Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills Crossover: Josh Allen, Drake Maye, 2025 NFL Draft, Jerod Mayo

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

The Buffalo Bills are headed for the playoffs while the New England Patriots have their eyes on the 2025 NFL Draft. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Joe Marino of Locked On Bills as they explore the Bills' strategic approach, balancing playoff preparation with player health. They also discuss the Patriots' draft position and the potential impact of a win or loss. Key figures like Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Jerod Mayo, and Mitch Trubisky are at the forefront of this conversation, offering insights into team dynamics and coaching decisions. Don't miss this engaging analysis of the Bills and Patriots as they gear up for a pivotal showdown. #nfl #newenglandpatriots Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest ne ws about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

The Buffalo Bills are headed for the playoffs while the New England Patriots have their eyes on April's draft. But the season ain't done yet, folks. Stick around. You're about to be locked into Crossover Thursday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. You are locked on NFL Crossover, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Bills, Mafia, Patriots fans, thank you for joining us here on this week 18 crossover episode of Locked On Bills and Locked On Patriots. Crossing the streams one more time here in 2024 slash 2025. Joe Marino of Locked On Bills. I'm Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots.

And of course, folks, before we begin today, please remember today's episode, Crossover Thursday, is presented by PrizePix. Download the app. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. And Pats fans, we hope you all had an enjoyable new year's holiday we have an action-packed show here for you today joe is going to bring pats nation up to date on the biggest stories from a bill's perspective we're also going to flip the script and i'll provide that need-to-know information to all of you out there in bills mafia as it relates to the new england patriots and, we're going to provide our respective

paths to victory for this Sunday afternoon matchup. Don't forget, folks, a 1 p.m. kickoff, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriots losing the first meeting, obviously, 24-21 on December 22nd. Buffalo's locked up that number two seed in the AFC. Not much to play for in terms of seeding. They're pretty much locked in, win or lose. In fact, they are locked in, win or lose. But Sean McDermott has said that his players are playing for pride. He expects his starters to go at least a little bit in this game, and we're probably going to see a mixture of starters and backups. So, Joe, from a Bills perspective, when you look at what Sean McDermott is doing in terms of playing his starters a little bit, playing the backups,

what should we expect to see from this Buffalo Bills team? I think Patriots fans really want to know, how much of Mitchie the Kid Trubisky are they going to have to watch on Sunday? Yeah, I don't think you're going to see too much Josh Allen and the starters. And Happy New Year, Mike. Happy New Year to all the listeners. It's good to be on here. And a very quick turnaround to getting a chance to do this again.

But I think you will see a very limited amount of time for any starters that play in this game for the Buffalo Bills and Sean McDermott, very much a process guy, a routine person, creature of habit, want to keep the guys kind of in their rhythm and then in their flow. Because while this game is inconsequential for the bills the next one is very consequential and i think they want to stay in rhythm but also stay healthy and get out of the game and so they may try to attack maybe some statistical feats that are uh important to them but for the most part i think you'll see a warm-up a series and then you're going to give way to most of the reserves on the roster. Again, it's, you can only rest so many guys, right? I mean, you still have to have 40 is 48, 47 active players. Um, and you got a game to

play, so you can't rest everybody the whole time, but I think that you will see a good amount of Mitch Trubisky, uh, getting his reps in as the Bills backup quarterback. Yeah, that's a very good point. I'm glad that you mentioned you can only rest so many guys because you assume, Joe, at this point in the season, the veteran guys are going to be getting the rest. Maybe someone like an Amari Cooper. Maybe James Cook gets a little bit more of a day off than he has in games past. They'll still have a potent amount of rookies and young talent that could potentially see some serious minutes in this game. Guys like Keon Coleman at the wide receiver position. Ray Davis is an intriguing running back that I think blends a power running with a little bit

of finesse. Ty Johnson is someone that helped grind the game out when the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills played the last time. Is this going to be an opportunity for the youngsters to showcase a little bit? I think you will see a lot of those young players, and I think that's a great call-out, Mike, because the Bills are the number two seed, and they're certainly hopeful for a long playoff run, but there was a lot of transitional elements to this roster and a lot of draft picks. I think the Bills are rostering 10 rookies and second year players as well. And this is a great opportunity for them to get some run. And you mentioned guys like Ray Davis,

Keon Coleman, of course, the Bills top pick, Cole Bishop, their second round pick at safety. You expect to see a lot of those players, but in particular the offensive line, the Bills have very inexperienced backups in terms of game experience. We've liked what we've seen in training camp and preseason, but this group of Ryan Vandemark and Tylan Grable, a draft pick this year, Cedric VanPran Granger, a draft pick this year, Alec Anderson, who's been a utility player. It's going to be a great opportunity for those guys to get some reps and gain some experience as reserve key reserves right behind the bill starting offensive line.

