Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“We spent a lot of time together in Laramie. Our football team was extremely tight. It’s always fun to see your friends and your brothers succeed at any level. He’s playing some really good football right now. He’s got the whole state behind him.”’

‘“Right when it happened, you knew that I was concussed,” Morse said Thursday. “And one of the nice things was I understood the process, the program, understood that all the people I talked to, the experiences I have gone through in the past. They’re not going to put me out there unless I’m healthy.”’

‘If ever the Bills need Josh Allen to play like the superstar he is, this is the night in a showdown against another league MVP candidate, Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow. And if he does, perhaps the performance will force its way into my top 10 list of what I believe are his greatest games since joining the Bills in 2018.’

‘It means essentially everything to both teams. If the Bills win, all they would have to do to secure the top seed in the AFC bracket and a first-round bye would be to defeat the fading Patriots in Week 18 at Highmark Stadium. But if the Bills lose, they no longer control their own destiny. They would need both the Chiefs (assuming KC beats lowly Denver in Week 17) and the Bengals to lose their last games in order to get the top spot.’

‘“We found a way to get it done,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “They’re not all pretty, and we can say that we didn’t play great, but at the end of the day we had over 400 yards of offense and the defense played pretty well.”’

‘Special Teams: F.’

‘Buffalo will stay in Chicago overnight on Christmas Eve, fly to Rochester on Christmas morning and try to get back to Buffalo to celebrate some of the holiday with family and friends, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 30, Chicago Bears 13.’

‘Most of the Bills’ media corps won’t be traveling to the game and will be “covering” it by watching on television just like the fans. Afterward, the Bills will make Sean McDermott and certain players available to reporters for interviews via Zoom, just the way it was done during the 2020 COVID season.’

‘Using Pro Football Focus numbers, the Bills lead the NFL with 148 missed tackles on rushing plays, an average of just over 10 per game which is somewhat crazy for a team that somehow still ranks sixth in the league in run defense at 106.1 yards allowed per game.’

‘If, however, the Bills find a way to lose to the 3-11 Bears, they can still clinch the division if the Dolphins lose at home to the Packers. And that remains the case moving forward: One Bills win or one Dolphins loss ends the race.’

‘The forecast is calling for blizzard-like conditions with heavy snow and high winds on Friday in Chicago as a massive storm moves through the midwest. The snow is expected to be gone by the 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff, but maybe it won’t. As we all know, it’s pretty tough to predict these things.’

‘The teams they have played to date have a cumulative winning percentage of .531 which is the seventh-highest in the league. Comparatively, the Lions have played the toughest schedule as their opponents have a .590 winning percentage thanks to their playing the Vikings (twice), Bills, Cowboys and Eagles.’

‘But then came the fourth quarter, and the lake effect machine started churning just when the Bills needed it most, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s right when everything finally turned in Buffalo’s direction.’

‘The victory overshadowed a pretty lousy night as the Dolphins rushed for 188 yards and an average of 7.5 per play, season-worsts for the Bills in both categories. The Miami offensive line gouged the Bills’ front and opened gaping holes for Raheem Mostert and Salmon Ahmed.’