Archives for January 4, 2026

‘“I remember just getting ready for the game and looking outside thinking, ‘I can’t wait for this; I’m gonna kick ass,’” Jaworski, now 74, recalled in a phone interview. “You try to get yourself motivated and fired up. All day I was thinking about that opportunity to go back to Buffalo in a big nationally televised game, in my hometown, as a Bills fan, and, as the starting quarterback, I had to beat their ass, but the Eagles were paying me so that was my job.”’

‘There are reasons to have Josh Allen in the game for statistics. Allen is one touchdown away from 40 total touchdowns this season, which would be his sixth straight season of 40-plus TDs, tying Aaron Rodgers. If Allen doesn’t throw one, it will be the most games in a season (five games) of his career without a passing touchdown. The Bills could try to get Allen a touchdown for those reasons, but the biggest – the very biggest – priority is keeping him healthy. Let him get his start streak, see what the situation is, but then don’t risk anything with the playoff s on the horizon and let backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky take over.’

‘Bills running back James Cook leads the NFL with 1,606 rushing yards, 47 more than the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor. Cook can become the first Bills player to win the rushing title since 1976, when O.J. Simpson did so for the fourth time with 1,503 yards. Cook’s rushing total is the third-best mark in franchise history. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and his 307 carries are two behind Taylor for the league lead.’

‘I expect the emotion of the day will carry the Bills, regardless of who ends up playing. It makes sense for the coaching staff to prioritize resting as many starters as possible, but the Bills’ backups are still better than the Jets. Bills, 24-13.’

‘Offensive coordinator Joe Brady also plays a part in this. He needs to be quicker to react when the other team is generating significant pressure on Allen. He can do that by calling different plays. Maybe that means throws that are designed to come out of Allen’s hand sooner, or keeping running backs and/or tight ends in to help with blocking. It’s on all three of those things to improve. If defenses blitz, it’s on Allen to identify where it’s coming from and get the ball out of his hands quicker. That’s usually an area of the game in which elite quarterbacks excel.’

‘“It’s emotional because I won’t be able to walk into there anymore,” added Poch, who over his time as a season ticket holder got married and now has three children, 12, 10 and 7, who he sometimes takes to games. “I remember going there for the Winter Classic, high school football games and concerts. The building will be gone, but the memories won’t go away.”’

‘“It’s hard to put my thoughts around how I’m going to feel,” said Wilson, whose late husband, Ralph C. Wilson Jr., founded the Bills in 1959 and owned the team until his death in 2014. “It’s bittersweet. I’m sure I’ll shed a few tears. I’m really looking forward to the excitement that’s building around the new stadium. But I’ll be there.”’

‘By now, though, Highmark Stadium is itself a bit of a rockpile. That’s what the engineers tell us, anyway. They decreed that we needed a new stadium because the old one is crumbling.’

‘”The Bills are true blue in my blood,” Dave says. “My kids know what they mean to me.”‘