I think you'll see a guy like Javon Solomon at defensive end, a rookie that they drafted out of Troy. I think he'll get a lot of opportunity. But the name that you should really pay attention to is Joe Andreessen. He's probably going to start at middle linebacker Terrell Bernard, the bill's normal starting middle linebacker team captain on the defensive side of the football he had a quad injury last week against the uh the jets and they're calling it a day-to-day injury but he's not going to practice this week he's not going to play on sunday the name that's going to step in there is joe andreason and it's a really cool story this guy grew up a bills fan in western new york he went to ub the university of buffalo they call him buffalo joe literally just like imagine some small-town kid growing up,

rooting for their favorite team, going to the local school, not getting drafted, being a tryout player, right, like a minicamp rookie tryout player, signs a UDFA deal, makes the team, has been rostered all year long, helps on special teams, getting some late run. The Bills have had some opportunities this year where they're up in the fourth quarter. They could bring in depth players and Buffalo Joe comes in there and he plays really hard and makes a lot of plays.

We're excited to see him get an extended opportunity on Sunday against New England. Yeah, absolutely. The hometown hero in Joe Andreessen and it definitely is a great story to look at. And also New England ties when it comes to Joe Andreessen played some college football at Bryant university under Chris Merritt. So there is a New England connection there as well. Folks, keep an eye on that Joe flipping it over to a defensive perspective when it comes to the Buffalo bills and putting the Patriots on offense.

A lot of opponents have tried to establish the run against the bills this season. They're allowing 4.7 yards per carry, 25th in the league, but I think those numbers are a little bit misrepresented when it comes to the fact that the Bills are actually holding opponents to 117.9 yards per game. They're usually up by so much early that, or at least putting opponents on their heels early, it doesn't allow a lot of opponents to be able to grind out their running game. The Patriots, in the first meeting between these two teams, found themselves in a unique position of having Buffalo on its heels early, allowed them to climb back in that game,

and subsequently the Bills' talent took over and they won it. I look for the Patriots to try to establish something similar this week, but they're going to have to grind that run game out because Buffalo is going to be ready for them this time around. When you look at Buffalo's run defense, is it going to be a priority in your estimation to keep the Patriots running game stagnant early, or do you think they're going to try to go on the attack and put Drake May on his heels? Yeah, that first matchup was really interesting, and the Bills, like you mentioned, yards per carry against the run, not very impressive, a decent amountup was really interesting. And the Bills, like you mentioned, yards per carry against the run,

not very impressive, a decent amount of yards per game. The EPA numbers, the one that probably tells the story, the Bills are actually like a top five run defense in the NFL in terms of EPA. And they play a lot of light boxes. They invite runs. And what they really want to do is eliminate your explosive plays. When you get an explosive play in the passing game on a drive, your likelihood, your expected points on that drive quadruples right so the bills are very very

mindful of that say hey you can have some rushing yards the one thing we don't want you to get is explosive plays in the passing games they structurally play their defense in that type of manner and that's why i think you you kind of have a massive discrepancy in how the the statistics advanced and just your volume numbers apply to run defense. But I think that's obviously going to be potentially a different situation this time around, where it's not about Josh Allen being on the field and trying to limit possessions. That threat's not going to really exist this time around. So I wonder how this game looks different in terms of it being more of an even mindset uh for both teams to be able to not have to shorten the game in any way shape or form

and you know that first game drake may my goodness i thought he was tremendous in the game and the bills the bills blitzed him like crazy i mean that was like a 40 blitz rate the bills that's probably double what they typically do and i think that's just what you do to a rookie quarterback. You blitz them into oblivion until they prove that they can handle it. Well, Drake May told us pretty quickly he can handle it. You know, he got the ball out quick. He knew where his answers were. And it was kind of a frustrating start to that game for Buffalo,

falling into a 14-0 lead. And you got this rookie quarterback that's dicing up your defense in a game that was, at the time, very meaningful. And obviously, some turnovers there, a couple of three turnover drives in a row changed that game, but it was definitely an interesting script. But I think that New England can come into this game with a, with a very two-dimensional approach. Uh, certainly running the game, I think is going to benefit them, but if they want to come out and let Drake May air it out and, and, and work on getting some reps in that capacity.

