Olean Times Herald

‘The Dolphins (10-5) would own a playoff berth if the season ended today, but they’re one of five teams with the same record vying for four spots. Thus, with a loss, Miami must hope for a defeat by Indianapolis (home versus Jacksonville, 1-14), Cleveland (home against Pittsburgh, 12-3), Baltimore at Cincinnati (4-10-1) or Tennessee at Houston (4-11).’

‘Meanwhile, the Bills and Steelers, both division champs (East and North, respectively), are guaranteed home games to start the postseason, but it’s the next round where the No. 2 seed is critical. The team in that spot, if it wins the opener, is at home again for the divisional round. Should Pittsburgh occupy that position, if both those teams prevail in the first round, the Bills would find themselves playing at Heinz Field.’

‘In the short term, as nice as Buffalo sweeping the Pats for the first time in nearly 20 years might have been, the immediate impact was bigger. It kept the Bills (12-3) as the No. 2 AFC seed over Pittsburgh (also 12-3) thanks to their head-to-head win over the Steelers two weeks ago.’

‘The point is, this game isn’t meaningless to Belichick — whose team hasn’t scored a touchdown in the past two games — or the vast number of marginal players populating his roster. A lot of them are playing for their jobs as their coach contemplates major changes in 2021 and that makes for major inspiration.’

‘But other than the two Brady-asterisk games, the Bills haven’t won in Massachusetts since ‘99 at Foxboro Stadium, three years before its successor, Gillette, opened. And in those 17 games, the Patriots have outscored Buffalo by an average of 29-16.’

‘Clearly, Buffalo’s ‘D’ has picked it up down the stretch, but it’s the performance of third-year quarterback Josh Allen which is most responsible for the team’s first division crown in a quarter century.’

‘“I’m just so happy for the fans,” he said. “It’s such a cool place to be a part of because of the work ethic and character of the people in Buffalo … Western New York. I love seeing Bills flags wave out in people’s yards. I’m hoping there’s a lot more people buying those flags to give them as Christmas gifts … I’m humbled just to be one part of it.”’

‘Though he didn’t score, Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a monster game with 11 catches for 147 yards. He was also part of the game’s longest play, a 55-yard connection from quarterback Josh Allen. It was Diggs’ third-straight game with double-figure receptions and fourth in the last five. He’s also had seven 100-yard receiving games this season.’

‘The Bills, who beat Denver 20-3 in Orchard Park last season, are 6½-point favorites against a struggling team, which has been inundated with major injuries and dealt so poorly with the coronavirus it was forced to play a home game (31-3 loss to New Orleans) using a practice squad wide receiver at quarterback when all four of its QBs were forced to quarantine.’

‘In assessing Allen’s skills in scoring territory, Fangio noted, “They do a good job schematically in the red zone (inside the 20-yard line). They take advantage of his abilities to run … they’ll run plays where he’s actually running the ball. His scrambling has a big effect for their success in the red zone. People fear his running, scrambling and quarterback runs and sometimes that causes teams to be in favorable coverages for the offense when they do decide to throw it. A big part of (the Bills’ success) is a balanced ability to do everything that he does.”’

‘Allen’s struggles seemed an indictment of Beane and McDermott, who traded up twice to take a non-Power 5 conference QB at No. 7 overall in 2018. But both stuck with their quarterback even as “experts” suggested the selection could be “career suicide.” And this year, they were vindicated.’

‘Not only did Buffalo verify its place among the conference elite, but it also edged a bit closer to the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed — Pittsburgh is 11-2 and the Bills 10-3, but with the head-to-head tiebreaker — and, if Cleveland beats Baltimore tonight, a postseason berth is assured.’

‘McDermott’s squad has conjured as many victories against teams with winning marks in the first dozen games this year as it did in his first 48 as Buffalo coach.’

‘This game, matching the 11-1 Steelers and the 9-3 Bills, is the most meaningful one between these two regional rivals separated by barely 200 miles, since the fateful finale of the 2004 season.’

‘Mayfield (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) has emerged, leading Cleveland to a 9-3 start – the same as Buffalo – and became the leader the Browns expected. But Allen has his own leadership skills – albeit not quite as passionate – plus a way bigger arm and more impressive rushing proficiency based on his size (6-5, 237) and speed.’