NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 8 ESPN New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills Preview

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New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills – ESPN, 8:15 PM

Brady fighting father time

Tom Brady continues to be calm under duress as he ranks eighth in the NFL in passer rating under pressure (82.9). Brady also leads the league with seven touchdowns under pressure.

Gordon bringing production

Josh Gordon has made his presence felt in his time in New England. He'll look to keep that going on Monday night.

Guy: A monster against the run

Interior defender Lawrence Guy has been a monster in run defense, earning a top-five spot in run-stop percentage which ranks among some of the best in the NFL.

Gilmore: Becoming a shutdown corner

The Patriots' coverage unit has been the second-highest performing unit in the league, earning an 85.9 coverage grade even though their defense has surrendered the sixth most points to opposing offenses this season. Stephon Gilmore has been responsible for a large part of that high grade and has earned a 78.8 season grade good enough for 12th among all cornerbacks.

 

McCoy off to a slow start

Bills' running back LeSean McCoy is off to a slow start along with the whole Buffalo offense as they trudge to the worst team offense grade in the NFL (53.2). McCoy ranks 52 of 53 running backs with his 1.9 yards after contact per attempt showing that he hasn't been his usual elusive self this season.

Bills' offensive line overview

The highest graded player along the Bills' offensive line is right guard John Miller and his 62.5 offense grade which ranks 35th of 73 offensive guards.

Hughes getting to the quarterback

Bills edge defender Jerry Hughes is quietly putting together a fantastic season. Hughes is currently fifth in the league with 36 total quarterback pressures. His 90.2 pass-rush grade is tied for first in his position, and he also holds the lone lead among edge defenders in pass-rush productivity (12.1).

Alexander's career year

Lorenzo Alexander, the Buffalo edge defender opposite Jerry Hughes, leads all edge defenders in overall grade (90.3) and is also second, only to his Buffalo counterpart, in pass-rush productivity (10.2).

Key matchup

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