I think that'll be there for them as well. Bottom line, again, I think if we're being honest, the Bills are the more talented team on both sides of the ball. I think we're going to see that on Sunday. But in just a moment, Joe Marino and I are going to flip the script. He's going to put me on the hot seat, and he's going to help Bills fans get a clearer picture on what to expect from the 3-13 New England Patriots.

And Bills fans love hearing that, 3-13 New England Patriots. We're going to be back in just a moment on this Crossover Thursday episode of Locked On Patriots, Locked On Bills, right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, today's episode is brought to you in part by Game Time. And I don't know about you, Joe, but I love going to live events, whether it's sports, whether it's music, theater, or comedy. One of my favorite memories was attending a concert last year. The energy, the excitement were absolutely unforgettable. There's nothing like live music watching a band

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Do it today, Locked On listeners. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. So again, create an account and redeem the code LOCKEDONc-k-e-d-o and nfl for 20 off download game time today what time is it game time patriots fans and bills mafia welcome back to crossover thursday mike debate of locked on patriots joe marino of locked on bills crossing the streams on this post new year's Day edition of the pod.

Joe, I am absolutely confident that Patriots Nation is now brimming with your Bills wisdom and counsel. So, third about is fair play, my friend. Let's flip the script. And I personally love these segments each and every Crossover Thursday because it allows me to channel my inner Colonel Nathan R. Jessup from a few good men. So in that vein, my friend, when it comes to the New England Patriots, you have any questions for me, counsel? Oh, Mike, always setting it up on a platter in your own unique ways, which I always appreciate. We kind of finished talking in the last segment about expectations

for the Bills and their approach to this game. And I'd want to kind of ask you the same thing. The Patriots are in control of their destiny for the number one overall draft pick. And we talked about how meaningful that can be for this team right now with the quarterback of the future identified in Drake May with the assets that exist. And you could just stockpile a bunch more potentially

or just pick the best player in the draft. Either way, you're going to improve the football team. Gerard Mayo has said everything's on the table, committing to Drake May playing if he's healthy, but the messaging was just a little bit weird, Mike. What are your expectations for the Patriots and their appetite for going out and trying to get a win, which also takes them out of the number one pick?

Well, I know the fan base is going to have their own wishes and their own desires on what the Patriots are going to do on Sunday and how this one's all going to shake out. I'm a big believer, Joe, in taking it straight from the source. And we had a chance to speak with Gerard Mayo on New Year's Day. I take him at face value on that. I do believe Gerard Mayo when he says that his players are going to play if they're healthy, his starters are going to start if they're healthy. Now, whether or not they play the whole game, he was a little more noncommittal on that. So that's not to say that Patriots starters are going to play from buzzer to buzzer.

But at the same time, I do believe that they're going to put their best foot forward and try to win this game. Look, everyone's mindful of the fact that they need to lose this game in order to secure the number one overall draft pick. If they beat the Bills this weekend, those chances plummet, plummet to almost an impossibility. So in that regard, they're not going to be that team that's going to be sought after to get that big-time draft fall that a team like the New York Giants

or the Las Vegas Raiders may offer them. It could hinder them in the long run, but players are players. You know as well as I do, my friend. You've been in locker rooms. These players play to win the game, to quote the great Herm Edwards. So they're going to be out there to try to play for pride. The Patriots players that have been here for a while, someone like a Dietrich Wise Jr. who was very vocal last week

after the Patriots were essentially booed off the field. He's been on the field for Patriots Super Bowl winning victories. So he knows that opposite end of the spectrum is not fun. These guys are going to be looking to go out there and establish themselves. The key to this, though, Joe, and I think there's no way around it, is is the Patriots A team better than the Buffalo Bills potential B team? I don't know if this team's got enough in the bag, to use a golfing analogy, to be able to beat the Buffalo Bills. I think they might be able to give a solid effort, a strong effort. I don't know if it's going to be enough against this Buffalo team,

