Olean Times Herald

‘McDermott also argues that his decision is complicated by the team’s youth. Of the 23 starters (including nickel cornerback Taron Johnson), 10 are age 25 or younger, seven of them in their first or second year. He admits weighing the benefit of them playing another game in preparation for the postseason against the possibility of injury.’

‘“I’ve been through this … some 24, 25 playoff games,” McDermott said. “I’ve been a part of resting guys before. I’ve watched other teams having played their guys. You’re always going to get second-guessed. Some people are going to be with you, some are going to be, ‘Hey, you should be doing this versus what (you’re) doing, or I agree with what they’re doing.’ Certainly, that’s what happens, but we have to do what we feel that’s best for this team.”’

‘“You couldn’t ask for a better situation, playing for a division title in December with two games left, to give yourself a chance. I’m super thankful for this experience and what we were able to do, but at the same time, we came here to win a football game and we didn’t get that done.”’

‘The Bills can’t bench every first-teamer but reserve quarterback Matt Barkley should be the starter and, if McDermott feels he has the flexibility to demote a player, he should activate Davis Webb from the practice squad to ensure Josh Allen gets nowhere near the field. No way should rookie running back Devin Singletary play a down; that role should fall to Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon, who’s been inactive the last 10 weeks, and even special teams ace Senorise Perry.’

‘Still, the Bills are virtually locked into the AFC’s fifth seed (top wild-card spot) and figure to play at either Houston (most likely) or Tennessee when the playoffs open. Meanwhile, the Pats have extra inspiration as a loss in either of their last two games could knock them from one of the conference’s two first-round playoff byes.’

‘If Buffalo loses at New England on Saturday, the Bills’ Week 17 game against the New York Jets would be, for all intents, meaningless.’

‘Still, heading into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Patriots at Foxboro, McDermott’s regular-season record is a solid 25-21 and, over that span, his team is 13-8 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Equally compelling, he’s the first Buffalo coach to have a pair of winning seasons within three years since Wade Phillips did it back-to-back (1998-99).’

‘The one concern for the Bills is the AFC South where Houston (9-5) and Tennessee are bidding for the division title. Buffalo, now virtually assured of the fifth seed (conference’s top wild card) would prefer the Titans win as it already has gone to Nashville and prevailed in the season’s fifth game.’

‘This team is for real.’

‘Pittsburgh, a 2-point favorite, leads the NFL in sacks (47), is second in turnover ratio (+12), fifth in both total yardage (311) and passing yards (210) surrendered and sixth in points given up per game (19). Buffalo, meanwhile, is second in points surrendered (16 on average) and third in both fewest yards (297) and passing yards (192) relinquished each game.’

‘On the New York side of the border, there’s a predominance of Buffalo fans, and though there are some Pittsburgh faithful, it could be argued that there are even more Cleveland disciples dating back to the days when Olean’s WHDL was part of the Browns radio network.’

‘“I want the Steelers to win and I think they’ll win, but I also like the Bills. I support them,” she said, hedging her bet. “The game’s going to be good either way.”’

‘A Bills win on Sunday could also help ease Bills’ fans anger from the 2004 season finale. That year, a Bills win over the Steelers in the final game would have put Buffalo into the playoffs. Pittsburgh, entering the game at 14-1 and playing for nothing (the Steelers were the No. 1 seed) beat Buffalo 29-24. That kept Buffalo out of the playoffs and put the New York Jets in, despite the fact that the Jets lost to Oakland that day. Maybe a win Sunday night which would put the Bills in the playoffs and put a big dent in Pittsburgh’s plans, would be some sort of payback, albeit 15 years later.’

‘MCDermott concluded of facing Tomlin on Sunday, “The first thing that comes to mind is respect, and I think Mike would probably feel the same way without putting words in his mouth. It’s just more, he’s got a job to do and I’ve got a job to do, and when you’re around this league long enough you develop relationships, but you also know each of us (has) a job to do. I think we both understand that.”’

‘Heading into the game, the Bills are a 1-point favorite but Buffalo’s coaching staff has no delusions about the difficulty of Sunday’s task, despite a 5-1 record on the road this season.’