ESPN

‘The Buffalo Bills quarterback followed center Connor McGovern in for the touchdown, which stretched the Bills’ lead to 11 points over the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round Sunday. Though the Ravens rallied late, the Bills ultimately held on for a 27-25 win to advance to the AFC Championship Game. A dropped, would-be 2-point conversion by Mark Andrews and a subsequent onside kick recovery helped seal the win for Buffalo.’

‘”The skill set was there for both,” ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “They were unique and I get that. That’s why people were misevaluating what they could be in the NFL, because they weren’t what the NFL was used to seeing.”‘

‘”It was the body of work during the season,” Smiley said of giving Joe the job. “Stay plugged in, keep getting better, great energy, great, obviously, performance on the field, but great questions in the meeting room … It’s hard for rookies, this is a long season and for him, just every week it’s a little better, a little better, a little better. So, yeah, he was very deserving and we were all excited that he got to do it.”‘

‘The video, which has since gone viral, captures a moment from Olivia Doiron and Sean Smith’s wedding ceremony last month. The couple, who live in Nova Scotia, share a memorable moment as Smith takes an unexpected turn in the middle of his vows.’

‘The matchup that now awaits the Bills has been much anticipated as a possibility since the playoff seeding was finalized, with the game featuring the two favorites for MVP — Allen led the odds over Lamar Jackson in the regular season — and the quarterbacks on the All-Pro first team (Jackson) and second team (Allen). The showdown will be a rematch of the Week 4 meeting that the Ravens won 35-10.’

‘Allen went 20-of-26 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to eight carries for 46 yards. In the final three quarters, he completed 14 of 17 passes (82%) for 227 yards and the two touchdowns.’

‘It took a bit of time for the Buffalo Bills to get going, but after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, the Buffalo Bills scored 10 straight points, taking the lead on a 5-yard rushing touchdown by James Cook.’

‘”Coop just got here, so the amount of trust that goes into that shows the type of program that we have here,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “That the guys can come in, in the middle of the season and build the trust that they can do things like that and feel confident in doing it. So, a lot of people see what Josh did, but Coop was the one who really had to trust it.”‘

‘The sack was Miller’s sixth of the season, earning him a $1.5 million bonus. (He reached a $1 million bonus earlier this season when he achieved two sacks.)’

‘The Buffalo Heroes Scholarship will support underserved high school and college-bound students who hope to attend Buffalo-area private high schools, trade schools or universities. Hamlin attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh with financial support.’

‘Just prior to kickoff of the 2024 season, the Bills had a 43.6% chance to win the AFC East, the lowest of any projected division winner, per ESPN Analytics, with the projected second-hardest schedule in the NFL. Buffalo would defy that forecast to become the first team to clinch its division and defeated two eventual 14-win teams (Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions).’

‘”One of the things that we know is very, very important to [Allen] is his consecutive starts streak, if you will, and it’s important to him for a great reason,” McDermott said. “He wants to be out there with his teammates and so he will be out there for a very, very short-lived amount of time and then he’ll be off rather quickly there.”‘

‘”I don’t know what more else he could do,” right tackle Spencer Brown said. “That’s consistency … he does it with anybody that he gets his hands on. I mean, it’s pretty clear-cut for me. And then now people are saying, ‘Oh, it’s a Charles Barkley MVP.’ I’m like, ‘Ah, he’s the only player to ever do that.’ … It’s not up to me. I don’t vote. But 17 is the MVP for sure.”‘

‘On second-and-13, Allen stepped back in the pocket before launching the ball into the end zone with Cooper making a leaping catch. He hit the ground hard but held on to the football. Cooper was slow to get up after the play and was later evaluated for a head injury and cleared.’

‘Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s performance vs. the Houston Texans on Christmas Day improved his odds to +180. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is behind them at +1800 and Cincinnati Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow may be listed at +10000 odds but has a compelling statistical argument for the award, especially if the Bengals sneak into the playoffs.’