Five things to watch for in Buffalo/Washington match up

The Buffalo Bills are on the road, heading to FedEx Field to take on Washington on Sunday afternoon, a game that has two teams fighting for their playoff lives.

The Bills (6-7), while not mathematically eliminated, would need to win out and get a Christmas miracle from Santa Claus himself if they want to play meaningful games in January.

Washington sits at the same record (6-7), but holds the first spot in the mediocre NFC East.  They hold the three-way tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants with only three games left in the season.

If Washington holds on, it will be the first time since 2012 they have won the division, and only the third time over the last 25 years.

Here are my five things to watch for in this one:

What Bills show up?

The Bills have been one of the most inconsistent teams in all of football this season.

One week they look like contenders while the next they are rolling over to an inferior opponent.

It will be interesting to see what Bills squad shows up for this one.  In year’s past, Buffalo teams have folded over when the times have gotten tough.

The Bills are fresh off a brutal 23-20 loss to the Eagles last week, one that for all intents and purposes eliminated them from playoff contention.

It hasn’t been for a lack of effort this year, as most of the games that the Bills lose, their biggest culprits have been themselves.

It will be a telling sign, one way or the other on just how strong they finish out this season.

The best Buffalo can do is match their 9-7 record from last year, the first winning season for the team since 2004.

Next man up at the cornerback position for Buffalo

With starter and potential Pro Bowl candidate Stephon Gilmore (shoulder) getting placed on Injured Reserve earlier in the week, Buffalo’s depth in the secondary will get put to the test.

While rookie Ronald Darby (two interceptions, 14 passes defended) is not a question, the rest of the Bills corners are, especially who will start opposite of him.

The book on Leodis McKelvin is well known at this point.

The guy is a freak of an athlete, but when it comes to defending NFL wideouts he seems to get torched a lot more often than he is actually breaking up passes.

According to ProFootballFocus,  McKelvin allowed 56 yards on 5-of-10 targets, and also added a costly missed tackle on Zach Ertz’s game-changing 41-yard pick up on a third down late in the fourth quarter last week.

It is a hit-or-miss with McKelvin.

The Bills will want to make sure they have some help over the top on his side of the field, especially with Washington’s receiving corps including DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.

Kirk Cousins vs. Bills defense

For whatever reason, Kirk Cousins is a man who loves him some home games.

Cousins is 5-2 at home, compared to a 1-5 mark on the road.

In those home games, Cousins has 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 111.5 passer rating.

On the road?

Just six touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 74.6 rating.

Cousins’ biggest improvements have come against the rush and in throwing fewer picks.

This is not a typo, Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback against the blitz this season, completing 67.5 percent of those pass attempts, the highest completion percentage in the league.

Cousins also improved his interception rate to just 2.4 percent this season, much improved over his 4.7 percent mark coming into the year.

The Bills will have to confuse him with pre-snap looks, as he has been great at getting the ball out of his hands quickly.

Cousins will be looking to keep it going against an underperforming Bills’ unit allowing 253.8 yards through the air per game (22nd in the NFL).

Somethings “Gotta” Give

Taking a closer look at this game brought a lot of numbers to the surface, and they all are unique about this match up in certain ways.  For example:

• Washington is 0-7 against the AFC East since 2010
• Washington is 0-6 against Buffalo since winning XXVI, a span dating over 22 years
• The Bills enter the game 0-2 so far this year against the NFC East, dropping games to the Eagles and Giants

So one of these teams has to win this one right?

To dive deeper into the numbers of playoff chances, Washington is sitting a lot better than Buffalo, as they control their own density if they win-out the year.

And while I was harsh on Buffalo (and rightfully so), they technically are still in it.

The scenario the Bills need to get in?  

Win the remaining three games left on their schedule to go with Pittsburgh suffering two losses and a loss by the New York Jets to New England.  

Not likely, but not unheard of.

Either way, Buffalo needs to take care of business these next two weeks if they want the season-finale against the Jets to mean anything.

Another big day for Sammy Watkins?

Old teammates and Clemson College grads Sammy Watkins and corner Bashaud Breeland have had this match up circled on the calendar for a long time.

The Washington secondary has been brutal this season but their one bright spot has been second-year pro Breeland (two interceptions, 14 passes defended), who has had success this year shutting down some highly-talented No. 1′s.

The problem?

What happens when opponents throw it at anyone else.

Sammy Watkins should be in-line for another big day.

Washington has allowed the second-most receiving touchdowns to wide receivers on deep passes, Watkins’s speciality.

The wideout leads all receivers in targets and receiving yards, and is also tied for second in receptions on deep passes (15-plus yards downfield) during the past four week.

Watkins also has four scores in his past three games.

It all adds up to another big box score from the fourth overall pick of the 2014 draft.

And some bragging rights against an old friend.