In what feels like déjà vu, the Buffalo Bills will return to MetLife Stadium for the second straight week, this time to take on the New York Giants. If the Bills can steal another one from East Rutherford, New Jersey, it will be the first time they’ve gone 2-0 since 2014. While the Bills went 9-7 that year and failed to make the playoffs, statistics show teams that start 2-0 have more than a 70% chance to make the playoffs. Individual wins against the Jets and Giants might not make you a Super Bowl contender, but wins are hard to come by in the NFL, especially on the road.
If the Bills want to start earning respect in the AFC, this is a game they need to win. Many experts believe the Giants will have a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they did nothing to change those beliefs after getting smacked by the Dallas Cowboys in week one. Headed into week two, the Giants are going to need Saquon Barkley and his quads to carry them to victory – literally. New York will be without wide receivers Golden Tate(suspension), Sterling Sheppard (concussion), and may also be without Cody Latimore(calf). Latimore will be a game-time decision, but he anticipates playing. “I think I’m good to go, we’ll see before the game. We’ll see how I’m running around and moving around and make a decision then.”
For Buffalo, there are three keys to victory:
Stop Saquon
Even though Dallas punished the Giants in week one, Barkley still rushed for 120 yards on only 11 carries. He also added 4 receptions for 19 yards. With a depleted New York receiving cast, look for Buffalo to load the box to prevent Barkley from gaining momentum.
Win the turnover battle
This key is directed at second-year quarterback, JoshAllen. The Bills defense has shown they can win games all on their own, but the young signal-called must limit his turnovers. Even against a team like the Giants, Allen can’t expect to steal another win with a four turnover game similar to the one he had last week.
Unleash Devin Singletary
One of the reasons Buffalo decided to part ways with LeSean McCoy was because of what they saw in Devin Singletary. The third-round pick out of FAU only had four carries last week but managed to amass 70 yards rushing. He also added five receptions for 28 yards. Singletary has already shown he can do it all and he should see a much larger share of the backfield’s workload this week.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm Eastern Time and Buffalo is favored by 1.5 points.
