‘The Bills will need to find some healing crystals with the Kansas City Chiefs coming to town for a divisional-round game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Not surprisingly, head coach Sean McDermott didn’t have many updates immediately following his team’s win, but here’s a rundown of who went down.’
Archives for January 16, 2024
Ryan O’Halloran: Hey, offense and Josh Allen, this Bills run is all on you after defense is battered
‘Saying the Bills will go only as far as Allen takes them isn’t a grand kind of exaggeration. He is so critical to both the run and pass games; if he stinks, the offense stinks. If he’s awesome, the offense follows. But now it’s really imperative. His defense is battered. His offense must shine. Period.’
Kaiir Elam logs interception in return: ‘Everything that I’ve been through has made me stronger’
‘In the Bills’ 31-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium, Elam came in for an injured Christian Benford toward the end of the first quarter, his first game action since Oct. 22. Elam quickly made an impact, intercepting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the end zone to give the Bills the ball back.’
Three questions: Contemplating injuries with Chiefs next? Unsung heroes? And a dome, again?
‘Losing middle linebacker Terrel Bernard stinks. He’s one of the top five players on the team at this point in the season. The expectation is cornerback Taron Johnson will be fine (he left with a head injury).’
How It Happened: Top plays, standout players in Bills’ wild-card win over Pittsburgh
‘A span of five snaps summed up the two-year Bills career of cornerback Kaiir Elam. First play: Missed a tackle to allow Pittsburgh tight end Pat Freiermuth convert a third-and-9. Third play: Elam was called for a pass interference penalty (9 yards). Fifth play: Elam intercepted quarterback Mason Rudolph in the end zone.’
Plays that shaped the game: Khalil Shakir TD helps clinch Bills win over Steelers
‘The Bills had to sweat out a 31-17 win that featured another run of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. They did so, not surprisingly, thanks in large part to their quarterback’s heroics.’
Report Card: Bills win the ground battle against Steelers
‘Sean McDermott won a challenge for a second straight week when he correctly threw the flag on a pass that was ruled incomplete on the field, but was a catch and fumble by Pickens that led to a huge turnover. McDermott lost his second challenge when he tried to overturn a called fumble that went out of bounds. Replays appeared to give him a good chance to win that one, too, but the ruling on the field was upheld. Either way, it was a worthwhile challenge. The decision to try a 49-yard field goal in the second half in the conditions felt dubious at the time, and that proved to be the case when Bass’ kick was blocked. The entire coaching staff deserves credit for having as many backups ready to play as were needed. The Bills played a very disciplined game, getting penalized just twice for a loss of 24 yards.’
‘This is football’: Fans shrug off winter weather to attend Bills wild card game
‘“The sun’s out. It’s a gorgeous, cold day. I’ve been here when it’s 95 (degrees). I’ve been here when it’s 5,” said Sam Cook, 66, a Bills fan and season-ticketholder from Oswego who has missed one home game in the past five years. “This is football.”’
Bills take down Steelers 31-17, but injuries are a concern ahead of Chiefs showdown
‘Bills fans, I would think, are perfectly happy that the AFC wild-card game was moved from Sunday to Monday because the weather was about a million times better – cold, yes, but manageable wind and no snow – and it allowed the Buffalo offense to function the way it normally would.’
Bills report card: Josh Allen leads Buffalo through adversity, injuries to beat Steelers
‘Joe Brady put together a diverse game plan that utilized both the run and pass almost 50-50. The Bills had 34 running plays and Allen had 32 dropbacks that were either pass attempts or sacks. A few of his runs were pass plays that became scrambles. The point is, Brady had nice balance and it kept the Steelers off balance and the result was 31 points, 24 first downs, 368 yards, and more than 33 minutes of possession.’
Allen dazzles again on 52-yard TD scamper
‘Allen made the freezing fans at Highmark Stadium ecstatic Monday, especially on his 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. That gave Buffalo a 21-0 lead, which turned out to be enough on the way to a 31-17 victory over the Steelers in the Wild Card round.’
Josh Allen lifts battered Bills to playoff win over Steelers (Observations)
‘Allen was unstoppable in the first half, slinging the football around the yard and then putting a stamp on the first 30 minutes with an insane 52-yard touchdown run. At one point on the run, Allen was surrounded by four Steelers defenders and he found a way to break out of the situation and take it to the house.’
Buffalo Bills defeat Steelers, will host Chiefs in divisional round (Time, date, channel)
‘While the Bills will have homefield advantage, the team can only hope that they will be healthy for the matchup. Buffalo entered tonight’s game against the Steelers without their No. 2 receiver (Gabe Davis), top cornerback (Rasul Douglas), a starting linebacker (Tyrel Dodson) and their third safety (Taylor Rapp).’
Bills backup had RV packed for vacation. He canceled to rejoin team for playoff win
‘After convincing his family to cancel their vacation, Klein told the Bills yes. He jumped on a plane last Wednesday to Buffalo, practiced on Thursday and Friday, and then suited up for the Bills in their Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers.’
Bills’ Josh Allen is ‘monster truck with soul of a labradoodle fueled by Four Loko’ (Media reactions)
‘Following the score, media members were gushing about Allen’s score. Here’s a look at what they said.’