because I think Buffalo is going to be more ready for the Patriots this time around than maybe they were in their first meeting. Well, that's my next question for you, Mike, is reflecting back on that week 16 matchup where the Patriots played a very close game with the Buffalo Bills. And it was funny that the fallout from that game from a Bills perspective was littered with concerns. And is this defense going to be a problem in the postseason? And, you know, did Josh Allen lose the nfl mvp by not having

a overly strong performance against new england in a game that was moved to 425 and tony romo's on the call you felt like that was the big last go put up a bunch of stats against the patriots and go be the nfl mvp it didn't happen we all watched the game it was very very tight and so i've i've tried to reconcile this on my own behalf, but I want to ask you about it because, and the Patriots are a three and 13 team. They got blown out the next week by the chargers. They lost to Arizona, pretty decisive loss the week before, but they played that bills team. is the explanation as simple as it's a divisional game. These guys know each other. You know, Gerard Mayo, he's the first year coach, but it's really the ninth time that he game planned against Buffalo. What stood out to you about the Patriots

and why they were able to make that game so competitive? Yeah, I think what they did was they tried to devise a defensive game plan that took Josh Allen out of his comfort zone. And that is extremely difficult to do. That is not something that a lot of teams have had success with, but you look at the Belichickian blueprint to being able to marginally disrupt Josh Allen. Gerard Mayo was in the room. He helped devise those schemes. So did

Demarcus Covington. So did Mike Pellegrino. And so did Brian Belichick, who was the secondaries coach for New England. Dante Hightower and the linebackers coach has played against the buffalo bills several times so there were elements uh that they could use to their advantage and they did that the problem is is when you're dealing with a lack of personnel and a lack of talent you can only sustain that for so long and this buffalo bills team now coming in will be ready for what the patriots did. I'm not sure they necessarily have, again, the personnel to be able to change things up or be able to devise an enhanced game plan to be able to contain what Buffalo is going to do well. They're going to be without Christian Barmore for the foreseeable future. We all hope the best for him and his situation with blood clots,

a little bit of a relapse. He's going to be on the shelf. Jabril Peppers continues to be banged up. Christian Gonzalez left last week's game against the Chargers with a head injury. Not sure of his status right now. Something to keep in mind as this team heads in. So there's only so much that you're going to be able to do in order to keep the Bills at bay. And even with a team that we may see, including, like we said before, Mitch Trubisky and Keon Coleman and Ray Davis and those guys that are on this offense that may be able to give the Patriots fits. I just don't know if the Patriots have enough personnel right now to be able to hang with

Buffaloes and weapons, regardless of whether they're starters or reserves. That's an awfully talented team in Western New York. They're the number two seed for a reason. And I think they're right now one of the most dangerous teams in the league certainly the one i wouldn't want to be playing if i were coaching a playoff team right now yeah it'll be interesting to see what buffalo can get done in the postseason i want to ask you about gerard mayo um and just kind of a temperature check here i'm not surprised and i don't think anyone's surprised that the patriots are you know three and 13 i think their projected win total total from Vegas entering the year was around 4 or 4.5. They're pretty much, in a lot of ways, the team that we expected.

So I don't ask this question through the lens of the Patriots didn't have a good first season under Gerard Mayo. I don't think anybody expected them to. But as you've covered him, as you've observed him, what's the temperature? What's the confidence level that this is the right coach to lead this team moving forward? And the reason I do ask this is because as an outside observer, I've found some of his messaging to be interesting. I've seen a lack of congruency in some of the things that he said versus what's happened. I think he's ruffled Bill Belichick's feathers when he, you know, called the defense soft and Belichick had some commentary about that.

