‘That’s one of the main takeaways from the snap counts following the team’s 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver played 46 of the 52 defensive snaps for the team, or 88%. By percentage, it was Oliver’s second-busiest game of the season. He played 90.9% of the snaps against Philadelphia in Week 12. In five of the Bills’ last eight games of the season, Oliver played at least 73% of the defensive snaps. That’s a distinct shift from the way the usually rotates along the defensive line. Typically, even the starters don’t commonly see much more than 65% of the snaps as part of a rotation, and frequently it’s less than that.’
BillsBeat - January 9, 2024
Bills' Rasul Douglas on injury: 'I'm going to get through it'
‘Douglas injured his left knee in the second quarter and went into the sideline medical tent. He emerged and tried to test the knee before heading back into the tent. He would then go to the locker room for further evaluation and was deemed questionable to return.’
Ryan O'Halloran: Numbers alone don't tell the story of this Bills team
‘Forehead-slamming and fist-pumping moments, oftentimes during the same possession, you know you’re used to it by now, Bills fans. That’s the way of the NFL, where anybody-can-beat-or-lose-to-anybody reigns. This year, five of the Bills’ six losses were to teams that did not qualify for the postseason, but they were 5-1 against playoff teams. When their best was mandated, they played their best.’
Position grades: Josh Allen adds to all-purpose place in NFL history
‘Allen posted his ninth career game with 300 or more passing yards and 50 or more rushing yards, now the most ever for an NFL quarterback. Allen had been tied at eight games with Hall of Famer Steve Young. Allen passed for 359 yards and ran for 67.’
Joe Brady Watch: Bills spread Dolphins out and flourished in three wides
‘It was apparent interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady liked the passing-game matchups against the Miami Dolphins and wanted to keep the ball in Josh Allen’s hands. The Bills spread the Dolphins out with 11 personnel (three wideouts) on 64 of 77 plays. The Bills called 45 passes to 26 runs before the final six snaps, which were clock-eating run plays. Allen had his most productive passing game of the year out of 11 personnell, with 313 yards, and the best completion rate (82%). The previous best 11P yardage day was against Tampa Bay (306 yards).’
Bills host resurgent Steelers in wild-card round: What to know about playoff game
‘Sunday’s game will be the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason, but the first in Orchard Park, and the first when Tomlin and McDermott were children, the last when they were still in college.’
Bills victory in Miami to win AFC East title brings memories of seismic 2017 celebration
‘As I made my way around the Bills’ locker room Sunday night, it was impossible not to drift back seven years in time to that scene in this same place.’
Buffalo Bills schedule 2024: Here's who the AFC East champs will play
‘Once their 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins was complete Sunday night, the final three opponents on the schedule were finalized – all games against fellow first-place teams. Those three feature road games at NFC North champ Detroit and AFC North champ Baltimore, and a home game – yes, believe it or not, a home game – against the Kansas City Chiefs.’
What Dane Jackson said to Rasul Douglas, and how backups lifted Bills over Miami Dolphins
‘“He really looked me in my face,” Douglas said. “He looked me in my eye and he was like, ‘Sul, if you’re not 100, he was like, ‘I promise you. I got you.’ And I was like, ‘You know what? Go ahead do your thing.’ I got faith in him.”’
Bills Mafia swarms Buffalo airport at 4 a.m. after Bills win AFC East vs. Dolphins (video)
‘Over 150 Buffalo Bills fans made the trip to the airport on Monday morning around 4 a.m. to greet players and coaches back in Western New York following their 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. By defeating the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football, Buffalo won the AFC East title for the fourth consecutive season.’
Sean McDermott, Bills defense go from uh-oh to whoa in late-game situations
‘A coach whose defining moment came in 13 seconds in Kansas City didn’t seem to know how to close out close games after moving to 29-28 in one-score games as a head coach. The Bills had less than 20% odds to make the playoffs Nov. 27 and McDermott vowed to get to the bottom of the late-game struggles.’
Simmons: Unconventional Josh Allen fights his way to another division title for the Buffalo Bills
‘Allen takes a big shot, get knocked down, swings wildly in return, acts erratically, makes bad decisions, leaves himself open, lands giant bombs, takes one or more on the chin and somehow just keeps on battling.’
Josh Allen might be the wild card the Buffalo Bills have needed all along
‘Sunday night was also, of course, another exciting episode of the Full Josh Allen Experience, and god, it’s the best when you’re not actually rooting for the Bills. On the first Bills drive, Allen got them to the five-yard line and hucked an absolute no-hope interception into the end zone. On Buffalo’s second drive, Allen started one of his signature plays: flushed out of the pocket, dodging defenders, creating time but running out of time, scanning downfield, the sideline and defenders and everything closing in.’
Paul Zeise: Josh Allen plays for both teams most nights, and that is a good thing for the Steelers
‘Yeah, please tell me again how the Steelers got a tougher draw having to play in Buffalo than play against that guy. If you believe that, then either you just haven’t been paying attention or you are just being a contrarian—or you are, as I wrote earlier, on the wacky tobaccy.’
Steelers 'energetic' about getting chance to face Bills in AFC wild-card matchup
‘The matchup pits two teams peaking at the right time of the season. While Buffalo rebounded from a 6-6 start to win the division title, the Steelers won their final three games to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2020.’