USA Today

‘What’s interesting about the doubleheader is that it bucks convention. The NFL and its broadcast partners typically don’t compete against each other in primetime slots during Monday, Thursday and Sunday night games. Yet, the games in this Week 2 doubleheader will have some overlap, with the Titans-Bills showdown kicking off at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and the Vikings-Eagles billing starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.’

‘“I was aware that they were being reached out to by other cities that have lost teams before. That is real,” Hochul said in an April 13 interview with WNYC. “They had definitely other options.” “My entire life,” she added, “there was talk of them going to Toronto.” And yet, the Bills have never left Buffalo.’

‘Diggs is just the latest wideout to receive a new contract, although he didn’t get traded to receive it. Just last month, Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins from Kansas City and received a $72.2 million guaranteed, and All-Pro Davante Adams got $65 million guaranteed after he was shipped from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders.’

‘It’s become a bizarre sort of cycle, he and other experts say. For decades, local and state governments have used taxpayer money to help build new sports stadiums for their hometown teams, often with the promise that those venues will have a major impact on the local economy. And for decades, experts have studied those arrangements and found those promised economic boons did not pan out.’

‘Miller has posted seven double-digit sack seasons during his 11-year NFL career. After missing the entire 2020 season after a suffering an ankle injury in practice, Miller played seven games for the Broncos in 2021 before being traded to the Rams, who went all-in on a Super Bowl run. With the Rams, Miller teamed up with three-time NFL defensive player of the year Aaron Donald to form a formidable defensive line duo that overwhelmed the upstart Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56.’

‘The Patricia Allen fund was later developed with the input of Allen and his family to continue to support pediatric efforts on the critical care team.’

‘But could playoff get much more exciting than the duel at Arrowhead Stadium this week? After a trio of older quarterbacks were upset at home, the Chiefs and Bills demonstrated how powerful young, dual-threat signal-callers can be.’

‘Sunday, the Chiefs engineered an eight-play touchdown drive in overtime featuring six-of-six passing by Patrick Mahomes. The overtime drive was sufficient to seal the Chiefs’ win and their fourth straight AFC championship game berth. It also ended Buffalo’s special season, the Bills’ playoff chances extinguished at Arrowhead Stadium for a second straight year.’

‘That’s part of Allen’s appeal. He knows how to endure. He had no Division I scholarships coming out of high school in tiny Firebaugh, California, where one of the big annual events is the Cantaloupe Roundup Festival. So Allen went to junior college and then the University of Wyoming. He was overlooked, which is just how Buffalo feels much of the time.’

‘”He came up to me, which was really cool,” Allen said Thursday on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what he’s done in his career. Obviously, he’s one of the — if not the — greatest coach of all time, so for him to come up to me after the game and give me some kudos and dap me up, it meant a lot to me, just knowing the coach that he is, the type of players that he has been around and coached, and obviously the success he has had in his career. It was a pretty cool moment for me.”‘

‘“He’s Fitzmagic,” Billy says. “I mean — that beard. Everyone around us knew who he was.”’

‘Josh Allen needed this.’

‘It all started when Hunter Schinabeck donated $17 to the organization Monday after officials were “unable to see the blatant pass interference on Stefon Diggs,” he wrote on his donation page. Schinabeck was referring to a third-and-2 play late in regulation when Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis made contact with Diggs on a throw to the end zone. A penalty would have set up first-and-goal with 22 seconds remaining.’

‘”This outcry of support is shocking and amazing. We are just so humbled by Bills Mafia and the City of Good Neighbors,” Samantha Burfiend, communications manager for the VIA, said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.’

‘”So, with all due respect, it’s not a Bill Belichick-type thing. It’s what are you doing with the opportunities you got? What are you doing with the opportunities you got? We turned the ball over at the plus 30-something yard line. It’s sloppy football. It’s sloppy football. So, I’m very comfortable in that situation.”‘