Pats Pulpit Picks: What are the best bets and picks for Patriots vs. Bills?

The New England Patriots will host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football. The game is at Gillette Stadium, so the Patriots will have the home crowd behind them.

Buffalo comes into this game at 8-3 and is in a dog fight with the Miami Dolphins for the lead in the AFC East. This offense tore up New England last season and did not punt in two straight games against its division rivals. Josh Allen will be excellent as usual but if he makes mistakes the Patriots defense will capitalize and create turnovers. They will try to establish the run with Devin Singletary to avoid these poor decisions but that may be tough sledding.

The Bills took a big blow on the defensive side of the football as Von Miller will miss this game due to injury. They still have a dominant front seven that can get after the quarterback, but Miller is their best pass rusher. Look for Matt Milano to be all over the field and attempting to stop the Patriots’ rushing attack. If they can do this, they will take their chances with an Allen vs. Mac Jones shootout.

New England’s offense took a big stride in the right direction against the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday, but failed to execute in the biggest moments. Jones needs to protect the football in this game to keep things close. They also need to be able to run the ball efficiently. If they do not turn the ball over and have a solid running attack they will be in this game when it comes down to the wire.

The Patriots defense is a lot faster and more athletic this season compared to that last playoff game. They have a lot of youth at all levels and can get after the quarterback. If they can shut down the run, then Allen may make a mistake giving the defense a chance at a takeaway. Jonathan Jones will likely take the assignment of guarding wideout Stefon Diggs and he needs to step up in a big way to slow him down. This defense needs to get off the field and give the offense good field position for New England to win.

The Bills are 3.5-point favorites according to the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s take a look at the Pats Pulpit staff’s picks for the game:

Player Prop of the Night

Jakobi Meyers Over 50.5 Receiving Yards (+100): This game is likely going to feature a lot of passing as both defenses can stop the run. That means a lot of targets for the top Patriots wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers. He should see a big workload against an inexperienced Bills secondary. Look for Meyers to have at least 51 receiving yards on the day.