Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Allen made the pass protection better than it actually was. He led all QBs with 51 scrambles, meaning runs that were not designed where he had to escape pressure. His percentage of pressures that turned into sacks was a league-best 10.6%, an indication that the line did not hold up well enough but Allen was able to avoid most sacks.’

‘If the Bills can convince Dorsey to stay as their new coordinator, wouldn’t calling plays for Allen and this dynamic offense be more inviting than trying to remake Daniel Jones and the moribund Giants offense?’

‘Get rid of the coin toss and the kickoff. The home team automatically gets the choice of whether to take the ball first starting at its own 25 (same as if there was a touchback), or start on defense. This decision would add even more importance and incentive to winning as many regular season games as you can to get homefield advantage in the playoffs.’

‘And so, once again, the Vince Lombardi Trophy will not be taking up residence at One Bills Drive in a year when it sure seemed like the fates were aligning and Buffalo was going to have its best chance at Super Bowl glory since Scott Norwood’s field goal sailed wide right 31 years earlier.’

‘Do people in Virginia say he’s nuts to spend all this mileage, all this time, all this energy on a football team? “Yes,” he said. “But I don’t think they understand what Buffalo is like and who the people are. Sitting around the same people and sharing the same feeling of love for that team. It’s something you can’t get down here.” The love of the team counts a lot to Kelly, and he considers anyone who shares that love to be part of his extended family.

‘“It’s painful, and for people to show up at the airport at three in the morning (following the heartbreaking 42-36 loss to the Chiefs), I don’t know what the temperature was, but I wanted to hug them all.”’

‘Reporters tried to pry answers from the Buffalo Bills head coach Tuesday morning during his annual season-ending news conference regarding the decision to kick off deep, and how his team defended in those awful final moments which cost the Bills a chance to host this weekend’s AFC Championship Game.’

‘The early returns seem to be that this one should be called “13 seconds.” Makes sense given that 13 is considered an unlucky number, and that was the amount of time the Bills used to turn what would have been one of the greatest victories in franchise history into, well, a game where we’re trying to come up with a nickname.’

‘Rust Belt regions – Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, for instance – often have deeper ties with their teams than many other areas. Those franchises have been there through economic upheavals and rebounds, and allow residents a constant focus. “When there’s a sort of regional pride and regional identity, people feel both proud of where they’re from and where they are and they want to see that pride extended onto a national stage,” Simons said. “… It doesn’t apply as much to New York City or Los Angeles. There’s a lot of different ways to invest your identity there.”

‘It was bad enough that the Bills missed tackles all over the field all night long, particularly on Tyreek Hill’s 64-yard TD that appeared to give the Chiefs the victory with 1:02 to play in regulation. But to fail the way it did in such spectacular fashion on the last possession of regulation was next-level horrendous.’

‘The two best teams left in the postseason at 6:40 Sunday night were the Bills and Chiefs, and only the Chiefs moved on. What a dreadful shame to lose in such an inexplicable, downright unbelievable way, a loss that just further drives that dagger deeper into the hearts of a fan base that somehow hasn’t completely collapsed under the weight of perpetual disappointment.’

‘“I had a feeling if we wanted to get to the Super Bowl we were going to have to beat them,” safety Jordan Poyer said of playing the Chiefs. “And you know, here we are … in that position for a great opportunity if we go play our best football.”’

‘Sal’s prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Buffalo Bills 31.’

‘Even in 2019, Allen’s first full season as a starter, the Bills came into the season with just the Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas as its lone prime time slot. That was the game where the Bills surprised the Cowboys and no doubt played a role (along with playoff implications) in the NFL’s decision to flex Buffalo’s game two weeks later against Pittsburgh into a Sunday night game. It was the first Sunday night game for Buffalo since 2007.’

‘However, right there is the demarcation line when everything began to change and since Week 8 the Chiefs are like a new team. In winning 10 of their last 11 – which won them the AFC West and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs – they have allowed an average of just 16.5 points per game and have forced 25 turnovers.’