Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Obviously, there have been many inclement weather regular season games but that’s because the pool to choose from is exponentially larger as the Bills have now played exactly 100 home games in December/January.’

‘“You just have to trust him, right?” Brady said. “Just like any quarterback, they’re not gonna be perfect, and sometimes some of the decisions that might not turn out too well, and other times where they end up turning out as touchdowns and you can get praised for it. To me, it’s more about is it the right decision and correcting it regardless of the results.”’

‘Dodson’s status, in particular, took a negative turn Thursday because the Bills re-signed veteran linebacker A.J. Klein to their practice squad. That would seem to indicate that the Bills believe Dodson will be unavailable when they host the Steelers Sunday in an AFC wild-card playoff game, and they may need to elevate Klein on game day as insurance behind young players Baylon Spector and Dorian Williams who would be in line to play for Dodson.’

‘Five players were hurt during Buffalo’s physical 21-14 AFC East-clinching victory over the Dolphins, and they will all most likely carry some sort of designation on the way to kickoff Sunday.’

‘Sunday’s game will be the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason, but the first in Orchard Park, and the first when Tomlin and McDermott were children, the last when they were still in college.’

‘As I made my way around the Bills’ locker room Sunday night, it was impossible not to drift back seven years in time to that scene in this same place.’

‘Once their 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins was complete Sunday night, the final three opponents on the schedule were finalized – all games against fellow first-place teams. Those three feature road games at NFC North champ Detroit and AFC North champ Baltimore, and a home game – yes, believe it or not, a home game – against the Kansas City Chiefs.’

‘They may have already punched their ticket to the postseason when the Jaguars found a way to lose to the Titans earlier in the day, but with the big prize on the line – the AFC East division title and the No. 2 seed – the Bills drove their fans absolutely nuts for 60 minutes before somehow, despite a litany of missteps and mistakes, pulling out a tension-packed 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.’

‘Harty, who has basically been a free agent bust, certainly saved his biggest play of the season for the most opportune moment, the fourth quarter of the final game as he broke a stunning 96-yard punt return that tied matters at 14-14. Harty clearly has game-breaking speed, but the Bills never found a way to use it on offense, and he hasn’t really given them anything in the return game, until Sunday.’

‘It was foolhardy to even think that the Bills – who nothing comes easy for, not in 2023, and not throughout their 64-year history – would be able to go to sleep down here at their hotel in South Florida knowing that no matter what they did Sunday night in their game against the Miami Dolphins, they had a spot secured.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 27, Dolphins 24.’

‘Technically, this is the fourth time the Bills are playing in front of the NBC cameras and broadcast crew led by Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth. Two weeks ago they were in a standalone window for a Peacock-only Saturday night game in Los Angeles.’

‘Both players deserve the honor as Dawkins has been a rock at left tackle as he has allowed just one sack all year while being a force in the run game, particularly on the tackle pull plays that have become a Buffalo staple. He became the first Bills’ offensive lineman to earn three or more selections since Ruben Brown was voted in eight times from 1996-2003.’

‘Fourteen of the 17 games have been set in stone for quite some time based on the NFL’s schedule formula, but the other three cannot be determined until the NFL standings are finalized when the clock reaches zero late Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium.’