Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘It’s nearly a full 18 years since Kevin Dyson took that “lateral” from Frank Wycheck and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. That’s a long time, 18 years, so maybe you don’t remember what life was like back then. Here’s a refresher.’

‘Incredibly, the Bills have found a way to win three of the five games, which merely speaks to the level of competition. They caught the Chiefs in the midst of their puzzling slump (which Kansas City has now emerged from), and the Colts and Dolphins just flat out stink. The losses were both to the Patriots, who weren’t picky when it came to halves; they held the Bills without an offensive touchdown for all eight quarters.’

‘It’s tough to envision that second scenario happening because it involves two home teams losing. So, what Bills fans must hope for is that the Bengals somehow find it in their souls to play a great game for their outgoing coach, Marvin Lewis, and beat a division rival.’

‘This one was pretty simple: The Bills offense failed time and time again in the red zone, settling for field goals instead of touchdowns, and that’s never going to be a recipe for success against Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski and any other number of Patriots who routinely kill the Bills.’

‘So was everyone else who isn’t a Patriots fan, including two former heads of NFL officiating, Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino, both of whom now do analysis on separate TV networks. Both tweeted that Kelvin Benjamin’s magnificent 4-yard catch in the back right corner of the end zone should not have been overturned by replay. It was clear to everyone but the guys making the actual call that Benjamin had both feet in bounds, with possession of the ball.’

‘The Bills have shot themselves in the foot enough times during their 17-year playoff drought. They don’t need the referees shooting down their feet inbounds too.’

‘…Buffalo win AND Baltimore loss…Buffalo win AND Tennessee loss AND Los Angeles Chargers loss.’

‘In both games against the Patriots, the Bills were awful against the run. They yielded 191 in the game at Buffalo, and 193 Sunday as Dion Lewis piled up 129 yards. Lewis, the guy whose name Rex Ryan didn’t know in 2015, has become a new Bills killer, adding to a long list. He had one rushing TD and also caught a screen pass for a TD. Naturally, with Mike Gillislee active for the first time in six weeks, the ex-Bill got his chance to stick it to the Bills and he scored on a 1-yard run. LB Preston Brown played very well with 14 tackles, and CB Shareece Wright was next with nine. The Patriots achieved 13 first downs via the rush, an unusually high total for them.’

‘“I knew Richie prior to the suspension, I knew what he was all about, what type of player he was, what type of person he was,” Wood said the other day after learning that Incognito had been selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad for the third consecutive year. “Me and Doug Whaley had a conversation about him, and there was some mutual interest. So, we had talked to each other Super Bowl week out in Arizona and I told him, ‘You’re the type of guard I’d like to get into Buffalo.’ ”’

‘Patriots 31, Bills 16.’

‘Imagine that, a relevant Week 17 game. We haven’t seen one of those since 2004, the year the Bills would have earned a playoff berth had they just beaten the Steelers at home, snapping what, at the time, seemed like a lengthy four-year postseason drought.’

‘The Patriots continue to haunt the Bills at every turn as they won the first meeting this year on Dec. 3 in Buffalo, 23-3.’

‘If the Bills lose to the Patriots, their chances dwindle a bit, but they will still be alive in South Florida on New Year’s Eve. At the risk of making your head explode, here’s a breakdown of what Bills fans should be rooting for in Week 16.’

‘“It’s a hard thing offensively to deal with,” Belichick said. “It’s impressive how disciplined, how well-coached, how well-coordinated it is.”’

‘“I want him to be out there; I want to face the best guys,” said the ultra-confident first-round draft pick who is in the running for NFL defensive rookie of the year honors. “He missed the next game, but we want to see him. We want to get them at their best.”’