Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars were in a very tough spot last week having to play a home game after 3 straight road games against a Texans team desperate for a win with 10 days to prepare. This week, they will be in a much more favorable spot to not only cover, but upset the Buffalo Bills. The biggest key in this game will be experience. The Bills have never played in London before and are making the mistake of flying there at the beginning of the week. The players having never played in London before, will definitely have some distractions being in a different country while having to prepare for a game against the Jaguars on Sunday.
There is some signs of dissension among the team as Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams both called out Rex Ryan this week saying they aren't being put in good positions to succeed on defense. There are also very key injuries to their roster. The Bills defense is good yes, but with an already lackluster offense, they will now be without Watkins, Harvin, and possibly Tyrod Taylor. Essentially leaving an entirely different offense on the field.
McCoy will have a big burden on his hands to carry the offense but the one area
the Jags have excelled in on defense this year has been their rush D. While the
Bills have never played in London, the Jaguars have been there the last 2
years. The last 2 times they lost to far superior teams 42-10 to the 49ers and
31-17 to the Cowboys - both times being a very inexperienced team and enjoying
the vacation in London. This time around, they are flying out at the end of the
week in order to keep their practice and game prep sessions norm. Something I
think will be very key as their focus and attention will remain on the game
throughout the week.
A
young team like the Jaguars boasting a very young QB in Bortles usually
struggles if he can’t hold a clean pocket but play much more efficiently if the
oline can hold their own. The Bills however, are ranked 24th in
the NFL in sacks and will also be missing some pieces on their Dline this week.
Extra
motivation?
Former Bills coach Doug Marrone has been hired by the Jacksonville
Jaguars as an assistant head coach/offensive line coach.
I
like the Jags to pull the upset and get their first win in London this weekend.
New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Some people saying
this is a statement game for the Jets as they always play the Pats close but
this Jets coach hasn’t seen much of the Pats or Tom Brady. Brady being in full
us against the world mentality, will surely love to run up the score on a team
that people are announcing as the “best defense in the league.” Imagine what
Brady and Belichick are thinking right now, hearing people say the Jets who
they’ve beaten together 20 out of 25 times has the best D in the league.
This Jets D
however, hasn’t faced an offense in the top 10 in the league yet. Well they
will this week, and while the Pats havn’t faced any dominant defenses as of yet
- I’m sure Belichick will have a gameplan to work around the Jets strengths (D.
Revis) as he played on the Pats last year and Buster Skrine who plays opposite
of Revis also left last week’s game with a concussion. The Patriots are down a
few offensive lineman now after last week’s injuries but the Jets are ranked
#30 in the NFL in team sacks, one thing you have to have to disrupt a Patriots
led offense.
The Pats have won 15 straight home games following 2 road games and I also love grabbing a powerhouse in the first of 3 straight home games to set a tone for the long homestand early. I expect Brady to expose this vaunted Jets D this week.
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