Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘There are other players the Bills would like to retain, most prominently safety Jordan Poyer and to a lesser degree, running back Devin Singletary, defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson, and maybe special teamers like Tyler Matakevich, Taiwan Jones and Jake Kumerow. But they pale in comparison to Edmunds, both in terms of what he means to the team, and what it will cost if they decide to bring him back.’

‘Jessica Pegula wrote about the family’s wishes to keep Kim’s medical condition private, and it was quite remarkable that until Tuesday, no one outside the family and perhaps their closest friends knew what had happened.’

‘Singletary is a free agent and it’s tough to imagine the Bills will re-signing him, and Hines might become a salary cap cut. If so, the Bills will turn to Cook as their lead back and then they’ll have to find someone – be it in the middle rounds of the draft or the lower tier in free agency – to be a productive backup.’

‘This season, forgetting for a moment the disaster that was the Bengals game, the defense played very well, especially when you consider the rash of injuries which diluted the unit from the very start. No Tre’Davious White until Thanksgiving and even when he returned, he wasn’t close to the Pro Bowl player he’d been.’

‘There were 40 guards in the NFL who played at least 960 snaps and PFF graded Saffold as the worst of the group overall, second-worst as a run blocker and 38th as a pass blocker. The old vet is done and he won’t be back in Buffalo. The other guard, Ryan Bates, was re-signed in the offseason to an expensive offer sheet, and he ranked 28th overall, 29th as a run blocker, 31st as a pass blocker. So, not great there.’

‘The Bills bandwagon was emptying out. The analysis had begun. It’s probably going to go on for at least seven months and the moment when Uncle Harry and everyone else declares the Bills to be Super Bowl favorites. The running game will be established, the Cover 2 abandoned. All will be well, at least for a little while.’

‘Twelve months later, in the aftermath of the Bills’ non-competitive 27-10 obvious step backward loss to the Bengals, the conversation is much different. This time, the Bills don’t look at all like a team on the rise but instead one that is headed in the wrong direction.;

‘Personally, I didn’t have a problem with Diggs storming out of the room because honestly, I never expected him to be in there in the first place. Diggs has rarely spoken after games since he arrived in Buffalo in 2020. There have been a few occasions, some of those this season, and I’m pretty sure those were all after Bills victories. Any reporter who thought he would speak Sunday was mistaken.’

‘There just wasn’t a whole lot to be cheerful about because a season that in their minds wasn’t supposed to be over, now is.’

‘The expectations for Sean McDermott’s team were enormous, but here’s the thing about betting odds and expectations: They don’t actually mean a thing. Results are all that matter, and in the game that mattered the most, Sunday afternoon at snowy Highmark Stadium, all those expectations were blown away by a crushingly lousy performance.’

‘Rare is the time when McDermott’s staff gets completely out-coached, but this was one of those games. The Bills’ plan on both sides of the ball was faulty, and the Bengals had all the answers while Buffalo had none.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 30, Cincinnati Bengals 28.’

‘Online streaming services: NFL.com and the NFL mobile app. Also, the NFL has a streaming service called NFL+ which replaces NFL Game Pass, though you can’t cast the games to your TV — you must watch on your phone or tablet.’

‘The Bills now have 30 turnovers in their 17 games counting the postseason and Allen is responsible for 22 — a league-high 16 interceptions plus six lost fumbles. And there could have been many more because he has put the ball on the ground an incredible 16 times and the Bills have been lucky to recover 10 of those.’

‘It has already been determined that the Bills will play their game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Titans will also host a game there, while Jacksonville — as it has for nearly a decade — will play at Wembley Stadium. The Chiefs and Patriots will host games in Germany.’