The Buffalo Bills snapped a 7-game losing steak last weekend when they demolished the Broncos 40-14 in Buffalo.  The Patriots need a win in this game to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in the AFC.  The Patriots have won seven games in a row.  The Bills beat the Patriots earlier this year 34-31 in Buffalo, so they might have some confidence coming into this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are likely to throw more than they pass this weekend.  That doesn’t mean that C.J. Spiller won’t get his fair share of carries…because he will.  The Patriots are giving up 117.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, so Spiller should have a good game.  The Patriots are going to have to get after Ryan Fitzpatrick, because he’s going to be looking to make big plays in the passing game down the field.  WRs Steve Johnson and David Nelson are big targets for Fitzpatrick to throw to down the field.  On the shorter stuff, he will be looking for TE Scott Chandler and RB C.J. Spiller.  The Patriots are giving up 294.7 yards passing per game so far this year, so the Bills should be able to move the ball in the air this Sunday.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Bills are going to have to find a way to get after Tom Brady in this game or they are likely in for trouble.  Brady will likely be coming after the Bills’ corners this weekend with a lot of passes to WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch.  Don’t think for a minute though that his TEs aren’t going to get a lot of work too as Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have both been outstanding so far this year for the Patriots.  The Bills are giving up 139.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry, so the Patriots will likely spread around some carries to BenJarvus-Green Ellis, Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead in this game.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, BILLS 27

The Bills have placed 29-year old kicker Dave Rayner on the Injured Reserve List, ending this season due to a groin injury.  Rayner played in 7 games for the Bills this year and he made 10 of 15 field goals (66.7%) and all 13 of his extra points as he finished the season with 43 points for the Bills.  The Bills have signed 27-year old kicker Brandon Coutu to kick for the Bills this weekend against the Patriots.  He was a 7th round pick by the Seahawks in the 2008 NFL Draft, but he has yet to play in a regular season game in his career so far.

The Bills have lost rookie TE Mike Caussin for the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL.  This is a bad break for Caussin as he worked really hard to make the team out of tiny James Madison.  Caussin played in 6 games for the Bills this year and he caught 5 passes for 41 yards (8.2 avg).  He also returned 1 kickoff for 12 yards this year.  The Bills will probably bring Caussin to training camp next season if he recovers well.

The Bills won this game in every phase as they kicked the crap out of the Broncos last Saturday in Buffalo.  Ryan Fitzpatrick was a game manager for the Bills in this game as he completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 196 yards with 0 TD passes or INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 22 yards (7.3 ypc) in this game.  C.J. Spiller was awesome in this game for the Bills with 16 carries for 111 yards (6.9 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 27 yards (13.5 avg).  Tashard Choice pitched in with 27 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.0 ypc) in this game.  WRs Steve Johnson (4 rec, 92 yards) and David Nelson (3 rec, 41 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bills in this game.  The Bills finished up with 160 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.7 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 191 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:29.

The defense and special teams were awesome for the Bills in this game.  CB Leodis McKelvin returned 3 punts for 145 yards (48.3 avg) with a 80-yard TD return in this game.  OLB Chris Kelsay (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Bills on D in this game.  Safety Jairus Byrd (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 37 yards for a TD), LB Kelvin Sheppard (7 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and DE Spencer Johnson (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 17 yards for a TD) also had a huge impact in this game for the Bills.  CBs Justin Rogers and Aaron Williams also pitched in with intercetpions in this game.  The Broncos finished up with 133 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 30 passes (43.3%) for 160 yards.  The Bills are now 6-9 on the season.

The Bills are nothing more than a spoiler this weekend against the Broncos.  The Bills have lost seven games in a row now.  The Broncos lost last weekend, but they are still 7-2 with Tim Tebow starting at QB.  The Broncos control their own playoff destiny right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are going to come out passing tomorrow against the Broncos.  The Bills must give Ryan Fitzpatrick time to throw the ball, if he’s going to make some plays down the field.  Steve Johnson and David Nelson could be both in line for decent games tomorrow for the Bills.  C.J. Spiller has the speed to make the Broncos pay for overplaying the passing game tomorrow as the Broncos are giving up 125.4 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Bills are going to have to go all out to stop Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow’s running.  That’s not going to be easy though as the Broncos are averaging 163.1 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Bills can slow the running game of the Broncos down, they will have a good shot of winning tomorrow.  The Bills should double cover WR Demaryius Thomas and force Tim Tebow to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  BRONCOS 20, BILLS 17

The Bills have placed 24-year old rookie TE Lee Smith on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to an ankle injury.  Smith played in 10 games for the Bills this year and he caught 4 passes for 11 yards (2.8 avg).  The Bills claimed Smith off waivers from the Patriots, who wanted to keep them on their practice squad.  Smith is a good run blocker and he will have a good chance of making the Bills again in 2012.

The Bills lost this game early as they fell way behind.  They had a late surge to make the score look a lot closer than the game actually was.  Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 31 of 47 passes for 316 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 7 yards.  C.J. Spiller had another really good game for the Bills today with 12 carries for 91 yards (7.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 9 passes for 76 yards (8.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Tashard Choice pitched in with 5 carries for 15 yards (3.0 ypc) and 3 receptions for 41 yards (13.7 avg).  WRs Steve Johnson (5 rec, 82 yards), David Nelson (6 rec, 60 yards) and Derek Hagan (2 rec, 12 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Bills yesterday.  The Bills finished up with 113 yards on 19 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 47 passes (66%) for 291 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:11.

The defense was pathetic for the Bills in this game.  LB Nick Barnett (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), Chris Kelsay (7 tackles and 1 sack) and safety George Wilson (7 tackles) led the way for the Bills in this game.  The Dolphins finished up with 254 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.7 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 20 passes (50%) for 194 yards.  The Bills are now 5-9 on the year.

For some reason the Bills were playing 22-year old rookie DT Marcell Dareus at DE when the season began.  But at 6’3″, 340 pounds, he wasn’t helping much in the form of outside containment.  Then DT Kyle Williams got injured and the Bills decided to shift Dareus to his natural position and he has played well ever since.  Dareus has played in 13 games for the Bills so far this year and he has 35 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  Dareus is going to be one of the core young players in a rebuilt Bills’ D.

The Bills have waived 25-year old linebacker Antonio  Coleman.  Coleman played in 3 games for the Bills this year and he had 4 tackles.  Coleman played in 11 games in his two years with the Bills and he had 16 tackles.  If Coleman clears waivers, the Bills will likely try to re-sign him to their practice squad.

The Bills have lost six games in a row, including a beating at the hand of the Dolphins (35-8) in Miami just four weeks ago.  The Dolphins got beat 26-10 last weekend in Miami by the Eagles and it cost head coach Tony Sparano his job.  Todd Bowles will be the new head coach this Sunday, his first ever in that role.  The Dolphins have won four of their last six games and they are trying to finish this season on a bright note.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills should try to be more balanced than usual in this game.  That means they need to get the ball to RB C.J. Spiller more in this game.  It won’t be easy for Spiller though as the Fins are only giving up 89.9 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.  WRs David Nelson, Brad Smith and Steve Johnson are going to need to step up in this game, because their are plays to be made against the Dolphins’ secondary.  The Dolphins are giving up 244.2 yards passing per game so far this year.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are likely going to come out running the ball with Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas, which is going to challenge the front seven of the Bills.  The Bills are giving up 130.7 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Matt Moore might not play in this game due to a concussion.  If he can’t go, former Bills’ QB J.P. Losman will take over under center.  No matter who plays QB for the Fins, they like to throw short passes to Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano and let them make plays after the catch.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, BILLS 20