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The NFL has finished its regular season and the 2022 NFL playoff picture is finalized. The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will face off this coming week, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday in the Wild Card round.
The Bills earned their second straight AFC East title and finished the season with an 11-6 record. They are a very well-rounded team, claiming the top defense in the NFL and the third-best offense in the league as well. However, the defense is usually the one doing the heavy lifting until the offense can get into a rhythm, which hasn’t been happening until the second half of games in recent weeks.
New England fell just short of claiming the AFC East title, but still finished with a 10-7 record. The Pats can claim a defense nearly as good as Buffalo’s, ranking second-best in the league. The offense is a top-10 unit as well. These two teams have met twice before, with the visiting team winning both games. New England topped Buffalo 14-10 in Week 13 and the Bills got revenge, winning 33-21 in Week 16.
We break down our rapid-reaction pick on the over/under for Patriots vs. Bills in the Wild Card round of the 2022 NFL playoffs. Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Opening point spread: Bills -4.5
Opening point total: 43.5
Opening moneyline: Bills -200, Patriots +170
Early O/U pick: Under 43.5
Both teams have elite offenses and defenses so this could really go either way. The early weather report is projecting snow in the forecast for Buffalo on Saturday night, so I would expect a difficult time throwing the ball for both teams, much like the first meeting. That alone would have me lean toward the under.
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