‘Thus, the division title is still undecided and, if the Patriots win at Miami (8-8) and the Bills were to conjure a loss to the Jets (4-12), New England would be the AFC East champion. And, get this, while Buffalo can’t do it by winning the division, the Pats, should they claim the East, could leap-frog Tennessee, Cincinnati and Kansas City (if they all lost) and actually finish with the AFC’s best record, via tie-breakers, and draw a first-round playoff bye.’
Archives for January 4, 2022
Analysis: Great or only very good? Bills’ defense on verge of top rankings
‘Yet the question remains: Is this Bills defense great? Or merely very good?’
Upon Further Review: Postseason’s now a formality, which speaks volumes about how far Bills have come
‘“I think ever since Sean and Beane took over here, they brought the right guys in to set that standard,” Poyer said. “Guys come into the season, and understand what the expectations are on both sides of the football. That is the standard. We want to continue to build off of that.”’
Harrison Phillips’ spot as a Bills’ starter looks more secure than ever
‘Phillips played 36 defensive snaps, which was 68% of the team total and the most among all defensive linemen in the win.’
Observations: Injury report looking good for Bills heading into regular season finale
‘The Bills continue to have their full roster available to them, with no players or coaches on the league’s Covid list, coach Sean McDermott said Monday. That includes special teams coordinator Heath Farwell and defensive line coach Eric Washington, who cleared the league’s protocols late last week and were able to coach in Sunday’s 29-15 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Highmark Stadium.’
Alan Pergament: Bills analyst Eric Wood gets an A on the Madden broadcasting test
‘I’m not saying Wood is in Madden territory as an analyst. No one is. I am saying Wood is an exceptional radio analyst who sees key blocks, has a good sense of humor, explains things that only a former player likely knows, and he is objective for a guy working a team’s broadcast.’
Buffalo Bills have to ‘handle business’ but likely to open playoffs vs New England Patriots
‘The Bills are out of the race for the No. 1 overall seed and first-round bye, but they can still climb as high as No. 2, though they would need some help. In addition to beating the Jets, they would need the Chiefs to lose at Denver and the Bengals to lose at Cleveland. They could also slot in at No. 3 with a win, and either a Chiefs or Bengals loss.’
Devin Singletary was ‘an animal’ vs. Falcons; Bills find run game just in time for playoff push
‘“Devin came out and was just an animal that next series, which I thought was a great momentum boost to our team,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “He’s not a very big guy but I can recall two or three runs on that next series where those were big runs for us and you could tell there was something a little bit more he was giving out there.”’
Peter King predicts Bills vs. Patriots picked for 1st-ever Monday Night Football Wild Card game
‘“As of this moment, my money would be on a New England-Buffalo show for the first-ever Monday night wild-card game,” King wrote. “The AFC, in fact, is gold for first-round matchups, if form holds. Imagine Raiders or Chargers at Kansas City in the 7-2 game, Colts-Burrow in the 6-3 game (Burrow’s going to be must-see as long as the Bengals are in it), and Patriots-Bills in the other one. Imagine three Buffalo-New England games in a 43-day span, with the rubber match on a frigid Jan. 17 night in the northeast.”’
Sabato: The most difficult playoff opponent for the Bills may be themselves
‘When Buffalo wins it wins big — it’s average margin of victory this season is 22.6 points per game — and when it loses, there are a few plays it can point to that were the difference in the game. The key in the playoffs is avoiding the mistakes that result in those few plays being the difference in a win or a loss.’