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‘“It was tough to be in that moment,” Allen said after the game. “Again, I have a lot of respect for Pat. He throws the winning touchdown, and he comes straight over and finds me. To be in that situation and to do that, that was pretty cool of him to do that.”’

‘Rather than opt for a squib kick, the Bills booted the ball through the end zone, giving the Chiefs the ball at their own 25-yard line. Kansas City advanced the ball 44 yards in two plays and 10 seconds to set up Harrison Butker’s game-tying, 49-yard field goal that proved to be Buffalo’s demise. While a squib kick would have likely given the Bills better field position, it also would have certainly taken time off the clock, perhaps only giving Mahomes one chance to set up a field goal or Hail Mary attempt rather than two.’

‘Davis caught eight passes for 201 yards and scored four touchdowns. He’s the first player in NFL history to catch four touchdown passes in a single playoff game. He caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter, one in the third quarter and two in the final two minutes of regulation in one of the wildest sequences in recent memory.’

‘The fan, who was wearing a Travis Kelce jersey, was promptly escorted off the field with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, it might have been the highlight of the night for Diggs. The Pro Bowl wideout finished the game with three catches for seven yards in a disappointing outing.’

‘The argument against Mahomes-Allen becoming Brady-Manning is that, stylistically, Mahomes and Allen play a less sustainable style of football. Brady and Manning were both about efficient (and, at times, mind-numbingly dull) exploitation of rudimentary defenses. Mahomes and Allen are ripping apart more sophisticated defenses with more difficult plays. So, if nothing else, at least the Mahomes and Allen rivalry will feature a more exciting brand of football.’

‘“He came up to me which was really cool … Just more of respect, what you did out there was awesome, you played well tonight and we didn’t have an answer,” Allen recalled. “I shared the respect right back obviously.”‘

‘On their way to a completely dominant 47–17 over the Patriots on Saturday, the Bills did something that no offense in history had ever done. In their first seven drives, they scored seven touchdowns. They’re the first team to accomplish this feat in NFL playoff history, and were even the first playoff team to do so on their first six drives.’

‘Hyde, perhaps more than Allen, was the perfect ring leader of the chaos. He was, fairly or unfairly, the face of a bitter loss, but he remains the face of Buffalo’s collective rise—a face of a team built brilliantly on the shoulders of castaway role players brought here to upend the division.’

‘On Sunday, McDermott told The MMQB’s Albert Breer, “I’ll talk about that quote, first of all. I know what I meant to say, and I have the utmost respect for Bill. And it was more about what I and our team didn’t do. And things sometimes take on a life of their own, I guess. But look, Bill Belichick makes me a better coach. He’s the standard. And so he just … he challenges even the opposite coach to continue to grow. It’s so hard to beat his team.”’

‘Which is where this one really did feel significant. For the last half decade, since McDermott and GM Brandon Beane got to Buffalo, they’ve been chasing the Patriots. After sweeping New England last year, this year, for the first time, they were no longer the hunter—and that made the challenge on that Monday, and especially this Sunday, different.’

‘But on Sunday, in a 33–21 win over the Patriots in Foxboro that hoisted Buffalo back to the No. 4 seed and knocked New England down to sixth in the AFC, they managed to do something beautiful and somewhat unfathomable just a short time ago: deliver a counterpunch that, to Belichick and the Patriots, was equally as demoralizing and harmful to their perception of who they were. It was the kind of win that lingers like an errant popcorn kernel superglued to a back tooth.’

‘“Just to be clear COVID is not keeping me out of this game. The rules are,” he wrote. “Vaxxed players are playing with Covid every week now because they don’t test. One of my vaxxed teammates is in the hospital missing games. I’m sure he didn’t get this same energy. Thank you for those who support. Everyone else, if you don’t get what’s happening then there is nothing anybody can do for you.”’

‘Tuesday marks the second time Beasley was placed on the team’s COVID-19 list. In August, he along with Gabriel Davis were both placed on the list after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.’

‘Brady and the Bucs received the ball at their own 6-yard line after a Bills punt to start overtime. The poor field position was no issue as Brady marched Tampa down the field, and facing a 3rd-and-3 at his own 42, the seven-time Super Bowl champion ended the contest in thrilling fashion.’

‘“It had been such a great privilege for me to have been his coach with the Buffalo Bills during the 1990s when Mark had been such an integral part in contributing to the success our teams enjoyed during our four trips to those Super Bowl games and beyond,” Levy said. “Mark was not only an outstanding defensive lineman, linebacker and special teams standout, but he was the epitome of all that I had ever hoped our players would be like.”’