‘“Nobody at the end of careers looks back and really figures out how many times you won your division,” Allen said. “I think the main goal is the Super Bowl, and winning the division just gives you an opportunity to do that. That’s really our focus. It’s great, it’s fine. The hats and shirts are cool, but at the end of the day, we’ve got a lot more work to do.”’
Archives for January 10, 2022
Observations: Bills clinch second straight AFC East title; will host Patriots in wild-card playoff game
‘The Bills (11-6) held the Jets (4-13) to just four first downs, setting a franchise record. It was also the fewest allowed by any NFL team since 1998. The Bills also allowed just 53 net yards, which is the second fewest in franchise history, trailing only the 26 gained by Cleveland on Dec. 12, 2004.’
Motor’s running helps Bills offense out of funk in victory over Jets
‘The third-year running back finished with 88 rushing yards on 19 carries, along with 24 receiving yards on two catches. He had two touchdowns: one rushing and one receiving on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter.’
Q&A: Did the Bills catch a break with their AFC playoff seeding?
‘One might argue that Kansas City is the most dangerous team in the AFC. The Bills might have been better off getting the No. 4 seed and facing a divisional-round game against No. 1 Tennessee rather than one vs. the No. 2 Chiefs. Whatever. The likelihood is the Bills would have to beat the Chiefs at some point anyway.’
Plays that shaped the game: Josh Allen’s Superman throw to Diggs tops plays
‘Quincy Williams wrapped both arms around Allen’s waist. As Allen was being hauled out of bounds, he leapt toward the sideline and had both feet off the ground when he unleashed a side-armed throw to the side of the end zone.’
Quarter by quarter: Bills use fast start, smothering defense to capture AFC East
‘More sacks: When Ed Oliver and Jerry Hughes combined for a sack, it was the eighth of the game, marking the most under Sean McDermott. The Bills passed that. A.J. Epenesa got the ninth sack of the game, the nine totaling a loss of 82 yards for the Jets.’
Report Card: Bills’ defense ends the regular season on a high note in win over Jets
‘Sean McDermott’s timeout usage was not good. The Bills had to burn a timeout in each half because the play clock was about to expire, but those weren’t nearly as bad as intentionally running the play clock down before taking a timeout to avoid a delay of game prior to a fourth-and-1 play.’
Bills defense has record-breaking performance against Jets, offense needs to regain mojo
‘A win is a win, as they say, but starting this week, the third-seeded Bills are going to have to pick it up because there are no more layups on what has been an easy season-long schedule.’
Bills report card: Defense bullies Jets to win division but team’s goal is Super Bowl
‘Matt Haack finally did what he’s primarily paid to do: Punt the ball. If that’s what you want to call what he was trying to do. He hadn’t attempted one since the Panthers game, a span of 151 minutes, 44 seconds, but he was finally called on midway through the second quarter. He hit a line drive into the wind and it was downed at the Jets 19, and it never got better for him. He finished with a 30.3 net average on seven kicks.’
Bills play the AFC East, AFC North and NFC North, plus three other first-place teams
‘The home schedule is as follows: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.’
Bills make it back-to-back
‘Remember the embarrassment the team and fans felt when the Bills went to Jacksonville and lost to the then 1-6 Jaguars, 9-6 in November? Imagine how the Colts feel.’
Bills’ clinching still left us with some questions
‘For the record, with under 8½ minutes to play, New York trailed by a mere 13-10. That seems incongruous as, at game’s end, the Bills had the edge in first downs, 25-4, the latter figure the fewest surrendered in franchise history, plays (79-46), offensive yardage (424-53), rushing yards (170-48), passing yards (254-5, the latter minus the yardage of nine sacks) and 37-22 in time of possession minutes.’
Buffalo’s 2022 opponents locked in
‘With the Bills clinching the AFC East title, their 2022 opponents are locked in. Besides home-and-home with the division foes (Patriots, Jets and Dolphins), visiting Highmark Stadium will be the Steelers, Browns, Titans, Packers and Vikings.’
Bills defense puts stamp on historic season, finishing atop NFL in these categories
‘Levi Wallace and second-year cornerback Dane Jackson have stepped up and helped the Bills defense continue its elite caliber of play down the stretch. Buffalo finished the season tops in the NFL in scoring (17 points per game allowed), overall defense (286.5 ppg) and pass defense (172.9 ppg).’
Bills’ defense dominant in 27-10 win over Jets (Encouraged/worried)
‘There was a lot more bad than good for Haack against the Jets unfortunately. Haack would average 33.9 yards on his seven punts against New York. Some of his early struggles may have been weather related, but his confidence clearly took a hit after he delivered a few bad punts off the side of his foot. The worst play made by Haack, however, was a punt in which he could not handle the snap which was delivered accurately. Haack would pick up the ball and deliver a seven yard punt.’