Niagara Gazette

‘When the schedule is released each year, most eyes dart to the primetime games. But aside from holiday games — Allen has played on Thanksgiving three times — the marquee games, the ones that draw the biggest ratings, are ones in the 4:25 p.m. window on Sundays.’

‘The Bills have been one of the NFL’s worst teams in run defense this season, allowing 4.7 yards per carry entering the game. Detroit, meanwhile, was third in rushing attempts and fourth in yards rushing. The Bills held them to under 100 yards for the first time all season, holding them to season-lows in yards (48) and attempts (15). Instead, the Bills won by defeating the Lions at their own game, as Detroit gave up a season-high 197 yards rushing.’

‘So now the Bills hold wins over the two teams with the best records in the league in the last month and an offense that went from being average early in the season to a machine, with Allen surgically carving apart defenses.’

‘Johnson caught five passes for 114 yards — the most by a Bills running back since Joe Cribbs in 1981 — and four of them went for at least 19 yards in the Bills’ 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions. It was a game Buffalo’s running backs knew they would have some opportunities against Detroit’s man-to-man coverage preferences and the trio of Johnson, James Cook and Ray Davis combined for eight catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.’

‘“They know the vision and we have to make sure that vision is communicated throughout everyone on the defense,” McDermott said. “It’s all about building alignment. Sometimes you don’t get the results you want so you make a correction, say, ‘Hey, this is where it needs to be corrected.’ … It doesn’t mean it’s all going to happen right away but you keep moving toward that goal.”’

‘The Bills have expended a lot of capital — financially and in the draft — on their defensive line, and in return, the scheme asks them to produce an awful lot. The defensive line has moments of being impenetrable and others when they are undesirable.’

‘Ingram played 87 snaps over the first four games in Buffalo’s dime package while Taron Johnson recovered from a broken forearm. Since Johnson returned in Week 6, though, Ingram played 11 total defensive snaps over eight weeks.’

‘The Rams ran 78 offensive plays and only got to third down 15 times, converting on 11 of them and then easily produced on the only fourth down conversion they attempted. There were far greater coaching gaffes in the game that cost the Bills and wasted a historic performance from quarterback Josh Allen.’

‘The Bills allowed a season-high 457 yards in a 44-42 loss to the Rams, the most points allowed since the 2018 season opener. Buffalo’s seven-game winning streak evaporated and it begets the question about whether the Bills defense is good enough to make a deep playoff run.’

‘“It was definitely tough, especially at first,” Carter told GNN Sports. “… I felt like I let myself down a little bit and that’s just part of injuries and things like that. So working through it and working with the team, being around the team, staying involved in the game and still learning. I think it was a huge plus for me and a huge growth point for me mentally.”’

‘The Bills are second in takeaways (one behind the Pittsburgh Steelers) and 11 of their 24 forced turnovers have come on their side of the field. It might seem like fool’s gold, luck or a dangerous way to play.’

‘“I just wanted to come back and do anything I could do to help,” Hyde said. “If it’s helping young guys understand the NFL on and off the field, older guys helping them with what they got to do on the field, whatever it may be, I’m here to help.I’m an open book, and so I’m excited for this role, and it’s a new role for me.”’

‘The play used by the Bills was a zone run play, a staple of their running play, called “duo.” It’s a hybrid between a zone and gap-scheme play — players block the nearest man in their zone rather than an assigned defender — and the objective is to get a double-team by the guard and tackle at the point of attack.’

‘But with his third four-touchdown game of the season, Allen is the clear frontrunner to win his first MVP award. More importantly, the Bills rolled to a 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers for the fifth consecutive division championship, becoming the first team in the NFL to clinch a division title, while joining the Kansas City Chiefs as the only teams to secure a playoff berth thus far.’

‘A lake effect snow warning is in effect in Orchard Park until 7 p.m. Monday and the storm could dump up to 2 feet of snow. When the game begins, temperatures are slated to be in the upper 20s with 8 mph winds out of the west and 44% chance of precipitation.’