The New England Patriots' playoff hopes are on the line when they take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 18. Ahead of the Patriots-Bills game, we’ll be making our Patriots Week 18 predictions.

If they want to make the playoffs, the Patriots either must win Sunday's game or hope that three other teams (Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans) lose as they jockey for the AFC's final wild-card spot. New England might have as tough of an opportunity as possible in order to make the playoffs considering its opponent. Buffalo has won five of the last six meetings, with four of those wins coming by double-digits. Sunday's game will likely be an emotional one too considering it falls just days after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

With Hamlin's condition progressing in recent days, Sunday's game will go on as scheduled. So, here are four bold Patriots predictions as they take on the Bills.

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Mac Jones has a multi-touchdown game with no turnovers

Don't look now, but Mac Jones has turned a corner in recent weeks.

Since the Patriots' Week 10 bye, Jones has posted a passer rating of at least 98 in four times in seven games and is averaging 231 passing yards per game during that stretch. He's also thrown seven interceptions to just one interception over the last six games.

Sure, Jones hasn't played too well against the Bills over his young career, but he has a couple of things going in his favor. For starters, the offense appears to be getting healthy at the right time. Damien Harris didn't play in the first matchup and is back from a thigh injury. Wide receiver DeVante Parker and tight end Jonnu Smith are also expected to play Sunday as well.

The other thing is that the Bills have struggled against opponents' top receivers this season. They're 25th in DVOA against their opponent's No. 1 receiver. Of course, the Patriots don't really have a true No. 1 receiver in the conventional sense but they have several options. Jakobi Meyers is Jones' top target and the pair appear to be a bit in sync in recent weeks, with Meyers making a few clutch plays in the Patriots' game-deciding drive before beating the Miami Dolphins last week. With Meyers being more of a slot guy, someone like Parker could be viewed as the Patriots' top receiver considering he often lines up wide more often than anyone on the roster.

The good news is that it doesn't really matter who's considered their top receiver though as the Bills are in the middle of the pack when covering other receivers, too. They're 13th in DVOA against No. 2 receivers and non-top two receivers. Where Buffalo does most of its damage in pass coverage is against tight ends (ranking second in DVOA) and running backs (ranking seventh in DVOA).

All in all, this matchup should be good news for the Patriots' receivers. The Bills allow 154.9 yards on 19 targets to receivers per game, meaning opposing quarterbacks throw for an efficient 8.2 yards per attempt when throwing to their wide receivers against the Bills. We've already mentioned Meyers and Parker as potential threats, but Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton have also arguably been the Patriots' two best receivers over the last couple of weeks. Bourne had six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals while Thornton had three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins last week.

My advice to the Patriots' coaching staff: Throw the [expletive] ball down the field as your quarterback wanted to the last time you faced the Bills because you have the personnel to have success against a secondary that hasn't played too well this season. If they do that, Jones should add to his ledger of solid second-half performances.

Marcus Jones ends up making game-deciding plays on defense, special teams

Every Patriots fan remembers the touchdown Jones scored in the last game against the Bills as the rookie cornerback turned a screen pass in his first NFL snap into a 48-yard touchdown.

I expect Jones to have another big game on Sunday – but in the areas he's most accustomed to.

Jones has shown growth at corner over the last several games. In Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the rookie held Davante Adams to two catches for 14 yards on three targets. A week later, he ran step-by-step with Tee Higgins but the receiver's 6-foot-4 frame was too much for the 5-foot-8 rookie to handle.

With Jones back from a concussion this week, could we possibly see him cover Stefon Diggs? I wouldn't be shocked if he did. Jonathan Jones lost primary Diggs duty in the Patriots' last matchup against the Bills and with Jack Jones out, New England could try Marcus Jones against him. If it does, Diggs poses an easier physical matchup for the rook than Adams and Higgins did. Diggs is exactly six feet tall and Jones could likely keep up with his speed considering his 4.38 40-yard time.

That's not to say that Jones will lockdown Diggs, but he might be able to slow him down. Considering the Patriots' defense's knack for getting into the end zone in recent weeks, it wouldn't be a shock if he turned another interception into a pick-6. Or if one of the league's top punt returns breaks one loose for a score or a monster gain.

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Patriots get pressure on Josh Allen without blitzing and record at least three sacks

The key for the Patriots' defense is to get pressure on Allen without blitzing. They certainly have the personnel to do so.

Matthew Judon and Josh Uche are the league's top pass-rushing duo, posting a combined 27 sacks this season. In their last game against the Bills, Uche put up a monster performance, recording two sacks on five pressures with a forced fumble. They also did that without Christian Barmore rushing up the middle. The second-year defensive tackle had seven pressures last week, possibly signifying that he's breaking out to be one of the game's top interior pass rushers.

In the Week 13 matchup, the Patriots' pass rush wasn't the reason why they lost and it might be the reason they win on Sunday.

Patriots pull off the upset

You want bold? Here's a bold one. The Patriots get the upset they need to make the playoffs as they slow down the Bills' dynamic offense while their offense does enough to pull off the win.

Sunday's game is going to be really weird considering what happened with Hamlin. Bills players say they're ready to play, which is a good sign. But who knows what those emotions will be like come game time. Will they come out of the gates too hot? Or will they be too flat? If Bill Belichick still has his fastball, he could use the Bills' emotions to his advantage. It could result in a crucial victory.