Archives for January 21, 2024

‘The Bills’ overall resurgence is rooted in The Team; they are just doing things better than during a 3-5 skid that pushed them out of playoff position. But look at the defense. They returned to their takeaway roots, firmed up against the run and began to close out games.’

‘Allen leads the head-to-head series 3-1 in the regular season, but Mahomes holds a 2-0 advantage in the playoffs. All but one game has been played in Kansas City.’

‘Bills 29, Chiefs 23.’

‘McDermott had a bull’s-eye on his back entering the season when he took over the defensive play calling, and to your point, the defense has continued to function at a high level despite a number of key injuries. The Bills’ season was on life support after that loss to the Eagles dropped them to 6-6, but McDermott used the bye week that followed to make some corrections and what has followed is a six-game winning streak. There were legitimate questions about his job security when it looked like the team was going to miss the playoffs, but those have been erased. He’s done a fantastic job – but it’s not over yet. If the Bills can’t get past the Chiefs, it will be three straight years of being eliminated in the divisional round. The question then will become, what has to change to get over that hump? There is a lot at stake for McDermott on Sunday.’

‘He is bound to be criticized if he expresses too much love for the performance of Allen or Kansas City superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.’

‘He’s an 87-year-old historian of Buffalo football, especially the American Football League days of the 1960s, which he documents with his “Remember the AFL” website.’

‘Ray was a Bills season ticket holder in the mid-1960s, when they won American Football League championships in the two seasons before the Super Bowl was born. Ray was at War Memorial Stadium on New Year’s Day 1967, when the Bills played the Kansas City Chiefs for the right to play in the first Super Bowl, before the game even had that name.’

‘Here is your guide to the endless crucial matchups that give slight advantages to either the Chiefs or the Bills.’