Buffalo Bills have opportunity to make statement against Patriots

Nobody respects the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, they have a chance to prove the national sentiment of dismissiveness is a mistake.

Talk about the contenders in the NFL around a water cooler, and nobody brings up the Buffalo Bills. Yes, they’re 3-0, but a whopping eight teams came into Week 4 without a loss. Hell, the Detroit Lions don’t have a loss, and they turned a 24-6 fourth-quarter lead against the Arizona Cardinals into a tie.

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Buffalo is being underrated for a few reasons. One, the Bills haven’t won a playoff game since 1999 and have only appeared in one over the last 20 years. Two, Buffalo has beaten the New York Jets, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals. Those teams are a combined 1-8. Three, the New England Patriots share the NFC East with Buffalo, and nobody can imagine the Bills actually fighting for the crown.

On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills and Patriots lock horns at New Era Field. Buffalo will be ablaze with excitement and optimism, believing this time will be different. For starters, the Bills are seeing significant improvement from second-year quarterback Josh Allen, who has his completion percentage comfortably above his typically range of mid-to-high 50s.

Allen will be the key on Sunday, having to avoid the turnovers which have plagued him throughout his young career. Last weekend, Allen threw a ball up for grabs against Cincinnati. It was intercepted and the Bengals scored a key touchdown on the ensuing drive. While Buffalo escaped with a comeback win in the final minutes, those mistakes against the Patriots will spell doom.

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Still, Bills head coach Sean McDermott can’t ask Allen to play safe. If Buffalo is going to defeat New England and its league-leading defense, Allen has to make plays down the field. The Bills love to rely on their diverse ground game, but Allen has a cannon. Use it, or fall to 3-1.

Nobody should be foolish enough to see Buffalo as the AFC East favorite should the Bills find a way to upset the Patriots, who come to western New York as a seven-point favorite. New England has the better quarterback, better coach and better overall roster.

Ultimately, the Bills can prove they belong in a conversation of AFC teams which can play deep into January. A blowout loss, and such chatter will be properly tabled in most circles.