3 Matchups to Watch in Patriots' Week 8 Game vs. Bills

Injuries have taken away New England's top receiver and corner, so their backups will have to step up in their place

The New England Patriots' season is on the line.

The AFC East title hangs in the balance ahead of Sunday's matchup between New England and Buffalo, but the Patriots could fall out of the race entirely if they don't emerge with a win. With the injury bug running rampant through the locker room, the path to victory is even more uncertain.

PatriotMaven is breaking down the three most important matchups before every game all season long, with Sunday’s game against the Bills next up on the slate.

J.C. Jackson vs. Stefon Diggs

Stephon Gilmore is out Sunday, and he could be gone even longer if the Patriots decide to ship him out before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

That means Jackson is set up to be New England’s top corner, and he has quite the challenge up ahead.

Diggs has already broken the 100-yard mark three times this season, and his 603 yards rank fifth in the entire league. He’s gotten at least six targets in every game, so he’ll be a key part of the Bills passing attack no matter what.

Since Jackson hasn’t been playing the role of shutdown, No. 1 corner this year, he might not get matched up with Diggs all day. He is far better suited to try and lock up Cole Beasley, who is also having a career year at age 31.

Still, Jackson is two inches taller than Jason McCourty and has shown some ability to match up against physical receivers in the past, and Diggs is just that.

Diggs will find a way to make plays down field no matter what on Sunday. But it’s partially up to Jackson to determine how often they happen and whether or not they go for six.

Damiere Byrd vs. Tre’Davious White

Byrd has been seeing the field more than any other Patriots receiver this season, and he’ll have even more weight on his shoulders with Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry both out.

Those injuries, coupled with Newton’s inability to distribute the ball deep and to the right side of the field, could continue to limit the effectiveness of the Patriots’ pass attack. The same goes for the rainy, windy forecast.

But if New England is going to have a chance at victory, Byrd still has to play a big part.

The Bills won last week without scoring a touchdown, so if the Patriots can string together long drives and actually finish them, they’ll have a chance to steal a road win. They won’t be able to do that without a semi-balanced pass/run distribution, and Byrd could very easily get half of the team’s targets through the air.

If he lines up outside the numbers as the No. 1 wideout, it will be up to White to slow him down. As one of the top corners in the league, a one-on-one matchup with a player who has only started 10 games in his career shouldn’t be incredibly difficult.

But Byrd has the smarts and route-running abilities to make up for that talent gap, and if he maxes those out on Sunday, then the Patriots’ offense might be able to pick itself back off the ground amid an injury storm.

Cam Newton vs. Jarrett Stidham

Newton has had plenty of second chances so far in 2020.

The Patriots took a flier on him over the summer. They chose a system outsider to start the post-Brady era. He remained the starter after contracting COVID-19, a poor performance against Denver and an even worse outing against San Francisco.

If Newton can’t get back to his old self, Stidham might have to actually take over.

It’s not like Stidham has been killing it either, with his 47.3 percent completion percentage and 39.3 passer rating, raising eyebrows for all the wrong reasons. But Newton has failed to live up to expectations time and time again, and his leash can’t be long enough for him to survive a third-straight dud.

It might be a move for the future or to test out the young talent, or maybe it’ll be what’s best for the team in the here and now. But Newton is dangerously close to getting overtaken by Stidham, and that battle could be decided Sunday afternoon.

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