ESPN

‘Dating back to that matchup in Week 16, the Bills’ last 13 drives against the Patriots yielded 11 scores (10 touchdowns and a field goal). During that stretch, the only thing that stopped the Buffalo offense was the clock.’

‘”I was just more proud than anything,” Stefon said. “I was more happy for when I heard about him [making the Pro Bowl], because I knew he was going, but I still wanted to see it. I saw his picture and I saw his face, I saw him in the Cowboys [jersey], I’m like, yeah, that’s my little brother.”‘

‘The 2003 season opener between these teams will forever be known as the “Lawyer Milloy Game.” Five days before this contest, the Patriots released the veteran safety for salary-cap reasons. Former Patriots QB Bledsoe also was on the Bills’ 2003 roster. After the emergence of Tom Brady, New England traded Bledsoe to Buffalo for a 2003 first-round pick in April 2002.’

‘”There’s a lot of lessons you learn through the course of the season that you try and use and apply later in the year, and I think we’ve done that to this point,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to continue to do that. Certainly, the game tonight was tough and they’re going to be tough. So, you got to continue to grow, continue to learn and apply those lessons every week.”‘

‘The victory over the Falcons was thanks to the emergence of the Bills’ rushing game in the second half. Quarterback Josh Allen and running back Devin Singletary each rushed for two touchdowns, and the Bills had a season-high 233 rushing yards. Individually, Singletary had a career-high 110 rushing yards and his first multi-rushing touchdown game of his career.’

‘The Bills were able to bring back those four players in part due to the new isolation time for players with COVID-19 agreed to by the NFL and NFL Players Association on Tuesday. Isolation time has now been set at five days for all players — vaccinated or unvaccinated — who test positive for COVID-19, so long as the player is asymptomatic or can demonstrate that his symptoms are resolving. This is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.’

‘Boettger, starting the game at left guard, suffered the injury in the second quarter on a 2-yard run play by running back Devin Singletary. Boettger, who has started 10 games for the Bills this year, will be a restricted free agent this offseason.’

‘Beasley was fined $14,600 in August on a day when league officials were in the facility to review the protocols with the Bills, which the NFL did with all 32 teams before the 2021 season. Beasley was observed by one of the league officials when not complying with mandatory protocols for unvaccinated players.’

‘Dawkins missed last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers after being placed on the COVID-19 list. He previously had COVID-19 during the start of training camp and was hospitalized for four days, after just receiving his second vaccination shot.’

‘”It’s gonna be kind of interchangeable parts right now,” coach Sean McDermott said. “I hate to say that without giving you a straight answer here, but that’s the best I know. We’ll just see where we end up on Sunday. Right now, we’re averaging one (addition to the) COVID (list) a day, it seems like.”‘

‘Beasley tested positive, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Field Yates, and remains unvaccinated. He will at minimum miss the game against the New England Patriots on Sunday and be out for 10 days. In an Instagram post Tuesday evening, Beasley said he was “feeling fine with mild symptoms.”‘

‘McDermott first shared Allen’s status on his weekly radio appearance on WGR in Buffalo. The quarterback was a full participant in practice Friday and has been listed with no injury designation. He was limited in a walk-through Wednesday and at practice Thursday. Allen did not miss a snap in the overtime loss in Tampa after getting injured in the fourth quarter, and he has not missed a start because of injury since his rookie year.’

‘”We just have to really take it one day at a time because, No. 1, I’m not a doctor,” McDermott said. “I just rely on what [head athletic trainer Nate Breske] and our training staff gives me … from a medical standpoint.”‘

‘The Bills’ backup quarterback is Mitchell Trubisky, a No. 2 overall pick by the Chicago Bears. He landed in Buffalo after Chicago did not pick up his fifth-year option. Trubisky has not yet had to play meaningful snaps, but he has come in at the end of blowout games.’

‘Here’s another way to show how clear-cut this choice was: Our model estimated that the Bills needed to have a 28% chance of conversion to justify going for two. Based on league averages, their offense and the Bucs’ defense, we estimated Buffalo’s chance of conversion at 48%. That’s a huge difference that indicates there is no reasonable justification for kicking the PAT.’