Bills vs Patriots odds and predictions for NFL Thursday Night Football Week 13

It’s an AFC East showdown under the lights from Foxborough as the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills square off to kick off Week 13 as two playoff hopefuls look to take another step toward postseason football tonight at Gillette Stadium.

Game preview

The 7-4 Bills and the 6-5 Patriots made the playoffs last year, and both teams expect to make it back to postseason glory. The Bills came into the season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl after beefing up their roster, yet instead of looking like Super Bowl champions, the back-to-back losses against the Jets and the Vikings had them momentarily rethinking their illusion of grandeur. They are 3.5 point favorites going into Gillette Stadium where the New England will try to rebound from a loss last week.

Bills back on track?

For as high as the Bills expectations were coming into this season, it would be naive to think they would roll right through the regular season and have the red carpet laid out for them on their way to the Super Bowl. The going finally got tough in the middle part of November when Josh Allen and the Bills lost two tight games against the Jets and the Vikings in consecutive weeks. Allen, the one time favorite for MVP, was one of the primary reasons Buffalo lost those games throwing four interceptions and a fumble that cost the Bills the game against the Vikings. Buffalo has got back on track in the last two weeks with wins over the Browns and the Lions, but they have lost their grip on the AFC East. Tonight they look to get their first win in the division against the Patriots.

Pats streak snapped last week

Mac Jones returned under center against the Browns in the middle of October, but was promptly benched after a terrible quarter and some change against Cleveland. Jones reclaimed his starting spot in the next week against the Bears, and the Pats got the first of four game win streak in a stretch where they beat Chicago, the Jets twice, and Indianapolis. They went into to Minnesota looking to spoil the Vikings Thanksgiving, and hung tight with the two-loss Vikes. In the end Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson were too much for the Patriots who allowed Minnesota to pull away in the fourth quarter.

Odds

Bills vs. Patriots: prediction

The Bills seem do have survived a mid season rough patch and still remain in the mix for the top seed in the AFC. They haven’t looked great in their last two wins, but the Bills are slowly moving in the right direction and starting to look like the Buffalo team that started the season. I think Allen has a big game against the Pats defense and cover.

Prediction: Bills 27 - Patriots 23