Buffalo Bills’ Khalil Shakir On How New England Patriots Have Excelled Under Mike Vrabel And Drake Maye

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir says the New England Patriots play "sound football" and it's a big reason they've been successful this season. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Buffalo Bills know they have a big game on their hands this week against the New England Patriots.For the first time since the 2019 season – when Tom Brady was still a member of the Patriots – the Bills are looking up at the Patriots in the AFC East. That’s because New England is currently 11-2 and two games up on Buffalo at 9-4. Furthermore, they also defeated the Bills earlier in the season in Buffalo, 23-20, in Week 5.Khalil Shakir, who has been a member of the Bills during their dominant run in the AFC East over the past few seasons, details what makes the Patriots so tough.“They just play sound football,” Shakir said in a one-on-one interview. “I think their defense and offense, they just click on all cylinders. I think they gel really well together. I think as a team, you can tell that they play for each other. For us to go there and catch them, I think the main thing for us is taking care of the football.”Shakir stresses the key to winning what will likely be a tight game against the Patriots – it normally is between divisional opponents – is winning the turnover battle. It’s worth noting New England won the turnover battle in their Week 5 matchup, with the Patriots committing one turnover in comparison to the Bills’ three turnovers.“I think the statistics show when you win a turnover battle, you know the odds are in your favor,” Shakir said. “For us it’s taking care of the ball and making sure that we kind of key in on those little details within every single play. We like to say do your 1-11 – so do your job on whatever the play is called, and everything else will kind of follow suit.”If the Bills defeat the Patriots this week, they’ve eliminated the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage that New England has and give themselves a shot to win the division. Buffalo has remaining games against the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Patriots have remaining games against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.MORE FOR YOUGaining home-field advantage for Buffalo could be key in what suddenly appears to be a tight AFC playoff race. Furthermore, their biggest nemesis over the years – the Kansas City Chiefs – are 6-7 and could be out of the playoffs altogether for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. It also could be the deciding factor if the Patriots and Bills face off in the playoffs. New England is obviously a different team under the leadership of head coach Mike Vrabel, who is in his first season as Patriots head coach after they went 4-13 last season.One of the beneficiaries of Vrabel’s coaching has been second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has led the Patriots to the best record in the NFL at 11-2 entering Week 14 and is one of the favorites to win the NFL MVP award. The 23-year-old Maye has 23 touchdowns against six interceptions for a league-leading 71.5% completion rate and 9.3 adjusted yards gained per pass attempt.“I think his composure this year has just been really good,” Shakir said of Maye. “He’s been able to stay calm in hectic moments and make really, really good throws. I think he’s playing really good football right now, and I think Mike Vrabel kind of came in and just helped them gel together as a team and play for each other. I think that’s things that you see when you turn on the film. You have a team that you can tell that they play for each other. I think when you play for each other, that's the best recipe to success.”Khalil Shakir Details Kelley Blue Book Campaign & How He Still Drives 2021 Subaru After Big Contract Signing As Shakir gears up for the Bills’ biggest game of the season, he’s partnering with Kelley Blue Book, the well-known car market value guide, for a content campaign.“I’m blessed to be able to be in this partnership because of how I live my lifestyle, making smart, informed financial decisions – something that I pride myself on,” said Shakir. “To be able to mesh with Kelley Blue Book and how they literally give you a playbook to make that informed decision on purchasing things like a car, big time purchases. It’s amazing that you can have a resource that backs you and does that research for you to make sure that it is a smart, informed decision. It's a blessing.”Although the 25-year-old signed a $60 million contract with $32 million guaranteed in the offseason, he still drives a 2021 Subaru, the same car he was driving during his rookie season.“My Subaru is something that I that I love, whether I get made fun of for having it or not,” Shakir detailed. “I think it’s a pretty cool car, and I think that it’s great in the snow. That’s kind of how that came about. When I got to Buffalo, I was like, I need something that’s good in the snow, and my financial advisors recommended the Subaru. That kind of set that whole thing up. I was like, ‘That’s perfect.’”“When you then you sign a second contract, and I think it’s weird how I feel like it’s expected that you might get something, maybe a luxury car or something,” Shakier continued to say. “Anybody can tell you living in Buffalo, let’s say you want to drive a luxury car, the snow there, the salt on the ground, and it can be kind of hectic on the roads. I think I tend to go for more reliable than luxury. Not to say that I didn’t treat myself or anything, but safety and something that’s reliable.”