Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“The pressure is that to win the game you’ve got to score more than them and that’s exactly what it is,” he said. “They do such a good job of moving the ball and scoring, and it could be two plays over the top or it could be a 15-play drive where Patrick is just finding his outlets and using their RPOs. Their sights are the same as ours, one team is going to win and one team is going to go home, so we have to do everything in our power to make sure we’re the team surviving.”’

‘This was a team in almost nonstop disarray for 17 years before the tandem from Carolina took over the operation, and their handiwork has produced three playoff seasons in their four years on the job, topped by the 2020 team that ended Buffalo’s 25-year AFC East drought and has advanced to the title game for the first time in 27 years.’

‘Johnson, who had been the Bills’ primary nickel corner for most of the two-plus seasons leading to that rainy night at Bills Stadium, was benched against Patrick Mahomes and the explosive Chiefs, and deservedly so.’

‘Late in the game’s fourth quarter, as the Bills marched to just within field goal range, Héroux grabbed the bottle of bubbly. As Scott Norwood was lining up to attempt a 47-yard game-winning field goal, Héroux took the foil off the cap and untwisted the cage that held the cork in place. He was poised to pop the cork just as the pigskin sailed through the uprights.’

‘And you will notice one very weird thing: Not one of the plays I selected was made by a Bills’ offensive player. There are obviously great team and individual offensive performances through the years, but no one play that really stands out to me for a list like this.’

‘“I’ll kind of say the same thing I’ve said the last few weeks; I’m privileged and honored to be here and working for this organization,” he said. “Everything that I have and we have is focused on what we need to do this week which is a big game against Kansas City. I’m humbled, honored to have some opportunities … ultimate goal is to become a head coach one day, but that’s not on the agenda right now for me, it’s doing everything I can do to help our team be the best they can be this week, and that’s what it’s always been, that’s what have always be.”’

‘So now, Mahomes will be in the league’s concussion protocol for at least the early portion of the practice week, and there’s a possibility that he might not be able to play when the Bills come calling. That would mean Chad Henne, who has never started a playoff game in his 13-year NFL career, would be at the helm for Kansas City.’

‘“All throughout the week we had Isaiah run as our scout team quarterback,” said Hughes, who had big night with two sacks and six total pressures. “I think that gave us an excellent look. Somebody with the right amount of speed, because he’s probably just as fast, if not faster than Lamar. Throughout the week of practice it allowed us to really gauge our sights on how fast this quarterback will be and what he can do with his arm.”’

‘“I mean, the effort our defense put forward, I’m speechless,” said grateful center Mitch Morse. “The guys were on fire, they played with intensity, the game plan was sound, they were confident in it, and we needed them for four quarters tonight. Kudos to them, they played their tails off. We wouldn’t be in this position without them.”’

‘It is clear the Bills have no faith in their run game. How else would you explain Brian Daboll calling 25 pass plays and just one run in the first half? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, ordinarily, because this Buffalo offense functions best when the ball is in Allen’s hands. But it felt like the Bills needed to make a better effort in the first half because the Ravens never had to worry about the run and they seemed ready to cover everything in the pass game because of it.’

‘My pick: Bills 24, Ravens 23.’

‘No one can argue that Edmunds isn’t one of the best athletes on the team, a physical freak at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. In this game, Edmunds will need every ounce of that athleticism because there will be several plays where he’s going to need to make a play on Lamar Jackson, and if he fails, bad things might happen.’

‘A fashion model born and raised in the 716, you may have seen White strutting her stuff on the Victoria’s Secret runway, in Maybelline or CoverGirl commercials, or in her multiple appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.’

‘“The fact is the CDC has specifically pointed to indoor dining as a higher-risk activity, and this policy is a commonsense way to reduce the risk of exposure,” said Jeffrey Hammond, public information officer. “As much as we feel for restaurants in Buffalo and as much as we want to let fans watch the game at bars, we won’t sacrifice public health.”’

‘Not surprisingly, the players themselves don’t really care all that much about this storyline, and Allen could very well have been the spokesperson for the group when he said the other day, “I mean, it doesn’t affect me or I don’t really care about that too much. I’m just trying to be the best quarterback for the Bills that I can be. It’s cool, but our attention, my attention, is towards the Ravens and trying to figure out how we can put our best foot forward.”’