Olean Times Herald

‘When it was over, Buffalo (10-6) with a playoff berth already locked up, fell 13-6 to New York (7-9) in a sloppy spectacle that won’t cause the Pro Football Hall of Fame to clamor for the tape.’

‘The Bills have only five cornerbacks – White, Wallace, Taron Johnson, Siran Neal and Kevin Johnson – but with White inactive and the two injuries, only Kevin Johnson – who was eventually taken from the game to protect him – and Neal were available, forcing McKenzie into an unfamiliar role when New York was in a passing situation.’

‘He added, “As a dad I was like, ‘Don’t forget the words … don’t forget the words.’ All the guys were very impressed and I know she brought some of the guys to tears.”’

‘“That’s the journey of a team and how fast sometimes the season goes by, the highs and lows, the ebbs and flows, the challenges and things you’ve gone through as a team,” McDermott said. “It’s not often that you play a team in Week 1 and then again in week 17.”’

‘McDermott also argues that his decision is complicated by the team’s youth. Of the 23 starters (including nickel cornerback Taron Johnson), 10 are age 25 or younger, seven of them in their first or second year. He admits weighing the benefit of them playing another game in preparation for the postseason against the possibility of injury.’

‘“I’ve been through this … some 24, 25 playoff games,” McDermott said. “I’ve been a part of resting guys before. I’ve watched other teams having played their guys. You’re always going to get second-guessed. Some people are going to be with you, some are going to be, ‘Hey, you should be doing this versus what (you’re) doing, or I agree with what they’re doing.’ Certainly, that’s what happens, but we have to do what we feel that’s best for this team.”’

‘“You couldn’t ask for a better situation, playing for a division title in December with two games left, to give yourself a chance. I’m super thankful for this experience and what we were able to do, but at the same time, we came here to win a football game and we didn’t get that done.”’

‘The Bills can’t bench every first-teamer but reserve quarterback Matt Barkley should be the starter and, if McDermott feels he has the flexibility to demote a player, he should activate Davis Webb from the practice squad to ensure Josh Allen gets nowhere near the field. No way should rookie running back Devin Singletary play a down; that role should fall to Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon, who’s been inactive the last 10 weeks, and even special teams ace Senorise Perry.’

‘Still, the Bills are virtually locked into the AFC’s fifth seed (top wild-card spot) and figure to play at either Houston (most likely) or Tennessee when the playoffs open. Meanwhile, the Pats have extra inspiration as a loss in either of their last two games could knock them from one of the conference’s two first-round playoff byes.’

‘If Buffalo loses at New England on Saturday, the Bills’ Week 17 game against the New York Jets would be, for all intents, meaningless.’

‘Still, heading into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Patriots at Foxboro, McDermott’s regular-season record is a solid 25-21 and, over that span, his team is 13-8 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Equally compelling, he’s the first Buffalo coach to have a pair of winning seasons within three years since Wade Phillips did it back-to-back (1998-99).’

‘The one concern for the Bills is the AFC South where Houston (9-5) and Tennessee are bidding for the division title. Buffalo, now virtually assured of the fifth seed (conference’s top wild card) would prefer the Titans win as it already has gone to Nashville and prevailed in the season’s fifth game.’

‘This team is for real.’

‘Pittsburgh, a 2-point favorite, leads the NFL in sacks (47), is second in turnover ratio (+12), fifth in both total yardage (311) and passing yards (210) surrendered and sixth in points given up per game (19). Buffalo, meanwhile, is second in points surrendered (16 on average) and third in both fewest yards (297) and passing yards (192) relinquished each game.’

‘On the New York side of the border, there’s a predominance of Buffalo fans, and though there are some Pittsburgh faithful, it could be argued that there are even more Cleveland disciples dating back to the days when Olean’s WHDL was part of the Browns radio network.’