Wild Card Playoffs: Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots 1/15/22 NFL Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots square off Saturday night in the NFL AFC Wild Card Playoffs action from Bills Stadium in Orchard Park. New England managed to go 10-7 this season. The Patriots snagged a playoff spot despite a Week 17 loss to Miami. As for Buffalo, they went 11-6 this year and beat the Jets in their final regular-season outing. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place. 

New England had a bit of a rough start this year, going 3-4 over their first seven games. The Patriots found their form in midseason, but did lose three of their final four games. New England beat the Jaguars while otherwise losing to the  Colts, Bills and Dolphins in that stretch. 

In the matchup versus Miami on Sunday, the Patriots were outscored 17-7 in the first half. New England scored 17 points from there, but couldn’t catch the Dolphins in a 33-24 loss. QB Mac Jones finished on 261 yards with a TD and an interception. 

Over on the Bills’ side, they went 6-3 over their first nine games, losing to the Steelers, Titans and Jaguars. Buffalo closed it out with a 5-3 run to win the AFC East; the wins were over the Saints, Panthers, Patriots, Falcons and Jets. 

Matched up against the Jets on Sunday, the Bills had a 13-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Buffalo scored 14 unanswered points from there in a 27-10 win. QB Josh Allen finished on 239 yards and two scores, while Devin Singletary rushed for 88 yards and a TD. 

The Patriots are 4-1 ATS in their last five playoff road games and 18-5 ATS in the last 23 on turf. New England is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 overall and 8-3 ATS in the last 11 in January.
Meanwhile, the Bills are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight versus the AFC East and 3-0-1 ATS in their last four overall. Buffalo is 3-1-1 ATS in their last five as a favorite and 9-4-2 ATS in the last 15 home games. 

PICK: I’m probably going to stick with Buffalo. The last time these teams met up in Foxboro back on December 26, the Bills came up with a 33-21 win. Buffalo posted 428 total yards with 28 first downs and zero turnovers in a solid all-around outing. As for the Patriots, they managed 288 total yards with two turnovers and went just 1-of-10 on third-down tries. 

This game likely won’t be a carbon copy as the Patriots will come back stronger. Still, Buffalo has scored 27 or more points in five straight games so I think they’ll have a good offensive performance here. Should be a fun rivalry matchup.