The Buffalo Bills are in another year of transition. They fired coach Rex Ryan in Week 16 and proceeded to hire Sean McDermott. The offseason proved to be a mix of adding good players and not being able to entice the top-notch ones to stick around. Buffalo lost a slew of players, which fuels the fire for some grudge matches in 2017. Here are the top three grudge matches for their upcoming season.
New England Patriots- Week 12 and 15
Weeks 12 and 15 will be the biggest grudge matches for Buffalo. They Bills watched cornerback Stephon Gilmore and one-two punch running back Mike Gillislee sign contracts with the New England Patriots during the offseason.
Fans are still not over watching Chris Hogan, a mediocre talent for Buffalo, sign with the Patriots in 2016 and end up posting record breaking numbers in the playoffs. When Rob Gronkowksi was injured, Hogan racked up 180 yards in one postseason game. Are Bills’ fans just going to let the Patriots steamroll their team and watch Bill Belichick steal Buffalo’s players just because he can? Not a chance. Buffalo beat the Patriots on the road last seasom and have a bone to pick with their AFC East Rival. The only blizzard brewing in December will be the Bills’ defense, making Tom Brady see snowflakes after every sack.
Carolina Panthers- Week 2
This is more of a grudge fest for Sean McDermott, who was the defensive coordinator for the Panthers for 4 years.
The Buffalo Bills gave him his first head coaching job. He is a guy who likes the details and wants to win. McDermott also convinced wide receiver Corey Brown to come to Buffalo. Both Carolina and Buffalo struggled in 2016, as the loss of Josh Norman on defense in 2016 put the nail in the Panthers’ coffin. They fell off a cliff in 2016, going from a 15-1 record to a 6-10 one.
Buffalo stayed more consistent at being mediocre. They ended up 7-9 last year, one less win than their previous 8-8 season. Both teams want to prove that they are playoff worthy. Buffalo needs to break their 17- year postseason drought. Expect this match-up to be hard hitting and competitive.
San Diego Chargers- Week 11
The Bills put offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in charge of coaching in Week 17.
However, the Bills played E.J. Manuel instead of Tyrod Taylor. The Bills lost the game. Once predicted as a shoe-in for the team’s vacant head coaching job, Buffalo decided on a major overhaul for the team. They interviewed Lynn, but ultimately gave the job to McDermott. Lynn is now the head of the San Diego Chargers and probably wants to show up his former team, who did not give him a chance to lead. This is sure to be a shootout between quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Phillip Rivers.
Good luck evening the score, Buffalo.