Niagara Gazette

‘With the game on the line, the Bills’ high-priced defensive line was in his face, tipping a ball and hitting the Kansas City Chiefs’ two-time MVP twice, including a fourth-and-15 hit by Leonard Floyd that forced Mahomes to drift left and throw off his back foot.’

‘There were times McDermott couldn’t seem to shake his old habits, from burning two timeouts at the end of the first half on defense, to refusing to a kick a field goal on the final play or dialing up pressure on the last drive of the game, despite costing the Bills previously in those moments with the same strategy.’

‘Entering Sunday, the Bills have a 3% chance to win the AFC East and 20% chance to make the playoffs, down from a 67% chance five weeks ago, according to Upshot’s playoff simulator. A win over the Chiefs bumps Buffalo’s playoff odds to 33%, but loss plummets them to 9%.’

‘“I know who I am,” McDermott said. “I know how I try and do things. Am I without flaw? No, I’m not without flaw, and I say that humbly. I believe we try and do things right here. I doesn’t mean that everything we do is right. People are going to have their own opinions. I believe we’ve won a lot of games here since we’ve arrived and I’m confident in that.”’

‘Allen was not blitzed more than eight times in the final five games of the regular season, and since then, teams have waffled back and forth about whether to blitz him at a high rate or not. Teams have blitzed Allen 10-plus times in six games and the Bills have largely been able to handle it.’

‘The Bills have tried blitzing him, they’ve tried barely blitzing him at all. But Mahomes has still averaged 307.6 yards per game, with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in five career games against Buffalo.’

‘An uncomfortable topic was met with uncomfortable silence.’

‘The Bills are 9-13 over the last four seasons in games where their running backs get 15 or fewer attempts, compared to 34-5 with more than 15, including a 6-2 mark this season. Meanwhile, Bills running backs have the same number of 100-yard rushers (four) as games with 10 or fewer attempts during that span.’

‘The Bills are the only team to beat the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs in their home venue, but it’s also the site of the franchise’s most crushing losses in the last 20-plus years. In other words, Buffalo has proven capable of winning at Arrowhead, but not when it matters most.’

‘“You’d be surprised how many people stop because they want to take a picture with him,” Michaelene said. “Little, old ladies because they want to show that Josh is hugging them and a lot of young girls, too.”’

‘Miller then went into the office and shouted, “Get out” at the woman. As she tried to gather her belongings, the affidavit claims Miller shoved and pushed her as she repeatedly yelled, “Stop. I’m pregnant.” He continued to push her, stepping on her feet, which caused her to fall into a chair, according to the Morning News’ report on the affidavit.’

‘With the loss, the Bills fell to 28-29 in one-score games under coach Sean McDermott and 22-23 in games Allen has started and finished since entering the league in 2018. During the same time span, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are 39-19 in one-score games, while the Eagles are 17-8 since Jalen Hurts became the starter in 2020.’

‘Josh Allen put together perhaps his most complete game of the season. Allen almost willed the Buffalo Bills to a win over the team with the best record in the NFL Sunday. Almost.’

‘An organization and a coach who believe they are Super Bowl caliber have wilted into mediocrity. In six losses, 78 of Buffalo’s 91 points allowed have come in the fourth quarter, while opponents’ yards per play jump from 5.6 in the first three quarters to 6.4 in the last.’

‘“They’re going to try and take us out of the game and have us running left and right,” Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa said. “And when they try to do that, we gotta get over there and make a play. They’re not going to hand it to us.”’