The Buffalo Bills are one more Super Bowl Rivals in the AFC, but with two blemishes in their first five games, they see the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East race. Buffalo (3-2) is coming off a rough loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London after averaging 41 points in their previous three outings. The Bills have been held to 20 points or less twice in five games, both losses.
Fortunately for the Bills, the New York Giants are next on the schedule. The Giants (1-4) have struggled out of the gate, scoring just 16 points in four of their five contests. The Giants have gone five games without an offensive touchdown in the first half, making them the sixth team since 1991 to not have zero offensive touchdowns in the first half. Only the Giants and 2017 Dolphins haven’t recorded a first-half touchdown in the first five games of a season since 2005. New York has been outscored 94-19 in the first half of games, so the slow start has been problematic for a team that has struggled offensively.
To make matters worse, the Giants were without Daniel Jones as he was ruled out with a neck injury. Tyrod Taylor will start against his former team on the “Sunday Night Football” stage against the Bills. Taylor, 34, started 43 games in three seasons with the Bills and made the Pro Bowl in 2015.
Can the Giants get something going on offense with Taylor? Will Bills bounce back from a tough trip to London? Here’s a quick preview of Sunday’s clash and how to watch the game:
How to see
Date: Sunday, October 15 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, New York)
TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo
Follow: CBS Sports App
Contradictions: Bills -15, O/U 44.5
Giants offensive line issues
It’s hard to talk about the Giants without bringing up their offensive line. It struggled more than previous years. The Giants have allowed 30 sacks this season NFL Going into week 6. New York is the only team to allow more than 100 pressures this season, allowing a league-high 104 and a 47.7% pressure rate through the first five games.
Jones will not play Sunday, having been sacked 28 times this season (second-most NFL), but his sack rate of 15.6% is the highest of all quarterbacks in the NFL. The Giants couldn’t protect their quarterbacks, and they couldn’t establish a run that would take pressure off pass protection. New York averaged 3.7 yards per carry (24th in the NFL), and averaged 92.2 rushing yards (23rd in the NFL).
Having Saquon Barkley will help run the football and pass defenses, but the Giants’ offensive line has struggled overall. Of course, New York goes up against a Bills defense that leads the NFL in sack percentage (12.5%) — not exactly the best medicine for offensive line woes.
Bills home field advantage
The Bills have been so good at Highmark Stadium of late, almost unbeatable in regular-season games. Buffalo has averaged 32.8 points per game in their last 13 games in Buffalo, posting a 12-1 record in that span — the only loss coming against the Vikings when the Bills fumbled as the clock ran out. They have outscored their opponents in Buffalo by 211 points and 32-plus points in their last four regular season games.
Of course, this coincides with Josh Allen playing so well in Buffalo. Allen is 9-1 in his last 10 home starts in Buffalo and has thrown at least three passing touchdowns in each of his last four games at home. Over the past two seasons, Allen has averaged 278.5 pass yards per game with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions — throwing three-plus passing touchdowns in six of those 10 games.
Buffalo is averaging 394.9 yards per game at home with 22 takeaways. Even with injuries to their defense, the Bills find ways to get the football and shut down opposing offenses in home games.
Prediction
It could come down to Phil’s pass rush against the Giants’ pass defense. The Giants allow the highest sack rate (15.3%) in the NFL while the Bills have the most sacks (21) and the highest sack rate (12.5%). Even without Greg Russo or Shaq Lawson (Lawson is expected to play), the Bills have no problem getting to the quarterback.
The Giants have been a nightmare this season, starting with their offensive struggles early on. If the Bills get off to a fast start and the Giants can’t deal Taylor right away, New York could be in for a very long night. It’s the NFL, but a huge mismatch on paper.
Score: Bills 38, Giants 17
I’m sure the Bills will roll, but SportsLine expert R.J. You should look at White, who went 42-22 over his last 64 starts with the Giants. We can tell you He is leaning In total And Knows an important X factor that forces one side of the spread back! You should see what it is before you lock in your own choices.
