Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘It was a great way for the Bills to end their season. They scored a season-high 42 points, thanks in large part to a perfect 4-for-4 success rate in the red zone. On offense the Bills rolled up 381 yards while the defense held the listless Dolphins to 225 despite the time of possession being almost dead even. On an emotional day with Kyle Williams playing his last game of his 13-year career, the Bills could have stumbled in this one. Instead, other than a brief lapse in the second quarter, the Bills dominated the underachieving Dolphins across the board.’

‘It will be a bit different at the conclusion of Sunday’s season finale against those same Dolphins, this time at New Era Field. Both the Bills (5-10) and Dolphins (7-8) are out of the playoff chase and are playing out the schedule, so there won’t be anyone partying when the final gun sounds.’

‘Bills 26, Dolphins 17.’

‘Williams said the decision came down to one simple thing: Spending more time with his family. His oldest daughter is 12, and he made the point that he has cumulatively spent one year of her life just in training camp at St. John Fisher College, so it was time to be a dad.’

‘The fact that his two little boys were with him when Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd crossed the goal line in Baltimore to send the Bills to the postseason made it all the more memorable. Williams doing a selfie video with his kids, and accepting congratulations from everyone in the room, was a scene I’ll never forget.’

‘QB search: The Bills’ hierarchy headed to Indianapolis for the annual NFL Scouting Combine with the intent of intensifying its research on the top-rated QBs in the draft. Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen were all in the mix, depending on how high the Bills could trade up in the first round. “They do have ammunition, and pretty good ammunition,” Bill Polian said of Buffalo’s two first-round picks.’

‘Sean McDermott: To be less patient. The charismatic head coach’s support of Nathan Peterman and Kelvin Benjamin was honorable. But they’d have lasted one five-interception game and one time jogging on a route under Bill Belichick.’

‘Heading into the finale against Miami, Croom has 20 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown. Despite playing 117 more snaps than Croom, Clay has just 21 catches for 184 yards and no touchdowns. Given what happened in New England, it seems a foregone conclusion that Clay won’t be with Buffalo in 2019, and that Croom may begin the spring offseason program at the top of the depth chart.’

‘“Yeah, that’s between LeSean and myself and I appreciate him being accountable,” McDermott said. “I really do, and we’ve moved on and that’s where we’re headed. That happens from time to time. Nobody’s perfect. But again, I appreciate him being accountable. And I’m not perfect in this case, he wasn’t perfect and we addressed it and we’re moving forward.”’

‘The Bills are completing just Year 2 of a front-office and coaching realignment under Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott. Their quarterback of the future is in place in Josh Allen, draft picks have been stockpiled like Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards and they will have salary cap room to burn.’

‘Which means the big difference in this game was as clear as a spotted elephant, the ease at which the Patriots, led by running backs Sony Michel and James White, ran through Buffalo’s defense, which has ranked No. 1 or No. 2 much of the season.’

‘Still, the Patriots beat the Bills for the 33rd time in 38 games since Bill Belichick became coach in 2000, and there really wasn’t a point all day where it was in doubt.’

‘Allen’s stock-market season took another dip as he looked overwhelmed at times against Bill Belichick’s defense. He completed 20 of 41 passes for 217 yards with a TD and two picks for a rating of 52.6. He rushed for only 30 yards, and simply wasn’t up to the task of beating the Patriots in his first try.’

‘The beat just goes on and on, and the Patriots proved yet again they are the haves, and the Bills are the have nots. Buffalo was a 13-point underdog, yet some believed that because New England had lost two games in a row, it was suddenly on the skids and could be ripe for an upset. Come on, did anyone really fall for that one? The Patriots are now 7-0 at home, and there wasn’t one point in the game where anyone could have believed the Bills had a chance to pull the upset. These teams are on different levels, even now. Whatever the Patriots needed to do, they did, just like they always have in their twice annual floggings of the Bills.’

‘The horror! The outrage! Two straight losses! Fire Bill Belichick! Cut Tom Brady!’