I questioned some of the in-game decisions. You know, it feels like there's a punt every week that you're just like, I don't understand it. It happened in the game against Buffalo. What's the confidence level? What's the fan base thinking about Gerard Mayo as the legit, this is the guy that's not only going to help us rebuild in the aftermath of transitioning away from Bill Belichick, but this is the right guy that's going

to lead New England back to prominence. Yeah, that may be the biggest and most poignant question in New England right now, Joe. I can tell you from a fan's perspective, that confidence that a lot of fans had in him early on this season has eroded. And whether or not he's going to be able to get back into the good graces with this fan base perspective that confidence that a lot of fans had in him early on this season has eroded um and whether or not he's going to be able to get back into the good graces with this fan base really is going to be all about the offseason i don't think this game on sunday is going to move the needle either way fans are quite frankly tired of watching this team lose year after year after year after all the success that they had under tom brady and billichick. So they're looking for signs of life. They're looking for optimism and they're not getting

that. And the mixed messages that Gerard Mayo has been sending from the coach's pulpit has been a big reason why. So New England right now has to make the decision about whether or not Gerard Mayo's message is reaching his players and whether or not that message is giving enough confidence in the ownership box to say, yes, this guy is the one that can lead us through and give our team an opportunity to reclaim the glory it once had. There have been extenuating circumstances that have contributed to Gerard's tough year. I think I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the numerous injuries that they've had, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously, Christian Barmore, we talked about. Jabril Peppers was out for a number of games with off-field issues, and he's been banged up. Juwan Bentley, their rock in the middle of that defense has been out. That's been huge in terms of the regression on this run

defense, but you've mentioned things like a punt in the fourth quarter that doesn't make any sense and not going for it in certain circumstances. And even something as simple as calling exotic play calls for Drake May last week that really didn't have the personnel around him to be able to sustain it. These are all valid questions. They have to be answered. If the Patriots are going to commit to Mayo and he's the guy, you need to move forward and say, okay, well, he's the guy, but is the supporting and say okay well he's the guy but is the supporting cast

around him in that coach's room enough did we do enough to surround him with veteran coaches or put him maybe with some inexperienced coordinators that simply weren't able to handle the load so right now i think there's a lot of things that need to be uh worked out for the new england patriots but i think the temperature right now is about 50-50. And after this game is over on Sunday, ownership and that team brain trust has a lot of decisions to make. And they have to make them quickly, either ouster him or make the necessary changes, because time is going to be ticking away on that clock to bring the correct person in, in order to be able to correct the problems that you're seeing in New England.

Mike, I think I'd be pretty stunned if Gerard Mayo was one and done as their head coach. And I think a lot about Robert Kraft when I watched the opening press conference to introduce Gerard Mayo as the head coach. And he referenced a story about how he regretted not hiring Bill Belichick sooner. He felt like he knew. And then he described having the same feeling about Gerard Mayo. And it feels like there might be a point of pride there that he really does believe in Gerard Mayo. And I'm wondering if there's anything this season that would pull him off of that. Certainly we got into some of that, but to have that level

of conviction for it to change in less than a year would be a surprise to me, maybe not to other people. But the last question that I had for you is what you think is the biggest decision facing the New England Patriots this offseason. And maybe it is. Maybe you think that there's more of a possibility that Gerard Mayo is out. But when you think about what this team has to get right this offseason, what's that prevailing thought in your mind? Well, they definitely have to increase their productivity on the field.

And the best way to do that is to get competent players in that can handle the load. This offensive line has been porous all season long. The defensive line has really regressed, I think, more than any unit on this roster. The offensive line coming in was a question mark, but everybody thought this defensive line and the linebackers were what was going to carry them through. This team's defense would keep them in games. And maybe if they got a couple of offensive shots in the arm they would be able to make things happen that

clearly has not happened this defense went from number nine ranked in ddoa to the bottom of the barrel that's a free fall not just a regression that's a free fall that needs to change so the patriots need to prioritize upgrading their personnel especially along the lines and in the trenches and i think they need more help in veteran leadership in that coach's room. Maybe it's not a situation where a coordinator gets ousted or even Gerard Mayo, but someone needs to come in and lend a steady hand, someone who's been there before, been a part of a program build. And I think that could go a long way toward helping this team get back to where it needs to be. The only thing that would make me say that a full clean slate is going to be on the horizon and changes need to be made across the board is if Gerard Mayo has lost the respect

or the ability to carry a message in that locker room. When that happens, yeah, you need to tear it down and build it up. I'm not sure that's happened. The players in large have had Gerard Mayo's back this week. Joe, always a pleasure, always an honor to share the microphone with you. And we've looked at this from a Patriots perspective and from a Bills perspective. And despite the interesting circumstances surrounding this one, each team does indeed have a path to victory.

