Patriots vs. Bills: Breaking Down Buffalo's Game Plan

Perhaps by the time you read this, the Buffalo Bills will officially have a new owner. The bosses of all the NFL teams will meet Wednesday to, among other things, vote to approve the sale of the Bills to Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and his wife Kim.

At this point, The Associated Press (h/t Syracuse.com) suggests it is a foregone conclusion that the owners will approve the sale to the Pegulas.

So not only will the Ralph Wilson Stadium crowd be geeked over their new owner, they will be welcoming in the New England Patriots for a Week 6 matchup. The winner will take the driver's seat in the AFC East.

The Bills are riding high after overcoming a 14-point deficit—and laser pointers—to beat the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 5. The win ended the Ralph Wilson era on a high note for the Bills, and the team will look to carry that momentum back to the Ralph when the Patriots come to town.

So what can the Bills do to start the Pegula era off the same way the Wilson era ended? Let's break down the Bills' game plan.

Get in No. 12's Face

By now, Bills fans know the book on Tom Brady. If he is allowed time to stand in the pocket, he will carve your defense up. But if you put pressure on him, you can force him into some inaccurate throws. His lack of mobility can be his downfall.

We still don't know if Kyle Williams will be back for the Bills this week, but Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes were there for all the Bills' pass-rushing needs against the Lions.

Dareus sacked Matt Stafford three times while Hughes brought the quarterback down two more times.

Photo From NFL Game Rewind

Look here as Hughes, Dareus and the rest of the defensive line completely wreck the pocket for Stafford. He has nowhere to go, and Dareus gets his first sack on that play.

If the Bills can pressure Brady, he will be in for a long day.

The Bills also mixed up their looks on defense against the Lions. Normally, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz sticks with four defensive linemen—even in sub-packages. But facing his former team, Schwartz called plays—especially on third down—with only three and sometimes even two defensive linemen.

Photo From NFL Game Rewind

Here's a perfect example. Only Dareus and Mario Williams have their hands in the turf while Hughes is standing up wide of the left tackle. Rushing from a stand-up position allows Hughes to use his speed and low center of gravity to dominate his opponent.

The Patriots have been piecing together their offensive line to start the season, and it had its best outing Sunday night against the Bengals.

If the Bills can wreak havoc in the Patriots' backfield, Brady will be having nightmares about Hughes and Dareus.

Get No. 14 Some Help

It's no secret that Sammy Watkins has been the Bills' best receiver thus far. He has 10 more catches than the next closest receiver on the team, and he has been making absurd catches since training camp.

The best—certainly the most important—grab came against the Lions, when Watkins tipped the ball to himself to set up Dan Carpenter's 58-yard bomb of a game-winning field goal.

With that said, Bill Belichick is as good a coach as there is in the NFL. He and his Patriots always seem to be able to identify what their opponent does best and then take it away. So far, what the Bills have done best is throw the ball to Watkins.

It's pretty safe to say Watkins will earn plenty of attention, so the other Bills receivers will have to step up and make plays.

If Watkins is covered, someone else should be open. Whether it be more go routes for speedster Marquise Goodwin, jump balls for Mike Williams or crosses and slants for Robert Woods, Kyle Orton needs to spread the wealth to all of his receivers.

Get Loud

There's no doubt Bills fans will be ready for this game. The crowd at the Ralph was in the zone when the Dolphins visited after Pegula submitted the winning bid for the team.

With the possibility of Pegula as the new owner and the Patriots coming to town with first place in the division on the line? That place is going to be rocking.

The fans at Arrowhead Stadium definitely made things difficult for the Patriots when they lost to the Chiefs. Will Bills fans looking to be breaking any records? Probably not. But if they can cause some false starts, timeouts or otherwise make it difficult for Brady to communicate with his teammates, it would give the Bills a decided advantage.

The best way to get the crowd going, though? Go out and make plays.

If the Bills can rack up sacks, use the pressure to force Brady into mistakes or create some big plays on offense, the crowd will respond, to say the least.