Olean Times Herald

‘And, it could be argued that, given the Bengals’ fast start last Monday night before the Damar Hamlin injury, had the game gone to conclusion, the way the rest of the season played out, if Cincinnati had prevailed, Buffalo would have fallen to third seed.’

‘But it’sS not just Buffalo which has plenty at stake tomorrow. Ditto New England (8-8) which, despite an uneven season and three tough losses including the final-play debacle in Las Vegas, can still make the playoffs. The Pats must beat the Bills and either Miami (Jets) or Pittsburgh (Browns), both playing at home, have to lose or tie.’

‘Kansas City, 13-3, tops the AFC and concludes its regular season this afternoon at Las Vegas. Both Buffalo, 12-3, and Cincinnati, 11-4, beat the Chiefs during the regular season but, due to Hamlin’s injury, were deprived of a head-to-head opportunity to position themselves for the AFC title.’

‘And for just about the first 10 minutes it lived up to the hype … and then it didn’t, in the worst possible way.’

‘Sports networks aren’t the best candidates to cover a major news story even if it’s football-related and it was painfully obvious.’

‘Burrow and Allen have decidedly similar stats. Allen has thrown 32 touchdowns with 13 interceptions with a 96.1 passer rating and seven rushing scores. Burrow has passed for 34 TDs with a dozen picks, five running touchdowns and a 102.3 passer rating.’

‘But the reality for Buffalo is, a loss Monday night virtually dashes the dream of the conference’s top seed and the AFC’s only first-round bye. The Bills could lose the conference’s No.1 seed to either Kansas City or Cincinnati and, as a third seed, would get a much less favorable playoff draw, albeit at home.’

‘Allen pointed out, of the line, “They relieved a lot of pressure, skipping third downs. When you can hand the ball off and score touchdowns, that makes everybody happy. For our backs to run the way they did … it’s good to see them get some results like that because they’ve worked their tails off all season long. It was good to get those guys going.”’

‘The Bears have struggled to a 3-11 start, but seven of those defeats have been in single-possession games, five of them by five points or fewer.’

‘Over the season’s first 16 games, the Bills have played only half at the standard NFL 1 p.m. starting time. The other eight featured two Monday nighters, three on a Thursday, one of those on Thanksgiving, a Sunday late afternoon national telecast and a Saturday nighter.’

‘What’s certain is that Miami wasn’t bothered by the conditions. The Dolphins scored 29 points, amassed 405 offensive yards and were leading 29-21 with just over nine minutes to play.’

‘The betting line opened at Bills minus-9 and has dropped two points, but, given the conditions, even a touchdown seems a bit much.’

‘“Playing in Buffalo in December is not the easiest task. We get to practice in it, that’s one advantage that we do have, something we’ve played in before and we’ve got to use (that edge).”’

‘Over those first seven games, Buffalo averaged 31 points and outscored the opposition by 20 on average, excluding the loss at Miami. During the current four-game win streak, the Bills offensive point production is down and points surrendered are up, with the average margin of victory at eight.’

‘And, at 10-3, the Bills remain on top of not only the division, but also the entire American Football Conference. If form holds, with four to play and wins them all, Buffalo will host every playoff game as long as it’s alive in the postseason.’