It’s an interconference matchup that would have been a marquee clash in the early 1990s on the gridiron in a different location than one would expect. The Buffalo Bills make the cross-country trip to face the San Francisco 49ers in a game held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara. Buffalo comes in off a 27-17 home win over the Chargers at home last Sunday in their previous game. San Francisco upended the Rams 23-20 on the road last Sunday in their most recent game. The teams have split their 12 previous meetings with Buffalo rolling to a 45-16 home victory in the most recent meeting on October 16, 2016.

Buffalo Bills Look to Maintain AFC East Edge

Buffalo came out of the bye with a positive result as their offense staked them to a lead and their defense continued to round into last season’s form with some big plays. The Bills enter this week 8-3 and holding a one-game lead over Miami in the AFC East, along with owning the tiebreakers. Buffalo led 17-6 at the half and was up 24-6 in the third quarter before seeing the Chargers cut the deficit to 24-17 in the fourth. The Bills regrouped, covering 40 yards in six plays after a Tre’Davious White interception, setting up Tyler Bass’s game-clinching 43-yard field goal with 3:26 to play. Buffalo was outgained 367-332, gave up 24 first downs while picking up 23 and turned the ball over three times while forcing one takeaway. Still, their defense held Los Angeles to three of 16 on third down and recorded three sacks, proving to do enough to get the victory.

On the year, the Bills are seventh in the league in passing offense with 268.1 yards per game so far. Buffalo is tied for 21st on the ground as they average 104.4 yards per game this season. The Bills are 10th in scoring offense as they put up 27.2 points per game this season. Buffalo stands 18th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 25.6 points a contest. Josh Allen has completed 267 of 388 passes for 3,028 yards with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has been sacked 22 times for 126 yards in losses on the year while ranking second on the team with 311 yards plus six scores on the ground. The run game has been split between Devin Singletary, who leads the team with 110 carries for 483 yards plus a score, and Zach Moss (68 carries, 283 yards, three TD) this season. Stefon Diggs has lived up to the #1 receiver billing as he has hauled in 80 passes for 945 yards and four scores. Cole Beasley (57 catches, 667 yards, three TD), John Brown (29 grabs, 386 yards, two TD) and rookie Gabriel Davis (22 catches, 354 yards, four TD) are all over the 300-yard receiving mark on the season. Rookie kicker Tyler Bass has settled in, nailing 32 of 33 extra points and 21 of 27 field-goal attempts with a long of 58.

Buffalo has had success moving the ball on the ground of late as they have three games of at least 126 yards on the ground in the past five weeks. That could work against a San Francisco defense that has bent a bit of late. While the 49ers are 10th in the league in rushing defense by giving up 108.7 yards per contest, they have given up at least 101 yards in each of their last four games. The Bills have a mobile quarterback in Allen, which has proven to be problematic for San Francisco as they have had issues with QBs that can use their legs. His ability to make plays will be a major factor in this contest.

San Francisco 49ers Try to Even Record

San Francisco came out of their bye week with a last-second road victory over the Rams. The patchwork 49ers improved to 5-6 on the season and are seeking a win to stay in the NFC playoff picture. Against Los Angeles, San Francisco led 7-3 at the half and extended their lead to 17-3 with under five minutes to play in the third quarter only to see the Rams rip off 17 unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The 49ers regrouped with a game-tying field goal with 3:11 to play. San Francisco’s defense recorded a stop and the offense then covered 56 yards in 11 plays to set up Robbie Gould’s winning 42-yard field goal at the final gun. The 49ers held a 345-308 edge in total offense, picked up 18 first downs while allowing 14 and controlled the clock by a 34:03 to 25:57 margin. This was a sloppy game as the 49ers forced four turnovers, including a pick-six, while committing three, including a scoop-six, that made the game closer than it should have been.

For the season, the 49ers are 12th in the league in passing offense with 250.9 yards per game through the air. San Francisco is 16th in rushing offense with 112 yards per game on the ground. The 49ers stand 20th in scoring offense as they average 23.7 points per game this season. San Francisco stands 11th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 23.1 points per game. Jimmy Garoppolo has completed 94 of 140 passes for 1,096 yards with seven touchdowns against five picks. He’s been sacked 11 times for 77 yards in losses but he’s out with a high ankle sprain. Nick Mullens has taken over the offense as he has hit 139 of 206 for 1,642 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions while getting sacked 13 times for 104 yards in losses. Raheem Mostert leads the team with 67 carries for 346 yards and two scores. Jerick McKinnon (80 carries, 315 yards, five TD), Jeff Wilson Jr. (50 carries, 203 yards, four TD) and JaMycal Hasty (39 carries, 148 yards, TD) have all seen their share of action. In the passing game, George Kittle (37 catches, 474 yards, two TD) is the team’s leading receiver, though he’s out with a broken bone in his foot. Brandon Aiyuk (35 receptions, 446 yards, three TD), Deebo Samuel (27 grabs, 318 yards, TD) and Kendrick Bourne (32 catches, 412 yards, TD) have all cracked the 300-yard receiving mark on the season.

San Francisco is going to have to come up with a way to attack the Buffalo defense. The Bills have been rounding into form in the last month or so with big plays and a rejuvenated pass rush. Buffalo still stands 25th in the league against the run by allowing an average of 129.6 yards per game on the ground but they have held two of their last three opponents under 80 yards and 3.5 yards per carry. The 49ers are going to have to get their offensive line to step up as they’ve surrendered 27 sacks. Buffalo’s defense is ninth in the league with 30 sacks on the year and they have their full secondary back. Mullens will have to take advantage of opportunities to keep San Francisco in the game.