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 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 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

The Buffalo Bills have played better the last couple of weeks, but they have still lost five games in a row.  The Chargers snapped a six game losing streak last week by thumping the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-14 on Monday Night Football.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills will probably try to be balanced offensively in this game.  C.J. Spiller played well against the Titans last weekend and they hope he will repeat that effort against a Chargers’ D that is allowing 131.7 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Chargers don’t have much of a pass rush and they are giving up 202.9 yards passing per game, so Ryan Fitzpatrick is likely going to have another good game this weekend.  Steve Johnson and David Nelson will have to likely carry the load in the passing game as TE Scott Chandler doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to play.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers looked like a machine last Monday Night offensively in Jacksonville, against a defense that’s a lot better than the Bills’ D.  The Bills are going to have a hard time stopping RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert as they are giving up 129.1 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  They will have an even harder time dealing with Philip Rivers and his receivers.  WRs Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and TE Antonio Gates give Rivers three large targets to throw to and that is going to be a huge problem for the Bills in this game.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 34, BILLS 24

The Buffalo Bills are stuck in a rut right now as they have lost their last four games.  The Titans are coming off a nice 23-17 home win over the Buccaneers.  They are trying to make a late season run at the AFC South title.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are likely going to come out of the locker room throwing the football.  The Titans don’t have a big time pass rush and the Bills’ O-Line just doesn’t give up many sacks (15), so Ryan Fitzpatrick should have time to throw the ball.  Fitzpatrick has done a good job of spreading the ball around this year to keep everyone happy.  Steve Johnson, Brad Smith, David Nelson and Scott Chandler are all likely to get the ball in their hands this weekend.  The Bills also hope to get C.J. Spiller going against a Titans’ D that is allowing 124.1 yards rushing and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are likely going to give the ball to Chris Johnson 20-30 times this Sunday, so the front seven of the Bills’ D better be ready.  The Titans are likely to remain balanced on offense though as Matt Hasselbeck will also throw the ball a lot this Sunday in Buffalo.  The Bills are going to have deal with WRs Nate Washington, Damian Williams, Lavelle Hawkins and TE Jared Cook as they are Hasselbeck’s favorite targets in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 27, BILLS 20

The Buffalo Bills will try to right the ship in New Jersey this weekend in a re-match with the Jets.  The Jets beat the Bills 27-11 in Buffalo just three weeks ago and it started a tailspin for them.  The Bills have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 106-26!  The Jets have lost two games in a row since beating Buffalo in which they have been outscored 54-29.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills need to come out trying to run the ball in this game.  C.J. Spiller will be getting the start instead of Fred Jackson, who is out for the season due to a broken leg.  Spiller should be able to handle a pretty heavy workload as he hasn’t been used much so far this year.  The Jets are giving up 116.9 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so running the ball seems to be like a good game plan.  The Jets’ probably have the best secondary in the NFL and Ryan Fitzpatrick had fits against them the first time around.  WR Steve Johnson will likely be matched up against CB Darrelle Revis, so Fitzpatrick might have to throw to someone else.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Bills’ secondary is in shambles right now, so the Jets might actually come out throwing the ball this Sunday.  Mark Sanchez is likely going to have a lot of time to throw the ball this Sunday.  The Bills’ have solid safeties and they are going to have to help the corners in dealing with WRs Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes.  The safeties can’t overplay the WRs though or Sanchez will just flip the ball to TE Dustin Keller.  The Jets’ RBs (Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson) are banged up right now, which will likely hamper their running game quite a bit.

PREDICTION:  JETS 24, BILLS 13

The Buffalo Bills are trying to get back on the right path after getting destroyed the last two weekends by a combined score of 71-18!  The Dolphins on the other hand are back on the right track as they have won their last two games by a combined score of 51-12!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  Ryan Fitzpatrick has been awful since signing his new contract extension. For that reason, I think the Bills are going to try to lean on RB Fred Jackson to carry the offense.  Jackson is more than capable of carrying the offense this weekend, but it won’t be easy as the Dolphins are only giving up 105.1 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Bills will have to give Ryan Fitzpatrick time to throw if they are going to take full advantage of a Fins’ secondary that is allowing 256.3 yards passing per game this year.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins have suddenly turned into a run first team with Reggie Bush and Donald Thomas.  The Bills are giving up 125.4 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, so the front seven is going to have to step up.  If the Dolphins run the ball effectively on Sunday, QB Matt Moore will attack the Bills down the field in the passing game.  Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess, Reggie Bush, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano give Moore a nice bunch of weapons to throw the ball to.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 21, BILLS 17

