Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘That first day at Fisher in late July of 2000, no one could have foreseen the coming agony of the next 17 years because the Bills had been to the playoffs in 10 of the previous 12 seasons. Back then, the playoffs were almost a given, and on that initial day of camp, the Bills were anxious to get going on making it 11 trips in 13 years.’

‘In the mix of 35 songs, the Bills Mafia can shout along and watch the display located on White Oak Bend in Chili. With the current snow conditions the display is not expected to be taken down for at least two weeks.’

‘The cheapest round-trip day combination out of regional airports (according to a smattering of tried-and-true flight sites like Kayak.com and Expedia.com) appears to be Friday, Jan. 5, through Tuesday, Jan. 9. Prices for these dates out of Rochester were floating around $550 to $600 with Delta Airlines and American Airlines late Tuesday afternoon.’

‘Sure, it will be far warmer than Western New York’s single-digit forecast and it’s not like the Bills will be playing another Snowmageddon game like their epic win over the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 10.’

‘McDermott would not go into further detail on how severe the injury is, and then joked, “I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on television.”’

‘Pegula said. “We were in the coach’s office after the game and Russ lost it. I felt so good for him, because he had been through the whole drought. I wanted to make sure that Russ was where myself, Brandon, Brian Gaine and Joe Schoen were so he could finally just let go.”‘

‘“Oh, he’s getting Edible Arrangements,” Hughes said with a laugh. “If he wants some Budweiser, he’s getting that. Whatever he wants, I’m going to be his Secret Santa for the rest of this week.”’

‘For now, the laughing ceases. The drought is over, and half a generation of sheer misery has been brought to a gleeful halt thanks to Buffalo’s 22-16 victory over Miami Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium, and Cincinnati’s somewhat stunning victory over the Ravens in Baltimore.’

‘“Andy Dalton, you heard it here first, I love you man, I love you,” said safety Micah Hyde once the media was allowed inside to witness the raucous celebration taking place.’

‘Give the Bills credit for sticking to Sean McDermott’s “process,” not only throughout the season, but in this game because it took all they had to stay focused on what was happening at Hard Rock Stadium and not worry about the proceedings in Baltimore. They certainly made their fans sweat with that scary fourth quarter, but Jordan Poyer’s interception eased the building tension. The Bills needed to take care of their own business, and they did it. Major props. Sayonara, drought.’

‘Someone is setting off fireworks in my neighborhood. Definitely #Bills related.’

‘How grateful? The team announced on Twitter that it is sending the Bengals chicken wings.’

‘Offensive lineman Ryan Groy, who was also listed as questionable, will also be available.’

‘We bring this all up because Sunday, for the first time since that Week 17 fiasco against the Steelers, the Bills are alive on the season’s final day, and they’re in a very similar situation. They need to beat the Dolphins, and then have one of two scenarios play out — the Bengals beating the Ravens, or the Chargers losing to the Raiders and the Titans losing to the Jaguars.’

‘RB LeSean McCoy on the mood around the team this week: “Just everybody’s dialed in. This is a must-win situation. Everybody’s put everything on the line and everybody knows the situation. I think you’ll see a team come out playing fast (and) playing hard.”’