Patriots-Bills Preview: What to Watch With No. 1 Draft Pick on the Line originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO – We’re handling the game preview, ahead of the Patriots-Bills matchup, a little differently this week given the circumstances. Buffalo has the No. 2 seed locked up and won’t be aiming for a win. The Patriots say they’re trying to win but could lock up the No. 1 overall pick in the draft with a loss.
Call us crazy, but breaking down “Josh Allen vs. DeMarcus Covington” doesn’t seem worth it. Instead, let’s get into some of the juiciest subplots from what might be one of the strangest games in recent memory at Gillette Stadium.
A match that will count
Drake Maye’s Competitiveness in Relation to Organizational Decision Making
There is no reason for Drake Maye to play the entire contest on Sunday. Simply, the risk far outweighs the reward.
Among the priorities of today’s meaningless game, played against a Bills team that won’t go all out for victory, has to be Maye’s health. Bringing him into year two with the opportunity to experience a full offseason and make a real leap forward for the 2025 campaign? That matters more than his ability to run a two-minute commute or set up a meeting for a few dozen more shots.
But Maye is a competitor. And his coaches are competitors. And they have all been mired in an extremely difficult season. Will Jerod Mayo, Eliot Wolf or – more importantly – the Krafts make it clear that playing Maye is less than a complete set of clichés has be approaching Sunday? Would they be able to prioritize the long term over the win-at-all-costs approach that typically permeates every NFL game?
It’s a delicate balance for this diet. Openly tanking a game by making roster choices that would indicate that a kind organizational attitude might rub players the wrong way. But the season is lost. And this year has largely been about asset management – trading away their top passer before the season, benching their young and promising quarterback after a strong end to the summer in hopes of developing him for the future – – so staying true to this approach is my expectation.
A match that could really excite you
Joe Milton III against the clock
Although Milton told NBC Sports Boston this week While he hadn’t been told whether or not he would see playing time, players in the locker room took note of Milton’s first-team reps at practice this week and many expected he sees some level of action against Buffalo.
This could be what saves the game for the fans in attendance and watching at home. His play could have a myriad of positive repercussions. #1 would give Maye pause, as noted above. No. 2 might be that Milton could show something on the field, in a non-preseason environment, that would make him an attractive chip for a franchise in need of a quarterback. Remember how the Patriots managed to build a young quarterback for a contributing player years ago after an impressive preseason finish in 2017. That quarterback? Back on the list: Jacoby Brissett.
It would be very much in keeping with the “Packer Way” to play Milton, then if he is valued elsewhere, offer him a higher pick than the seventh round the Patriots used to draft him last spring.
A match that will be confusing
Patriots fans versus fan instinct
There’s been a lot of talk about Patriots fans this week, with most demonstrating unfathomable judgment from players embittered by this season’s results and unappreciative. boos they heard at home in week 17.
But this week is different with the No. 1 draft pick on the line. The Patriots would lock that up with a loss. So, for the fans, what will be their priority? Making fun of the bad play they’ve seen for much of this season? Or will they actually have draft positioning in mind and object to their team having success against a divisional opponent?
The Bills, meanwhile, already have their playoff seeding. And they might be more than happy if the Patriots don’t do it ending up with the No. 1 overall pick. This is the rare scenario in which both teams actually have the motivation to lose. How will this impact the play on the field – or more specifically the coach’s decisions that impact the play on the field. You’d think players would try hard to position themselves for jobs next season.
But fourth-down decisions, substitutions and more are worth watching closely. You should then be able to hear what fans think about what they’re watching as it plays out in front of them.
