Archives for September 8, 2021

‘“In order to win the whole thing, you gotta get into the playoffs, and in order to get into the playoffs, you gotta win 10, 11 games,” Allen said. “The most important one is the next one. And again, it’s a team that’s dang good, and we know that. It’s all focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and to be honest, I couldn’t tell you who we play next. It’s been all them for a couple weeks now.”’

‘“He’s trending in the right direction,” coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday. “We will see how it goes today and tomorrow.”’

‘Quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs have been chosen to represent the offense.’

‘In a note to ticketholders, the Bills said they are experiencing “staffing challenges” and are recommending that fans arrive at Highmark Stadium earlier than they are accustomed to.’

‘The Buffalo Bills, following guidance from Erie County, require fans, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask while in enclosed areas of the stadium, such as the concourses. Outdoors, unvaccinated fans must continue to wear a mask at all times, except when actively eating or drinking, though it’s unclear how stadium staff will enforce this rule.’

‘Everyone, from Beane to coach Sean McDermott to players, hits on a similar theme. They say it’s a totally new slate, and last year is all the way behind them. That’s a lot easier to say when you’re coming off a 13-3 season. Sure, things can change quickly in the NFL, but it’s much harder to start from scratch than to keep the wheels from falling off. Still, the idea of a restart is pervasive around Orchard Park.’

‘”I remember starting on the show in 2016, and there just wasn’t much Bills talk, and if there was, you were doing it to satisfy an East Coast time zone or because you were doing it out of nostalgia because we grew up Bills fans,” Kyle Brandt, one of the hosts of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, said this week. “Now, it’s like we lead the show with the Bills. Half the national media members are picking the Bills to go to the Super Bowl. It’s crazy. Personally, I just like to think we as a show were just slightly early to the party, because they’re blowing up now. They’re not the club band anymore. Now they’re playing arenas.”’

‘“Going into this season, one of Stefon’s objectives is to just really, really further ingratiate himself within the Buffalo community,” Meaza said. “In 2020, he wasn’t able to do that, interfacing with fans. … That, I would say, is one of his key goals this season, is really getting to know Bills Mafia. Really, really becoming even more so a member of this community and getting to know everyone there.”’

‘They get a taste of Kansas City on the road on a Sunday night, and could very well meet them again in an AFC championship game rematch, as the Chiefs will be strong again. The Bills’ stretch of New Orleans-New England-Tampa Bay is most interesting to me, with both Thursday and Monday night games mixed in. I have the Bills meeting the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, so perhaps a year of multiple dress rehearsals for the postseason run.’

‘“But you play your way into prime time,” Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, said in a telephone interview. “You don’t draft your way into prime time. The Bills have earned it and their market size doesn’t matter quite as much as their 13-3 (regular season) record. If the Bills were 4-12 or 4-13, market size matters. But record matters more.”’

‘Entering a season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Bills are becoming an even hotter ticket. According to TicketIQ, the average price for a Bills game is $414, an increase of 159% over 2019, the last time fans were allowed at full capacity. Consider that prices for NFL tickets are soaring as fans return and prices for the league overall are up 87%. The percentage increase for Bills tickets is almost double the increase.’

‘Beebe caught touchdown passes of 34, 14, 11, and 4 yards. It is the team record, tied with Jerry Butler, who caught four against the New York Jets in 1979. (Only three players in NFL history have caught five touchdown passes in one game: Bob Shaw for the Chicago Cardinals in 1950, Kellen Winslow for the San Diego Chargers in 1981 and Jerry Rice for the San Francisco 49ers in 1990.)’