ESPN

‘Coach Sean McDermott said five players would be absent from Wednesday’s practice because of illness, including defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle, linebacker Matt Milano, defensive back Cam Lewis and fullback Reggie Gilliam.’

‘The play occurred with 5 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the overtime period, just after the Vikings had completed a 24-yard pass to receiver Justin Jefferson to set up a first-and-goal at the Bills’ 2-yard line.’

‘It was! Great endings are in the eye of the beholder, of course, but that final minute was particularly unlikely and spectacular, according to ESPN’s win expectancy model. When the Vikings failed on their fourth-and-goal sneak attempt from the 1-yard line with 50 seconds left in the game, the Bills were basically a lock to take home a victory, with a win expectancy of 99.9%. And when they promptly fumbled the ball away on a failed handoff to the Vikings for a defensive touchdown, Josh Allen & Co. were left with just a 5% chance of taking home a victory.’

‘Allen and McDermott said after the game that he was not impacted by the injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that kept him out of the first two days of practice and limited on Friday.’

‘For the first time in his career, Allen committed three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) in the fourth quarter/overtime period, as the Vikings took advantage to come out on top 33-30 in a wild back-and-forth thriller. Allen has now thrown two or more interceptions in three straight games, and he threw two end zone interceptions in a game for the first time in his career.’

‘The Bills elevated running back Duke Johnson and cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday. Rhodes provides additional depth with rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam (ankle) listed as doubtful and the uncertainty as to when Tre’Davious White, who has spent the last two weeks as a full participant on the roster, will return from a torn ACL.’

‘Allen was a limited participant in practice Friday, his first participation this week after suffering a right elbow injury Sunday against the New York Jets. He was seen at the end of the session wearing a practice jersey for the first time this week. Allen did not have on the sleeve he had been wearing on his right arm.’

‘Should Diggs and Jefferson continue along this path — a reasonable projection given their ages at 28 and 23, respectively — the Bills-Vikings trade would join a small group of NFL deals that directed multiple Hall of Fame-caliber players to their respective teams. As the two receivers prepared to see each other on in a non-Pro Bowl game for the first time Sunday at Highmark Stadium (1 p.m. ET, Fox), Jefferson said: “It was a huge win-win and there’s not too many of those.”‘

‘Allen did briefly walk out of the team’s field house wearing a sleeve on his right arm, but he was not in practice attire. Allen did not participate at all in Wednesday’s practice but was out on the field with the team during the portion closed to the media.’

‘”We will see how he does,” McDermott said. “We use common sense and, obviously, we factor a lot of things in, a medical report being one of them and our doctor’s wisdom and knowledge.”‘

‘”We’re just going through it, still evaluating it, and we’ll see where it goes,” coach Sean McDermott said Monday. “I’ll know more in the next 24 hours and then probably be able to check in with [the media] back on Wednesday.”‘

‘”It’s tough to win in this league when you’re playing a good team and your quarterback plays like s—,” Allen said. “Made some bad decisions tonight, really cost our team. A lot to learn from, a lot to grow from. But that’s not, that’s not the standard we hold ourselves to. That’s not the ball that we play. So, a lot to look at, a lot to learn from.”‘

‘Miller does not have an injury designation for the game and is set to play after missing practice Wednesday with his typical veteran rest day and then Thursday with an ankle injury he suffered last week against the Packers. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice.’

‘The Bills, who lead the AFC with a 6-1 record, have been looking to add a dynamic pass-catching back for some time, originally almost closing in on a deal earlier this year for Washington’s J.D. McKissic before he decided to re-sign with the Commanders. The team drafted running back James Cook in the second round, to fill a role as a receiving threat, and he has been developing over the course of the season. His best receiving performance came in this past week’s game against the Green Bay Packers with a 41-yard reception.’

‘”He’ll remain day-to-day, and not really going to get into speculating on whether he’s going to play this week or not,” McDermott said. “We’re just going to continue to take it day by day like we’ve done to this point.”‘