CBS Sports

‘Josh Allen had one of the greatest performances by a quarterback in NFL playoff history, showcasing the Buffalo Bills’ dominance over the New England Patriots Saturday night. Allen completed 21 of 25 passes for 308 yards with five touchdowns and added 66 yards on the ground, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, run for 60 yards, and have five touchdowns passes in a playoff game.’

‘Pick: Bills 24, Patriots 21.’

‘Allen is best when he’s ripping throws aggressively from in the pocket, taking what the defense gives him at times, sprinkling in some scrambles and designed runs, and occasionally taking deep shots. Belichick will attempt to keep Allen one-dimensional. If he remains “himself” and plays with a good blend of pocket passes, designed runs, scrambles, and off-script throws, the Bills offense will be in great shape in this contest.’

‘While the freezing temperatures would turn most away, cold is not something Buffalo fans or New England fans are strangers to, so it is surprising that the prices are this low. Saturday’s game is at 8:15 p.m. at Bills Stadium.’

‘But notice how much more efficiently this season’s Bills moved the chains. Also, how about the current-day Bills out-of-seemingly-nowhere run prowess? Buffalo finished this regular season with nearly 13% more rushing yards than the NFL average despite entering the season dubbed as a team that would have problems running if it even attempted to run at all. And, of course, Allen’s scrambling and designed-run capabilities are a big part of Buffalo’s ground game.’

‘With that in mind, weather becoming a factor in this could be more beneficial to the Patriots, who are 4.5-point underdogs heading into this playoff matchup. If wind, precipitation, or merely the cold weather can limit Josh Allen’s ability to throw the football, that should keep New England within striking distance, while playing into their preference of running the football.’

‘Allen is the only player in NFL history with 4,000 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns in a season, accomplishing the feat last season. He only had six rushing touchdowns in 2021, ending his three-year streak of rushing for seven-plus touchdowns in a year. Allen still finished with 36 passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns, finishing with 42 total for the year.’

‘That change has a direct impact on players like Beasley and Davis, who were initially expected to miss the full 10 days due to their unvaccinated status and positive tests that forced them to miss last week’s win in New England.’

‘In what was arguably their most impressive offensive performance of the season, the Bills piled up 33 points and most importantly, they didn’t punt a single time. That’s notable because it made the Bills the first team ever to make it through a game without punting against a team coached by Belichick, according to ESPN.’

‘Haack said this is the first game in his NFL career in which he did not have to come in and punt. Some other history was made during the game as well, and not the good kind. This marked the first time in Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s career that an opposing team did not punt for an entire game.’

‘”What we ruled was, we had contact on the sideline,” referee Shawn Smith told pool reporter Mike Reiss of ESPN. “And after discussion, we determined that it was incidental contact that didn’t rise to a level of a personal foul. There was no second act by the defender in that situation, so we determined there was no foul, based on that action.”‘

‘Buffalo had control of this game for basically all four quarters. They came out of the gate with a touchdown drive and were largely able to move the ball up and down the field with ease, averaging 5.7 yards per play. They didn’t punt once and entered the red zone on seven of their nine offensive possessions on the afternoon. The only other two in which they didn’t get into the red area came at the end of the first half and regular when they were killing clock.’

‘Pick: Patriots 27, Bills 23.’

‘The NFL recently updated its COVID-19 protocols so that vaccinated individuals can “test out” of protocol, but as we have seen over the past week, it does not guarantee anything. It also makes it seem less likely for a player like Ford to return, since he was placed on the list two days before the game. Beasley, who is the Bills’ second leading receiver with 640 yards and one touchdown, will certainly be missed in the slot, but Davis will be as well, as he has been coming on as of late. He has caught four touchdowns over the last three games, and caught five passes for 85 yards and two scores last week against the Carolina Panthers.’

‘”Just to be clear Covid is not keeping me out of this game,” Beasley wrote on Instagram. “The rules are. Vaxxed players are playing with Covid every week now because they don’t test. One of my vaxxed teammates is in the hospital missing games. I’m sure he didn’t get this same energy. Thank you for those who support. Everyone else, if you don’t get what’s happening then there is nothing anybody can do for you.”‘