After falling to the defensive-minded Houston Texans on Thursday, the Buffalo Bills will need some big help if they want to climb back into the race for the AFC East.
They may be getting a bit of it this weekend.
The Bills fell two losses behind the New England Patriots in the race for the AFC East after the loss and will need the Patriots to lose some games down the final stretch. That could be a big ask given New England’s relatively soft schedule, but this week’s game may have just gotten harder for the Patriots.
Joe Burrow Could Return to Face New England
The Patriots are set to face a Cincinnati Bengals team that has struggled with star quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined since September with turf toe. Though Burrow was not expected to return until later in the season, he made a surprise return to practice this week and could be in line to take the field against the Patriots.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported, the Bengals listed Burrow as questionable for the game against the Patriots. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has not committed to which quarterback will start against the Patriots, but did share praise for Burrow in his return to practice.
“He looks great,” Taylor said, via Paul Dehner of The Athletic . “You expect it to respond great when he’s out there and gets tackled, but you don’t know.”
There could be other complications for the Bengals, who play twice in the span of four days as they face the Patriots on Sunday and the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. Taylor said the team is factoring the short rest into the decision of whether to play Burrow.
“Two games in five days, you have to account for that,” Taylor said.
The Bengals are also desperate to get back in the playoff race after falling to 3-7, likely needing to win out and get help if they want to reach the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Bills Need to Get Back on Track
The Bills had a chance to make up ground on the Patriots on Thursday but struggled against the NFL’s top defense. Quarterback Josh Allen threw two interceptions and was sacked a career-high eight times against the Texans, who got just enough out of backup quarterback Davis Mills to win 23-19.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said his team needs to do a better job of protecting Allen if they want to win.
“When they hit our quarterback 12 times, I don’t like that,” McDermott said . “I don’t like that stat at all. It’s just not a healthy way to play and it’s not a good way to keep our quarterback healthy for the rest of the season. We’ve got to play better.”
The Bills now have a 10-day break before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers . They have little room for error if they intend to catch the Patriots and may need to win out, including their December matchup against the Patriots in New England, if they want to win their sixth straight division title.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us .
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Get Some Much-Needed Good News After Loss to Texans appeared first on Heavy Sports .