The Patriots travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in their Week 6 matchup, with the winner taking sole control of first place in the AFC East. The Patriots have had a roller coaster of a start to the season while the Bills have quietly enjoyed success, despite poor quarterback play.
One of the biggest matchups of the game will undoubtedly be the Bills’ excellent run defense trying to stop the Patriots consistently strong running game. The Bills have yet to allow a team to rush for over 90 yards in a game, while the Patriots are averaging 122, including a 220-yard effort last week. The Bills are led by defensive linemen Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams, each of whom have a +5.8 run defense grade and rank fourth in the league in Run Stop Percentage at their respective positions.
Williams is someone to really keep an eye on as he generally lines up on the left side of the line, going up against the opposing team’s right tackle. In this case, that’s Sebastian Vollmer, the Patriots' lowest-graded run-blocker among the starting lineman (-1.2), partly due to the -2.0 run-blocking grade he posted last week despite the team's huge game.
New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski – Gronkowski played on 79.3% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps last week, his highest percentage of the season. His receiving grade of +3.4 is the fifth-best among tight ends.
Dont’a Hightower – Despite missing last week’s game, Hightower has the highest coverage grade among linebackers at +5.6.
Chandler Jones – Jones is one of only three 3-4 outside linebackers to have a Pass Rushing Productivity mark over 8.5 and a Run Stop Percentage over 8.0%.
Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson – Jackson’s 31 receiving targets and 2.24 Yards Per Route Run each rank second among all runningbacks.
Corey Graham – Quarterbacks throwing at Graham have a QB Rating of merely 49.3, the seventh-lowest number among cornerbacks. His +5.1 coverage grade also ranks seventh.
Kyle Williams – Williams’ 17 total pressures at give him a Pass Rushing Productivity of 11.7, the highest in the league among defensive tackles. His Run Stop Percentage of 9.8% is good for seventh best, while his overall grade of +12.0 is the third highest.
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