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The Buffalo Bills are coming off a statement win, and quarterback Josh Allen may have two of his offensive weapons back on the field. With a Buffalo Bills Week 13 game scheduled against the San Francisco 49ers, people will be watching to see if there is a letdown for Buffalo. Ahead of the Bills-49ers game, we’ll make our Bills Week 13 predictions.
Buffalo enters with a six-game winning streak and a record of 9-2 on the season. On the other side of the momentum spectrum, the up-and-down 49ers are 5-6. Their season has gone like this: win, two losses, win, loss, win, loss, two wins, two losses. Injuries have wrecked the 49ers, and this could factor into the outcome of this contest.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the last six games for the 49ers are must-win situations, according to 49erswebzone.com.
“Yeah, without a doubt,” Shanahan said. “I think everyone knows — you've just got to look at it for a couple of minutes to realize where we're at. It's nice when you're one game out of first in your own division, so that does say a lot, especially being able to play two of those teams over (the next) six games.
“So we know what we've got ahead of us. We know exactly what that playoff situation is. That is what it is. But really, all that matters is this week. When you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you better make sure you're only thinking of one thing, and that's Buffalo.”
Bills QB Josh Allen will account for four TDs
Let’s see. How will Allen go about this? Will it be two rushing scores and two passing? Will he have three short sneaks for scores? Or will he simply toss four TD passes? Whatever the case, expect Allen to be dynamic and dominant.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor currently ranks Allen as the No. 2 candidate for MVP, behind the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
“(Allen) made his most convincing case yet in Sunday's win against the Chiefs and perennial MVP contender Patrick Mahomes,” Pryor wrote. “Allen had a touchdown and pick in the win, but his legs made the difference. He ran 12 times for 55 yards, though none was more crucial — for the win or his MVP candidacy — than his 26-yard fourth-quarter scramble for the game-sealing touchdown.
“Perhaps the most impressive part of Allen's MVP campaign is that he's doing it without an established Robin to his Batman. In the aftermath of the Stefon Diggs trade, the Bills have relied on an ensemble cast rather than an elite top receiver. Still, Allen is finding success spreading the ball around. Eleven different Bills players have caught touchdown throws from him.”
Josh Allen presents difficulties for defenses
That’s the great thing about Allen for any matchup. He’s going to get his, via his legs or his arms. And defenses are struggling to stop it because he doesn’t have a go-to receiver. Defenses have to play everybody honest, and Allen can pick and choose.
Bills receiver Amari Cooper said Allen deserves his props, according to foxsports.com.
“The league has stars and he's one of them,” Cooper said. “He's just a tremendous talent.”
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Tight end Dawson Knox agreed, adding Allen thrives by treating his teammates well.
“He does a great job throughout the week asking us what we like, what we don't like, how we see certain plays,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “We have a players-only meeting, where he'll go through all the receivers, all the tight ends, all the running backs. Like, ‘Hey, which plays do you like? Which plays do you not like? What do you want to see get called early?' So that communication with him has been awesome, just to see him take those extra steps to make us feel comfortable. He's done a great job with that so far.”
Amari Cooper will set a season-high for yards
It hasn’t been a good year individually for Cooper. But the fact he traded the also-ran blues in Cleveland for the Super-Bowl dues in Buffalo make up for the lower numbers.
Cooper totaled 86 yards in Week 3 for the Browns against the New York Giants. This week, he will step up with 90-plus yards. It’s simply time for Cooper to get things going in Buffalo after an injury plagued start. He said communication is the key for him having success with Allen.
“Some quarterbacks have been playing this game a long time,” Cooper said. “They can kind of see similarities in the games of the new receivers that come, and that helps with the timing, if that makes sense. But we communicate for sure, especially on plays where I know I might have a great opportunity to get the ball. We'll communicate so that we can kind of get that mental rep before it actually happens.”
Amari Cooper enjoying his time with Bills
Cooper said, if nothing else, he’s happy in Buffalo. He said he realized it after the win over the Chiefs.
“This is the first time in a long time I've actually felt joy from winning this game,” Cooper said. “When you're a kid and you're dreaming of football, this is the stage that you're dreaming about. You're dreaming about the meaningful games against the best teams. So to answer your question about the Josh Allen experience — with this magnitude (of the Chiefs game) — it's been phenomenal. You know the old adage: Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations. And that's exactly what he did.
“Josh is a lot smarter than — I don't know what people give him credit for, cerebral-wise — but he's very smart. He's a very smart guy.”
