Week 8: Patriots open as monster 13-point road favorites over the Bills

Next week, the (5-2) New England Patriots are on the road to face the (2-5) Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football. Instead of a highly contested rematch between two 2017 playoff teams, we’ll have both teams playing at their usual level- the Patriots are Super Bowl contenders, and the Bills contending for the top overall draft pick.

The Patriots opened as 13-point favorites, per Bovada, and some books are offering 14-points as everyone expects a blowout.

The two teams could not be more different. The Bills have (had?) one of the best defenses in the league since week 3, although they ultimately fell on their face this past week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots defense is well-experienced at falling on its own face. But for all of their differences, the Patriots have allowed 25.5 points per game over the past four weeks; the Bills have allowed 22.75 points per game.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have scored 81 points over the past two games. The Bills have scored 81 points all season. Over the past four games, the Patriots have averaged 39.25 points scored. The Bills have averaged 7.75 points scored.

And Bills star running back LeSean McCoy (328 yards from scrimmage) is in concussion protocol after leaving the game against the Colts and quarterback Josh Allen is also injured and unlikely to play.

So the Patriots should be able to win pretty handily, with a simple projection of 31-16 making a lot of sense. How do you see this game going?