‘That’s the plan’ according to the Buffalo Bills safety.
By Rich Kowalski / Billswire.usatoday.com
When the Buffalo Bills take on the New England Patriots this Monday night, they’ll do so as a major underdog. The team is a 14-point underdog for a primetime game at home, to be exact.
The Bills haven’t played in a Monday Night Football game at home in just about a decade. The last game they played was against the Cleveland Browns. It’ll be a slightly more difficult challenge as they sit at 2-5 and take on the 5-2 Patriots.
New England is doing what they do best and getting hot at the right time. The Pats have won their last three games, two of which were against strong – the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs.
When the Bills do take on the Patriots on Monday, they’re not only battling the team on the other sideline, they’re battling their national perception.
To many who are outside of the “bubble”, Buffalo is nothing. It’s a barren wasteland of snow and a purgatory of forever being “in the hunt”. Despite the team’s first playoff game in over 17 years, the franchise didn’t get much love last year and it has certainly continued this year.
Bills safety Micah Hyde talked about that “bubble” to reporters earlier this week.
“I think that even being away from this locker room, not even being on this football team, I understand that the Buffalo Bills don’t get a lot of respect outside of this locker room from the national media, even from some of the local media,” said Hyde.”It is what it is. Once you get inside this bubble you realize how big of a knock on the Bills some people make it.”
Hyde came over to Buffalo after starting his career in a similar size market – Green Bay. One market has a bit more of a winning history than the other but the community and neighborhood atmosphere on game day stands true for both.
Hyde knows how big of a statement a win this Monday night would make. It wouldn’t mean Buffalo’s season is saved or anything but it would be a huge boost and bonus for the Bills fan base who just want something to cheer about this year.
“That’s the plan,” Hyde said.
As one could expect, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott respects his opponent and understands that these divisional game matters. He was asked if being the major underdog bothers him at all.
“Is that new? I mean, last year this year, I don’t think that’s new,” said McDermott.
“For all intents and purposes, they were in the Super Bowl last year and have won the division ‘x’ amount of years. I’ve been in this position before, and until you beat them, they’re going to be favored. That’s how it works, so we have to earn every part of it,” McDermott added.
McDermott was then asked if he feels like being 2-5 with all six divisional games left means the start of a new chapter within the schedule.
“I think it’s an opportunity…I want to see what we do with these opportunities. It’ll be a neat environment for us here and against a very, very good opponent as we all know. We look forward to the challenge, and that’s the type of mindset that I want,” McDermott said.
The Bills will go into Monday night with a mindset that they can take down Goliath but the harsh reality is that the matchup is like a Ferrari versus a Vespa. It’s Tom Brady versus Derek Anderson. A high-powered machine versus a team that hasn’t found the end zone in three of their games.
No doubt Buffalo will be there to witness this game and hope for the best while holding their various Brady signs. I’m sure Buffalo hasn’t forgotten what Brady said about their hotels.
Welcome to divisional football where anything can happen.