Joe and I have our thoughts on what those paths are going to be. And we're going to share them with you when Crossover Thursday continues right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, the NFL playoffs are almost here. But it's not too late to get in on the regular season action with FanDuel, America's number one sports book because right now new customers can finish the season strong with 250 in bonus bets if your first five dollar bet wins fanduel has so many ways for you to pick up the w i love betting on which players will score a touchdown and how many points each team will score let's face it it's thrilling but not only can you bet on who will win the game fanduel also has bets for which players will score a touchdown

and how many points each team will score. So, again, don't delay and do it today. Just visit FanDuel.com to join. That's FanDuel.com for your chance at $250 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Pats fans and Bills fans, thanks once again for joining us here today on Crossover Thursday. We have talked about this from a Bills perspective. We've talked about it from a Patriots perspective. Mike DeBate giving you the Pats point of view. Joe Marino giving you the Bills point of view.

Joe, this matchup may be getting its share of shade from our colleagues in the media, but you and I both know that pride runs deep. We've talked about it all throughout this episode. These two franchises have a lot of history. That pride is going to be felt on both sides of the field on Sunday when that buzzer sounds. Automatically, those competitive juices take over. So the Patriots and the Bills have proven that they can put on a pretty good show. They did that a couple of weeks ago. In that vein, my friend, if the Bills are to come into New England to defeat the Patriots, what are Buffalo's keys to victory? Well, Mike, I'm going to go a little different direction on this because I do buy into this

being an inconsequential game for the Bills. I think they'll go out there and try to win the game. There's no question about that. But there's no real need to get overly emotional or overly concerned about what actually happens in this game. So my three keys for the Bills in this game, number one is stay healthy. You know, even though you're going to be playing a lot of reserves, it's still an exposure to injury.

And obviously the Bills is the number two seed in the afc they want to go on a deep postseason run and their best chance to do that is going to be with their players being healthy so get through this game healthy first and foremost number two is there are three important statistical feats that i think this bills team should chase number one one, which will happen is Josh Allen continuing his consecutive starts streak. It's currently at 114 consecutive starts. The next closest quarterback in the NFL is Jared Goff with 53. There's a massive gap. This is a, this is a historic, uh, consecutive start streak. I think it's maybe 13th all time. And you know as well as I do that the conversations about Josh Allen

have been for his entire career about durability. And if he can play the way that he does and be available for his football team, well, Mike, he's the most durable quarterback in the NFL, and it's not particularly close. It's meaningful to him. It's meaningful to the Buffalo Bills for Josh Allen to go out there and get this start because it is worthwhile for that to continue. It's very impressive and it's important it should continue. The second feat that I think the Bills should

chase is James Cook getting 1,000 yards rushing on the season. He's had a great year. The touchdown production is off the charts. He leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns. I don't think a lot of people know that. But he's 19 yards away from 1,000 yards. And he's the lead back for the Bills, but he's only like a 50% of the snaps player. It's not like Saquon Barkley plays 80% of the snaps. You know, James is the lead back, but he doesn't play a high volume of snaps.

And I think it's important for him to be able to stack another season of 1,000 yard rushing. So I'm hopeful that he goes out there and gets those 19 yards. The third statistical feat that I hope that the Bills be able to stack another season of 1,000-yard rushing. So I'm hopeful that he goes out there and gets those 19 yards. The third statistical feat that I hope that the Bills are able to achieve is they currently have tied the NFL record for the most different players to catch a touchdown pass in the season. They have 13 players that have done that. So they need one more to do it to break the record.

And I think in a year where they've embraced everybody eats as their mindset offensively, I think that's a great way to provide a tangible evidence to, hey, we did this in this year. And of course, in the aftermath of saying goodbye to Stefan Diggs and all of the drama that surrounded that. So I think those three things are important. And the last one, Mike, have a safe flight home. You know, enjoy that plane ride home.

