Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 24, New York Jets 16.’

‘This was not the expectation downstate when the 2022 season began, but in his second year as head coach, Robert Saleh has turned the Jets into a competitive team that is capable of winning any game thanks to a stout defense that gave the Bills all kinds of problems last month when New York shocked Buffalo 20-17 at MetLife Stadium.’

‘At Gillette Stadium, Cook played only one fewer snap than Singletary – by far his biggest snap share of the season – and he compiled 64 yards rushing and 41 receiving. It was his best game to date, and moving forward we may see the snap count between Cook and Singletary remain close to a 50-50 split.’

‘However, Miller went down to Dallas for an exploratory surgery Tuesday and once the surgeon began probing, he found that the anterior cruciate ligament needed to be repaired.’

‘While it’s true, they now have their destiny in their own hands because if they win their remaining five games they will win the division and be the No. 1 seed in the AFC bracket, but that task is going to be quite difficult.’

‘In Rochester, the game will not be shown on any of the local networks, but it will be available on Buffalo’s ABC affiliate, WKBW, channel 7. This is the same scenario Rochester fans faced last week when the Patriots game on Amazon Prime Video was not available over the air outside the primary market.’

‘Zach Wilson was benched, and rightfully so, after his disgraceful performance in New York’s loss to the Patriots on Nov. 20, and then for the petulant way he refused to accept blame. White shredded a terrible Bears defense last week in a 31-10 victory, and the Jets need him to continue to play that well starting Sunday in Minnesota. One thing is for sure: The Jets seem to prefer playing for White.’

‘The Bills methodically moved the ball on offense, relying as much as their resurgent run game as they did Josh Allen’s arm, and then when Allen needed to make a play, naturally he made it, two of which were touchdown passes that ultimately decided the game.’

‘The Bills offensive line really struggled in pass protection, particularly tackles David Quessenberry (before he got hurt) and Spencer Brown, but they were strong in the run game. The Bills possessed the ball for a season-high 38 minutes because they were able to grind the Patriots down by running, a sentence I don’t type too often.’

‘He has also been a hugely important player in the locker room as a team leader, plus as a mentor to young edge rushers such as Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Boogie Basham.’

‘Sal’s prediction: New England Patriots 23, Buffalo Bills 21.’

‘You don’t have many options for this one. It’s an Amazon Prime telecast so you will need to be a subscriber to that streaming service. Prime offers two forms of membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Prime Video membership alone is $8.99 per month.’

‘“I’d have to say so, yeah,” Oliver said when he was asked if that might have been his best game in the 3 1/2 seasons he’s been with the Bills. “I made a lot of big-time plays and just put us in a position to where we had a chance to win.”’

‘Three players – edge rushers Von Miller and AJ Epenesa, and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins – sat out because of injuries, but defensive backs Siran Neal, Jordan Poyer, Dane Jackson, and JaQuan Johnson, running back Nyheim Hines, linebacker Tyler Matakevich, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and tight end Quintin Morris all sat out because of illness.’

‘That was good news, but he did sustain damage to his lateral meniscus. McDermott did not elaborate on what the MRI showed, or how much time the 33-year-old Miller could miss. However, it would be logical to think that he’ll be out multiple weeks at a minimum, and the Bills can only hope that they can get him back on the field, at least by the time the playoffs begin.’