starts with making life hell on the rook on Sunday.
Pound the Rock
With the way Allen has played as of late, it could be tempting to abandon the run. The problem is, the real strength of this Patriots team is their pass defense. Their secondary includes Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Christian Gonzalez, and Jonathan Jones, making up one of the more respectable units in the NFL. Three weeks ago, they held Anthony Richardson to only 109 yards passing and two interceptions.
The same can’t be said about the Patriots’ run defense, which is giving up 127.4 yards per game on the ground, the 12th-most in the NFL. In that same game against the Colts, Jonathan Taylor rushed for 96 yards and Richardson added another 48 yards and a touchdown. James Cook has rushed for 828 yards so far this season, and getting to 1,000 yards in this game wouldn’t be all that unrealistic if they keep running the ball.
Find Spots To Rest Starters
Dropping a very winnable game would be bad, but the worst thing that could happen on Sunday would be a major injury. This isn’t saying to bench Allen or other top players from the get-go, but if there is an opportunity to get your starters out of the game early, they should do it. How can the Bills make that happen? Get out to a fast start.
At halftime against the San Francisco 49ers, the Bills found themselves up 21-3. If there’s a similar situation on Sunday and the Bills defense is looking strong, it shouldn’t take more than a drive or two in the third quarter to enable Buffalo to put their starters on ice.
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