Order your favorite beverages and your favorite foods and get home and get ready for whatever awaits you in round one of the playoffs. Absolutely. The nostalgia I can conjure up after hearing Joe describe exactly what he just described is absolutely amazing. Bottom line, the Bills have earned that, and I think you're absolutely right. For the Buffalo Bills, it's all about maintaining health, maintaining focus,

and maintaining a level of enjoyment out of this experience heading into the playoffs because I do believe this Buffalo Bills team has a significant opportunity to do something special this year, and hopefully they'll get the opportunity to do that healthy. From a Patriots perspective, I'm looking at this game as well as not a whole lot to play for other than the fact that the New England Patriots would benefit more from a loss than a win. I don't think there's anybody that'll argue that right now. Now, whether or not the coaching staff will allow them to play that way, I think we've got our answer. Gerard Mayo and this coaching staff and the players have said they're going to go out there and they're going to try to win the game. I've gone on record by saying that even their best effort might not be enough to beat

the Bills this time around. I'm going to stand by that, but I will say from a Patriots perspective, if you're looking for on-field growth, folks, the one thing that you should be looking at in terms of the Patriots potentially being able to pull off a victory, meaning keeping this close or at least competitive, is to try to establish your presence on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Joe, this has been a problem for the Patriots all season long. I think if they can try to hang with the Buffalo Bills in this regard and put together a good effort, it's going to give Patriots fans, it's going to give this locker room an opportunity to build on something and say, hey, we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league twice now, and we proved that we can hang. All we need is the proper pieces in place, maybe some coaching adjustments that'll allow them to be able to play to their strengths, and they could be

taking off. So that's something that I would look for. The second is, if they are able to keep this close, don't be afraid to take shots down the field. The first time around these two teams played, Patriots were able to exploit a mismatch, and I say that with respect to Kier Elam, but Drake May was able to find Kayshaun Booty for an impressive touchdown catch. Those are the types of chances the Patriots have to take, even if Drake is not going to play long into this game, and I don't believe he should. I'm actually on record by saying I don't think the Patriots should play him at all in this game.

Keep him healthy. Keep him going to next year. But right now, if you do see the opportunity to take advantage of a potential mismatch, don't miss it. Take it. Because it will allow you to have some confidence heading into next year. And the biggest thing I'm looking at for the New England Patriots from this game, Joe, protect the football. This team has turned the football over in key situations far too often from Andre Stevenson still is coming into this game with seven fumbles. You need to shore that

up if you're the lead back again next year and stop committing egregious penalties, especially when they kill drives late in the game. So if the Patriots do all three of those, I think they come away with a moral victory regardless whether the score supports it or not. That to me is what I'm looking for for the New England Patriots. But this has been a blast, my friend. We always get a chance to cross the streams twice per year. Can't ask for more than your professionalism. Your friendship always means a great deal to me. Sincerely hoping that both teams just get through this game healthy and that begrudgingly Patriots Nation, I think, wishes the Buffalo Bills all the best in the playoffs because there's a team out in Kansas City that has a little bit more of the ire of Patriots fans right now. So whether Bills fans want the support or not, you may be getting it from a majority of Patriots Nation this year.

That's interesting. I'd not consider that angle. Obviously the bills have their own problem with the Kansas city chiefs. They'd like to get past them, but also the bills have the record for most consecutive Superbowl appearances with four. Well, Kansas city gets back there this year. That's three in a row. And you just, you want to cling to the history that you have. And I, I know that the Patriots and their dynasty always would like to be revered at a higher regard than what's brewing in Kansas City. And I hope when it's all said and done that that is the case. Ah, see, you know what?

Hats fans, Bills fans, Patriots, Bills mafia coming together in this new year. You can't ask for a better way to end a crossover Thursday. Folks, Joe Marino is truly one of the best in the business. I say that professionally and personally as well. You can catch Joe each and every day on Locked On Bills, on Locked On NFL Scouting, alongside our mutual friend Kyle Krabs.

Whenever he puts voice to microphone, it's appointment listening. You will be informed, entertained. You can't ask for more. As for me, Bills fans, if you want to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, you can check me out on Locked On Patriots each and every day. And lastly, a special tip of the cap to all of you Locked On Bills

and Locked On Patriots everydayers that continue to make our respective shows exactly what they are and a proud part of this great network here. On behalf of Joe Marino, I'm Mike DeBate reminding all of you to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Happy New Year, everyone.

Enjoy the game on Sunday. We'll see you back here for our respective preview shows on Friday on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.