Olean Times Herald

‘“As you get further and further out from 2017 and that transition (from 2016) not a lot of those players are here with us now, especially these younger players (of the past three years),” he said. “They think it’s the same every year, and this just happens, so a critical piece of that going forward is to make sure those guys don’t take it for granted and know, because they’ll eventually become the leaders, they will have to educate and influence the younger guys that come in.”‘

‘Thus, the division title is still undecided and, if the Patriots win at Miami (8-8) and the Bills were to conjure a loss to the Jets (4-12), New England would be the AFC East champion. And, get this, while Buffalo can’t do it by winning the division, the Pats, should they claim the East, could leap-frog Tennessee, Cincinnati and Kansas City (if they all lost) and actually finish with the AFC’s best record, via tie-breakers, and draw a first-round playoff bye.’

‘In talking about the Bills’ ground game, Allen allowed, “Especially with the elements that we play with here in Buffalo, we’ve got to be able to run the ball and there were a lot of situations where they knew we were going to run the ball and we did. When you can run it when they know you’re going to run it, that’s typically a sign of a good offense. And we did a good job with that today.”’

‘Coach Arthur Smith’s defense, plus Western New York’s January weather, helped conjure Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s worst passing day in his four-year pro career.’

‘With the win, besides clinching a playoff berth (thanks to the loss by Baltimore to the Rams) for the fourth time in coach Sean McDermott’s fifth season, it marked the first time Buffalo has strung three consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins since the Super Bowl era (1990-93).’

‘If they beat Atlanta, a loss by Baltimore (home against the Rams) or a loss or a tie by either the Chargers (home against Denver) or Raiders (at Indianapolis) would put them in.’

‘“There’s narratives every week. One week you’re on top of the mountain and the next you’re down in the valley … there’s ebbs and flows. That’s taking it one week at a time and teaching those guys how important it is to have that mindset of not to get too low when things aren’t going great and not to get too high when they’re going fairly well.”’

‘”As far as no punting, I’m just glad we went out there and got a win,” Daboll said. “We tried to do the things we thought we could do and, ultimately, the players went out there and executed … the biggest thing was getting a win.”’

‘On this day, the Bills produced their best effort of the season, given the circumstances, and secured an open path to a repeat as AFC East champion.’

‘Allen’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs just before halftime was the 100th of his Bills career. He became only the ninth NFL quarterback to throw at least 100 TD passes in his first four NFL seasons.’

‘“Meaningful games in December, when you’re playing those, that’s where you want to be,” he said. “They’re all important whether it’s September or not, but you can see the way this league is right now, there’s a lot of parity … teams win that nobody thinks can win, teams lose (unexpectedly).’

‘Meanwhile, Beasley is sadly mistaken if he thinks there’s a groundswell of support for his position. All Bills fans care about is a win Sunday, not his “rights,” and Beasley’s stubbornness has merely made that more difficult.’

‘In any case, McDermott’s comments did not play well with the Patriots’ faithful and were not forgotten.’

‘If the Bills beat the Pats and both teams then win out, Buffalo, at 11-6, would repeat as division champ based on the better AFC East record. However a loss to New England would leave Buffalo desperately seeking a wild-card playoff berth.’

‘And the Bills played in workmanlike fashion, rather than wound-up mode to issue a warning in Foxboro. That was fine against Carolina, but the mood will be different next Sunday in Gillette Stadium, the day after Christmas, when Buffalo (8-6) must win to avenge its 14-10 home loss to the Pats, and retain any hope of repeating as division champ.’