Bills vs. SF 49ers: 5 matchups that determine Week 13 outcome

The SF 49ers desperately need a win in Week 13 against the Bills, and these five matchups will be critical to determine the outcome.

If the SF 49ers can figure out a way to pull off a win on Monday Night Football against the 8-3 Buffalo Bills, it’ll put the 5-6 Niners squarely back in the NFC playoff picture.

Currently, San Francisco is sitting at the No. 10 seed. But after a gutsy Week 12 win over their division rivals, the LA Rams, the 49ers can hope to get back into postseason consideration by putting together a win streak to close out the regular season.

And considering how hotly contested the NFC West is right now, the Niners will need a maximum effort to pull off a home upset.

Despite their ascent to the top of the AFC East this season, the Bills do have weaknesses and are a beatable team. It’ll take a relatively mistake-free effort from San Francisco, but there are some specific matchups that could ultimately work in the SF 49ers’ favor.

Here are five of them to watch under the big lights of prime time.

No. 5: Time-of-possession battle between SF 49ers, Bills

One of the reasons the Niners were able to knock off the Rams last week was by dominating the time-of-possession battle by 34:03 to 25:57, yet that nearly wasn’t enough as it took a San Francisco game-winning field goal with time expiring.

Buffalo can be just as prolific, particularly through the air as it boasts the league’s No. 7 overall passing offense.

Overall, however, the Bills are averaging 2:56 per drive, which ranks eighth best, and their per-game 30:38 time of possession is 13th.

Closely enough, the SF 49ers are currently averaging 2:55 per possession, one spot lower than Buffalo, yet the Niners’ average time of possession is 31:48 — fifth best.

This will ultimately mean ball control and extended drives determine the game’s outcome. And to do that, head coach Kyle Shanahan will have to rely upon the proverbial “bread and butter” of his offense: the running game.