The New England Patriots will be battling injuries and bad weather in their crucial Week 8 road game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
The forecast calls for heavy winds and steady rain, which could make passing the ball difficult for both teams. Injuries also will be a factor for the Patriots, who ruled out wide receivers Julian Edelman (knee) and N'Keal Harry (concussion) on Friday. Veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd will be the No. 1 target for Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
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History is on the Patriots' side, though -- they've completely owned this matchup over the last decade. The Pats have won seven consecutive games versus the Bills, and New England hasn't lost in Buffalo since 2011.
The Bills aren't playing particularly well at the moment, either. They struggled to beat the winless New York Jets in Week 7 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans in the two previous weeks by a combined score of 68-33.
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This weekend's showdown is a great chance for the Bills to silence their doubters and open a substantial 3.5-game lead over the Patriots for first place in the AFC East. If the Bills are going to earn the division crown for the first time since 1995, these are the types of games they must win.
New England Patriots
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The latest betting lines for Patriots vs. Bills matchup are below -- Provided by our partner PointsBet
Spread: Bills -4 (-110), Patriots +4 (-110)
Moneyline: Bills -221, Patriots +175
Total: Over 41 points (+100), Under 41 points (-121)
Here's a roundup of expert predictions for Patriots vs. Bills in Week 8.
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: Patriots
Will Brinson, CBS Sports: Patriots
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Bills
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Bills
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Bills
Staff consensus, Bleacher Report: Bills
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: Bills
Jori Epstein, USA TODAY: Bills
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Patriots
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: Bills
Jenny Vrentas, MMQB (Sports Illustrated): Patriots
Albert Breer, MMQB (Sports Illustrated): Bills
Mina Kimes, ESPN: Bills
Mike Clay, ESPN: Bills
FiveThirtyEight: Bills 66 percent, Patriots 34 percent