Expecting a rout. The surging Patriots (5-2) are a 13-point favorite at Buffalo (2-5) on Monday night. The Bills have been a double-digit home underdog only three times in the last 20 years: They beat San Francisco 26-21 in 1998 (plus-10), lost to Dallas 25-24 in 2007 (plus-10 1/2) and lost to New England 23-21 in 2013 (plus-10). But, whew, itap hard to imagine the Bills scoring enough points to make sure the Patriots don’t cover the spread. Buffalo has scored 3, 20, 0, 13 and 5 points in its losses.
Reality for Bengals. Way back before Week 1, we ranked Cincinnati last in our power rankings. The Bengals started 4-1 (reaching 27 points in five games), but have lost 28-21 to Pittsburgh and 45-10 at Kansas City since then. Pretenders or contenders? “It ain’t broke, but there’s a couple of cracks,” said cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick per the Cincinnati Enquirer. “You’ve got to fill in the cracks.” The Bengals, who host Tampa Bay on Sunday, are 31st in yards allowed (429.4) and 28th in points allowed (29 points per game).
Mess in Oakland. Itap always interesting when a general manager meets the media after a trade and gets asked about his coach winning a power struggle. Welcome to the Raiders. “You talk about pulling the strings — (Jon) Gruden and I, we work together very well,” GM Reggie McKenzie said after dealing receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas for a 2019 first-round pick. “Letap get no mistakes (made) about him pushing me out. Thatap not happening. Me not being able to work with Gruden, thatap furthest from the truth, OK?” Sure thing, Reggie.
Luck’s breather. No quarterback’s surgically-repaired throwing shoulder needed a break as much as Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck in last week’s 37-5 win over Buffalo. In Weeks 1-6, Luck attempted 53, 31, 40, 62, 59 and 43 passes. Against the Bills, Luck was 17-of-23 passing for four touchdowns. He has 20 touchdowns and should add to that against Oakland. Luck leads the league with 311 passes.
