Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘This was not easy, though. The Panthers defense was good, and they were also aided by the fact that Buffalo trotted out an offensive line minus Dion Dawkins and still minus Jon Feliciano. A line, mind you, that isn’t very good even with those two on the field.’

‘It was exactly the type of performance the Bills needed, particularly after having lost their last two games which plummeted them to the brink of the dreaded “in the hunt” playoff category.’

‘On offense, it was good to see Brian Daboll find some running calls that worked, and he stayed patient with it as the Bills finished with 27 rushing attempts. And credit has to go to offensive line coach Bobby Johnson who had to deal with the last-minute changes of Dawkins and Feliciano going on the COVID list in the last 48 hours.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 27, Carolina Panthers 13.’

‘“I’ll start with what the medical team has shared with me and that’s that they’re comfortable with where he’s at and he continues to trend in the right direction,” McDermott said. “And then what I’ve seen through my own eyes at practice, just (Thursday), he seems to be able to execute the job description that goes along with the quarterback position.”’

‘That’s notable because this Buffalo team has several players who do outstanding work in the region, yet Phillips has twice been the choice for the honor which, many players say, is the most meaningful they can achieve.’

‘This has been a somewhat strange season for Davis. Just like last year, after the Bills selected him in the fourth round of the draft, he was a bit of an afterthought, until he wasn’t.’

‘“I want whatever’s the best opportunity for our team to win the football game,” Allen said. “If I can, I’m gonna go.”’

‘“Off of the reps we got in the overtime game, we’ve been through two close games,” McDermott said, not meaning score, but the fact that they played twice within six days. “The load on the players and then the traveled back from Tampa, I believe it’s one, if not the longest trip we’ve had this year, making sure they’re as rested as possible.”‘

‘They have backed themselves into a corner, but they can still fight their way out of it. Carolina is up next, Cam Newton is its quarterback, enough said. Then come the Patriots. Can they beat them, particularly if there isn’t a hurricane blowing in Foxborough? Sure, but I’m not expecting it.’

‘But maybe, just maybe, they can build off what happened in the fourth quarter Sunday night and win three, maybe even all four, of their remaining games. Will that be good enough for a playoff berth? It’s awfully tough to know right now, but make no mistake, the Bills are not in a great spot at 7-6 in the jumbled AFC.’

‘Brady toyed with the Bills in the first half as he was 19 of 26 for 211 yards and a TD, and then after a sluggish second half where he couldn’t get much of anything going, he stepped up in the biggest moment of the game and completed all four of his overtime passes, the last the 58-yard TD strike to Perriman.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34, Buffalo Bills 28.’

‘It’s clear by now that the Bills cannot run the ball with any efficiency. They’re banging their heads against the proverbial wall game after game, and that has put more pressure on Allen and the passing attack.’

‘“We’re extremely hungry,” he said. “I think there obviously is a sense of urgency of what we need to do. But there’s no panic in our locker room. We’re extremely united right now with what we need to do. We’ve had a couple of really good days of practice and walkthroughs and we’re looking forward to going out there and getting a chance to play against the defending world champs and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.”’