The Buffalo Bills are about to start a 3-game road trip starting this weekend in Dallas.  It’s coming at a bad time as the Bills have lost two of their last three games.  The Cowboys have played much better at home this year, where they are 3-1 on the season.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are likely going to run the ball more than usual in an effort to control the clock, which means that Fred Jackson could be in for a HUGE game this week.  The Cowboys are going to come after Ryan Fitzpatrick, so he’s going to have to get rid of the ball a little quicker than usual.  Fitzpatrick should be able to get the ball down the field a lot more than last week as the Cowboys’ corners are nowhere near as good as the ones the Jets’ ran out last weekend against the Bills.  Steve Johnson, David Nelson, Scott Chandler and RB Fred Jackson give Fitzpatrick a lot of options this weekend.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Bills better tighten up the chinstraps this weekend as RB DeMarco Murray is going to be coming after them.  He blends outstanding power with homerun speed, so the Bills’ D is in for a big time challenge in trying to stop him.  The Bills need to get a good pass rush going this weekend, or Tony Romo might dissect their secondary this Sunday.  Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten give Romo all the firepower he needs in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 30, BILLS 27

The Buffalo Bills thumped the hapless Redskins 23-0 in Toronto last weekend.  The Jets had two weeks to get ready for this game as they are coming off their bye week.  This is a HUGE game in the AFC East, as the Bills are tied for first place with the Patriots, while the Jets are 1 game behind both of them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are going to come out running the ball with Fred Jackson against a Jets’ D that is allowing 126.9 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Bills are going to need to run the ball effective to win this game, because the secondary of the Jets is very hard to throw on.  The Jets have only given up 4 TD passes this year, while intercepting 11 passes with an average return of 31.5 yards!  Besides running the ball, it would make perfect sense to pass on running downs, to try to trick the Jets.  Fitzpatrick is a gunslinger though, so he’s not going to back down.  He will still throw the ball a lot to WRs Steve Johnson and David Nelson.  TE Scott Chandler might be the secret weapon for the Bills, once again this weekend.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Bills will need to stop Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson from running the ball effectively if they want to win this Sunday.  Because the Jets need to establish the run to make their play action passing effective.  Mark Sanchez still makes mistakes with the football when he’s forced to throw the ball to win the game.  WRs Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress have not been that effective so far this year, so the corners should be able to handle them.  TE Dustin Keller and RB LaDainian Tomlinson are Mark Sanchez’ favorite targets in the passing game and the Jets need to stop him.

PREDICTION:  JETS 24, BILLS 17

The Buffalo Bills will look to get back on the right track tomorrow at home (in Toronto) against a Redskins’ team that is really beat up right now.  The Redskins have lost two games in a row and they will also be looking to get back on the right track tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are going to be pretty balanced tomorrow, but I think they will come out of the locker room running the ball with Fred Jackson.  The Redskins are giving up 117.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry this year, so Jackson could have a pretty big game.  The Bills need to establish a running game early, to help slow down the Redskins’ pass rush as they already have 21 sacks this year.  If Ryan Fitzpatrick has time to throw the ball, he will spread it around to all of his WRs, RBs and TEs to keep everyone happy.  That has worked so far this year as opposing teams often pay for doubling any one receiver.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins have lost a lot of key players in the last couple of weeks.  Still, they are going to be dangerous tomorrow because of the fact that the Bills’ D scares no one.  The Redskins are likely going to be balanced offensively tomorrow.  Ryan Torain and rookie Roy Helu are going to take aim at a Bills’ D that is giving up 135.7 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  The Bills only have 4 sacks this year, so John Beck should have time to throw the ball.  TE Fred Davis and WRs Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong are Beck’s favorite targets.

PREDICTION:  BILLS 27, REDSKINS 24