Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘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.’

‘After their 33-26 loss to Minnesota on Thanksgiving night, Belichick’s team fell to 6-5, but this certainly looks and feels like a team that should have a better record.’

‘The math never changes in regards to the NFL standings, so when you win a game, it counts as one win. Nothing more.’

‘Again, part of coaching is getting your team to overcome adversity and given all that has gone on over the last 7-8 days, Sean McDermott deserves credit for coaching the Bills to two victories under trying circumstances. And let’s not overlook the fact that having all three timeouts at the end of the game was hugely important. But each side of the ball had issues that need to be addressed.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 34, Detroit Lions 23.’

‘The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).’

‘During their heyday in the American Football League, the Bills were a fixture on the Thanksgiving football smorgasbord as they played five times in a span of eight years, more than any other AFL team. But after being largely ignored for about a half century – the Bills are back to being the darlings of Thanksgiving as this will be their third appearance in the last four years.’

‘At 4-6, the Lions are four games behind the Vikings in the NFC North so they aren’t winning the division. However, with a three-game winning streak after a 1-6 start, they have lifted themselves into the conversation for a wild-card berth in the NFC.’