ESPN

‘Only two defensive starters started all 17 games for the Bills — nickel corner Taron Johnson and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard. But Johnson and Bernard, two of the team’s most consistent players, are questionable for Sunday because of injury. The team lost two key starters for the season in Weeks 4 and 5 — cornerback Tre’Davious White and 2022 first-team All-Pro outside linebacker Matt Milano.’

‘This will be the second straight game missed for both Davis and Rapp after they suffered injuries in the regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins. Spector and Benford were both injured in the playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.’

‘The Bills are on the team’s second offensive coordinator change since that game, with Ken Dorsey hired to replace Brian Daboll in the 2022 offseason, and then Joe Brady hired as interim offensive coordinator when Dorsey was fired after Week 10 of this season. The change in playcaller to Brady has led to an increase in the team’s designed rush percentage (up from 35.3% in 2021 to 40.8% in 2023), including a big rushing performance vs. the Cowboys.’

‘”[Mahomes has] only been here once. So, he’s never been here. Simple as that,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “Pat has never been to the Bills’ stadium in full. … The environment will be different and not to say it’s in our favor, but stadium is our favor. Stadium is us. That helps us. I don’t care what nobody says. This is the most dopest feeling I’ve ever had. We’re having two back-to-back playoff games home. Come on now, like we get to leave and go eat wings. It’s cool. So good luck.”‘

‘”When you compete against your friends, you almost want to win even more because of it,” Mahomes said. “Josh is a great dude. I respect the way he plays football and just the guy that he is. But when two guys that are ultracompetitive that are friends off the field go up against each other, we obviously both want to win. We see each other in the offseason, and you want to have a little bit of those bragging rights.”‘

‘Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw first-quarter touchdown passes to tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. Allen added a personal record 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to stake the Bills to a 21-0 lead, one they would not relinquish.’

‘Allen’s 52-yard touchdown run — which came on the heels of a pair of touchdown passes to Buffalo Bills tight ends earlier in the game — was the second-longest scoring run by a quarterback in NFL playoff history (Colin Kaepernick vs. the Seahawks in the 2013 NFC Championship) and the longest run, touchdown or otherwise, of Allen’s career. The TD staked Buffalo to a 21-0 lead.’

‘Bernard was ruled out of the remainder of the game after receiving X-rays on his right ankle. He suffered the injury on a pass from quarterback Mason Rudolph to wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the middle of the field for a gain of 19 yards. Bernard went down after making the tackle on Johnson and remained on the ground appearing in pain after the play. He was attended to by athletic trainers, and the cart soon came out on the field for him.’

‘Some fans used shovels from guest services to find their way to their seats, while others used pieces of cardboard to dig out the snow. Some walked through the snow to clear a pathway in a particular row. Snow remained in parts of all three decks of the stadium, with many fans beginning to clear snow as they made their way to their seats. Many sat on pieces of cardboard for a dry surface, but a number of fans were standing as things got underway.’

‘Others from the Bills on the field and the sideline were screaming for him to get down, per Allen, but instead, he just kept running. His legs continued to move on third-and-7 from the Buffalo 48-yard line midway through the second quarter and resulted in a 52-yard touchdown run as part of a playoff performance that reset the NFL and the Bills’ record books.’

‘”Game time on Monday, weather conditions will be very cold. They’ll be in the teens, and even wind-chill factors as low as zero, maybe to 9 degrees, but that’s going to be very, very cold,” Hochul said. “But this will be without the danger of the winds and the blinding snow and the hazardous traffic conditions for those as they traveled to the stadium or leaving based on current predictions. So that is a better dynamic, by far better dynamic, than we would’ve had today. I’m not saying it’s going to be pleasant, but conditions won’t be life threatening either.”‘

‘The team had put out requests for assistance in shoveling the stadium ahead of their wild-card game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was rescheduled from Sunday afternoon to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET because of the snowstorm in the region. The team has asked for local residents to follow officials’ requests to keep the roads clear and “not report to Highmark Stadium until further notice once the bans are lifted.” The team said it would communicate more information upon changes in weather and the bans.’

‘When there is heavy snow before games, the team often reaches out to the community for help in getting the stadium ready for a game, considering the snow is able to impact a significant amount of the open-air stadium. The team is offering a rate of $20 an hour, and “complimentary food and breaks will be provided throughout the shifts in a comfortable warm area.”‘

‘”Now, you may see clear skies [Sunday] morning, but don’t be fooled,” Hochul said. “The bull’s-eye of the storm is predicted to hit midday Sunday afternoon right during the scheduled Buffalo Bills game. … [The game will] continue to be played at Highmark Field right in Orchard Park. It’s all part of our critical efforts to keep New Yorkers, motorists and fans safe from this wildly unpredictable storm.”‘

‘Both players suffered injuries in the Bills’ win over the Miami Dolphins last week that secured the AFC East division title and the No. 2 seed in the conference. Rapp, who plays a key role in the dime package, was injured on the play in which he caught the game-ending interception.’