‘In the short term, as nice as Buffalo sweeping the Pats for the first time in nearly 20 years might have been, the immediate impact was bigger. It kept the Bills (12-3) as the No. 2 AFC seed over Pittsburgh (also 12-3) thanks to their head-to-head win over the Steelers two weeks ago.’
Archives for December 29, 2020
Vic Carucci: Josh Allen’s MVP argument gets louder in Bills’ pounding of Patriots
‘Against the Patriots, Allen threw for 320 yards, giving him a franchise-record eight 300-yard passing games in a season, and four touchdowns, three to Stefon Diggs. Allen’s 34 TD throws for the season broke the team record of 33 that Hall of Famer Jim Kelly set in 1991. Allen also broke Drew Bledsoe’s 2002 team records for completions (378 to Bledsoe’s 375) and total yards (4,738 to Bledsoe’s 4,426).’
Jason Wolf: Bills sweep Patriots, and Belichick can’t do anything about it
‘Allen completed 27 of 36 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns. He set the single-season franchise record with 34 passing TDs, surpassing Jim Kelly’s 33 TDs in 1991, while spreading the ball to 10 different receivers. It was such a laugher, he was replaced by Matt Barkley with an entire quarter to play.’
10 observations: Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs make it look laughably easy in rout of Patriots
‘The Bills are the standard in the division now, and the presence of Diggs is a big reason why. It could be that way for a while, too.’
Analysis: Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs set strength of Pats defense on fire
‘Man coverage? Blitzes? Three-man rushes and eight men in coverage? The Bills’ third-year quarterback had the answers for all of it in the 38-9 destruction of New England.’
Quarter by quarter: Bills hand Bill Belichick worst home loss with Pats
‘Fake punt: Jaquan Johnson, the up-back on the punt team, took a direct snap and threw a 13-yard fake punt pass to Siran Neal to keep the Bills’ second drive alive.’
Report Card: Bills were aggressive from start to finish in burying Patriots
‘The Bills were aggressive in every way Monday, going for it on fourth down, running a fake punt, calling deep balls into the second half, etc. Sean McDermott will never come out and say it, but an undeniable statement was made Monday: The AFC East belongs to the Bills now.’
Cuomo: More vaccine on the way as WNY posts improving Covid-19 numbers
‘Cuomo said the “pilot plan” being designed by state health officials is “not just about attending a football game,” but has the potential to guide planning for future business reopenings.’
Alan Pergament: ESPN’s ‘Home Alone’/Josh Allen takeoff has Buffalo angle
‘It was created by an ESPN team led by Buffalo native Michael Szykowny, the senior director of the sports network’s Creative Studio.’
A nearly flawless night as Bills roll over Patriots to complete season sweep
‘“I think when you’re executing and scoring points, it’s hard to do in this league,” said center Mitch Morse. “It’s extremely gratifying to see your hard work put to the test. And our defense put us in some great situations. I thought they played red hot today. … It was just a total team win.”’
Bills report card: Josh Allen-Stefon Diggs duo has been fun to watch, impossible to defend
‘Allen will not win the league MVP award, but there’s no one right now who can say that Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes have played better than him in the second half of the season.’
Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen rewriting Buffalo Bills record book; Buffalo crushes Patriots 38-9: Instant observations
‘Diggs continues to be a problem for opposing defensive coordinators. The Bills have targeted their no. 1 receiver at least 10 times in the last four games and he continues to reward Allen and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Diggs caught nine passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns in perhaps his most dominant performance in a season filled with them. Allen’s trust in Diggs is apparent in the throws he makes in his direction. On the run, into double coverage – it doesn’t matter. Diggs’ addition to the Buffalo offense has transformed it into one of the most difficult units to deal with in the NFL. Diggs’ second touchdown was jaw-dropping. He caught the ball around the 5-yard line with two Patriots defenders draped on him. He took a hit, lowered his shoulder pads, broke through the attempted tackle and strolled into the end zone. Diggs is now at 1,459 receiving yards with one game left to go. Diggs has put together the greatest single season in Bills history after coming over from Minnesota in a trade in a Covid-shortened offseason. His production is really something.’
Bills’ Josh Allen delivers knockout punch to Patriots’ season (12 reasons to be encouraged, 2 reasons to be worried)
‘Buffalo gave up a few big runs early in the game and ended up allowing 145 yards (6.0 YPC) and one score on the ground to New England. The unit eventually settled in, but their run defense woes flashed a bit on Monday night.’
Josh Allen, Bills make changing of the guard official vs. Patriots in 38-9 beatdown (Week 16 report card)
‘A fake punt from your own 35-yard line in a 3-3 game?! Looking for a play that showed the official changing of the guard in the AFC East? This was it.’
Bills’ Jerry Hughes on blowout win vs. Patriots: ‘Nice feeling to return punch in the face’
‘“I was telling some of the guys on the sideline, I haven’t had this feeling in Foxborough ever,” Hughes said after the Bills’ 38-9 shellacking of the Patriots. “This was a nice feeling to come back here in this stadium and return a nice punch in the face. It felt good.”’