Buffalo Bills: 2021 schedule analysis and predictions
Buffalo Bills: Week 10, Week 18 vs New York Jets
In lockstep with the 2021 draft order, the Bills will move from Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars to Zach Wilson’s Jets.
The Jets can make a case for having won the offseason. They landed one of the top coaching prospects in Robert Saleh, and found who they hope to be their quarterback of the future in Wilson. They also beefed up their offensive line, solved their running back issues with North Carolina’s Michael Carter, and added an underrated receiving weapon in Ole Miss’ Elijah Moore.
Just as the jury is out with the Jags, it’s out with the Jets. Unless you have a true world-beater of a defense, this is a quarterback-driven league, and Gang Green’s hopes and dreams sit squarely on the shoulders of Wilson. A dual-threat creative playmaker, this Wilson conjures up images of another Wilson who wears a different shade of green in Seattle.
The Jets had the type of draft that may be looked back on in a few years as when the seeds of winning were re-sewn in East Rutherford. For now, the Bills still rule the roost.
Week 10 (in East Rutherford) Prediction: 24-14 Bills
Week 18 (in Orchard Park) Prediction: 17-14 Jets (Bills resting starters)
Week 11 – vs Indianapolis Colts
A rematch of last year’s Wild Card game, the Colts will have a new man behind centre this time around.
After Philip Rivers successfully bridged the Andrew Luck-sized hole in Colts fans’ hearts for a season, Indy finally thinks they have their long-term solution in embattled former Philadelphia Eagle Carson Wentz.
Wentz has had an unfortunate start to his professional career. On two separate occasions (and with one ending in a Super Bowl title), Wentz has done the hard work of getting his team into the postseason, only to miss out on playing in the playoffs due to injury. When he was finally healthy for a playoff start in 2019, he left the game in the first quarter with a concussion. Last season, the wheels fell off.
Wentz tied for the league lead in interceptions, even after he was benched for Jalen Hurts in Week Week 13. Whether the mental toll of constantly having his thunder stolen caught up to him, or his feel for the game just took a hit in what was a chaotic year, Wentz became unplayable. It was clear that he needed a change of scenery.
Fortunately for Wentz, he’s getting a second chance in a dream scenario. Now reunited with former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Colts head coach Frank Reich, Wentz is back playing for the man who guided him to success in Philly.
He also has a fantastic supporting cast. T.Y. Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr. round out a solid receiving corps, and rookie running back Jonathan Taylor was a revelation last season. Behind an offensive line headed up by all-world guard Quenton Nelson, and with Darius Leonard leading the charge on defence to boot, the Colts could be primed for a breakout.