5 Adjustments New England Patriots Must Make in Week 2 Matchup vs. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan just couldn't resist.

The former New York Jets head coach built a bitter rivalry with the New England Patriots in his six years with Gang Green, but he's not been able to get the better of Bill Belichick and the Patriots of late. So, it's no surprise that when he became a free-agent head coach in the winter, he jumped at the chance to sign with another AFC East team. 

The Patriots know what they're up against: an aggressive defensive guru who knows how to make life difficult for their offense. The Patriots got their season off to a good start with a 28-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they can't expect to simply carbon-copy their game plan and come away with the same results.

They'll have to make some adjustments if they want to beat the Bills on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. 

More Draw Runs and Delayed Handoffs

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One way to counter an aggressive defense is to make that aggressiveness work against it. Under head coach Rex Ryan, the Bills are poised to be one of the league's most aggressive defenses in 2015 behind a bevy of blitz packages.

Against the Indianapolis Colts, the Bills defense sent a blitz after the quarterback on 25 of 53 snaps (47.1 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. In the past, though, Ryan has scaled back the blitzing against Tom Brady and the Patriots; in 2014, the Jets blitzed Brady just seven out of 38 times in the first meeting and 10 out of 41 times in the second meeting (combined 21.5 percent).

With that in mind, the Patriots shouldn't necessarily expect a full-on aggressive defensive game plan from the Bills this week despite Ryan's reputation, but they must be prepared for the possibility that the coach will want to play off the emotions of Bills fans who want to see their team take it to the Patriots and pound them into the turf at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Play Tougher Run Defense

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In Week 1, the Patriots did not care if the Pittsburgh Steelers' running backs had a huge day. Instead, the Patriots wanted to use their resources to defend the pass, with an extra safety on the field in place of a linebacker in a "big nickel" defense. 

As a result, linebacker Jerod Mayo (nine snaps, per Pro Football Focus) took a back seat to safeties Patrick Chung (48 snaps) and Duron Harmon (58 snaps). ESPN.com's Mike Reiss accurately pointed out that Mayo came off the field when the Steelers brought a fullback onto the field, which would indicate a run play was coming.

Against the Bills, the Patriots should look to beef up the front seven to defend the run. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor attempted only 19 passes against the Colts, and the Bills ran the ball 36 times. Granted, that may have been a result of the score, which was lopsided in the Bills' favor for the majority of the game. 

That being said, Rex Ryan has a history of emphasizing the running game in a ground-and-pound approach on offense. The Patriots would be wise to come prepared for that approach on Sunday. 

Get Scott Chandler More Involved

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With a pair of big-bodied, physical pass-catching tight ends, the Patriots have a weapon that many defenses simply can't stop. With Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler both on the field at the same time, an opposing team must be prepared for the possibility of either a pass or a run play. 

When the Patriots had more than one tight end on the field at a time against the Steelers, they were equally effective on both runs and passes. The Patriots came out with multiple tight ends on 37 out of 58 plays on offense. They ran the ball 18 times for 65 yards (3.6 yards per carry), and Brady completed 16 of his 19 passes for 180 yards and all four of his touchdowns.

Despite all that, the 6'7", 260-pound Chandler was only on the receiving end of one target, albeit a one-yard touchdown catch. 

The Bills' top two linebackers—Preston Brown and Nigel Bradham—have been susceptible in coverage in the past. In 2014, both men allowed completions on at least 70 percent of the passes into their coverage. The Patriots have an opportunity to exploit those linebackers in coverage Sunday, and Chandler should be a big part of the game plan in that respect.

More Screens

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As mentioned previously, the Bills are liable to employ an aggressive defensive scheme against the Patriots on Sunday. Misdirection run plays are one way to combat a blitz-happy defensive strategy, but another way is with screen passes. 

The Patriots have been known to use a bevy of wide receiver screens in their offensive game plan in an effort to let their quick, shifty pass-catchers run with the ball in the open field. Receivers such as Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are regularly given that opportunity. 

If the defense is charging hard into the backfield to get after the quarterback, it's not in a position to stop a screen. Even if it is, with offensive linemen blocking out in front of the play, defenders could still be washed away as the receiver runs free through the second and third levels of the defense.

Lane Integrity

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If the Colts had done a better job of bottling up Tyrod Taylor in the backfield, the Bills wouldn't have been nearly as dominant on the ground.

Thus, one of the key coaching points this week will be rush lane integrity. In some defensive schemes and game plans, the front seven is encouraged to get into the backfield by any means necessary. For the Patriots, especially this week, the game plan is such that the players in the front seven should keep the play in front of them as much as possible.

Their best bet is to force Taylor to beat them from the pocket.

Granted, he was effective as a passer in Week 1, notching 14 completions on 19 throws (73.7 percent) for 195 yards (10.3 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. He notched 41 yards on nine runs though, and one of those runs was a 31-yarder on 3rd-and-4 where the Colts might have otherwise been able to stymie the Bills' momentum. Three plays later, Buffalo was in the end zone and up 17-0.

That's just one example of how Taylor's legs can swing a game. The Patriots don't want to be the next example.

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.