WGR

‘This will be the first time this season the Bills are going up against the Patriots since they matched up in the AFC Wild Card Round last season in Orchard Park. That game was all Buffalo in a memorable game in the bitter cold that saw the Bills dominate New England from start-to-finish, 47-17.’

‘In the meantime, left tackle Dion Dawkins (ankle) and defensive and Von Miller (knee) were also out Monday, as the team held its practice inside Highmark Stadium. Miller has already been declared out of the game by head coach Sean McDermott.’

‘Prior to the session held inside the ADPRO Sports Training Center, head coach Sean McDermott announced that defensive backs Jordan Poyer, Siran Neal, Dane Jackson, and Jaquan Johnson, along with linebacker Tyler Matakevich, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, running back Nyheim Hines, and tight end Quintin Morris would all be out due to illness.’

‘The 22-year-old has been a bright light for the Buffalo secondary that has been missing veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White for a majority of the season. He has appeared in nine games this season, starting five of them, while registering 24 total tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception.’

‘According to multiple reports, Miller did not tear the ACL in his right knee, but there appears to be other damage to the knee that doctors are reviewing. His timeline in unclear, at this point, but the additional tests by doctors will hopefully determine how much time he will miss.’

‘This game against Detroit was representative of what has been the story of the Bills offense since the bye week. At times, they look really good, but then they hit stretches where they go into a deep freeze. Red zone struggles and turnovers lead to spotty performances.’

‘With just over two minutes left on the clock the Lions went 42 yards down the field, converting once on fourth down but the Bills defense stopped them on their second fourth down conversion attempt. Badgely tied the game for Detriot on a 51-yard field goal attempt.’

‘”When you win it goes in the win column as one, when you lose it goes into the loss column as one. No matter how you win you gotta find a way to win and I think our guys have shown that they know how to do that. Incredibly resilient, down to the last play really.”‘

‘”Just trusting what were seeing. Dorse (Ken Dorsey) was trusting our guys, lotta Stef (Stefon Diggs) and we’re just gonna keep feeding him there, guys were blocking well. Again just found a way to drive down the field and end in the end zone. Sometimes those games happen, it’s tough to win in this league. I’m just proud of our guys for battling through it.”‘

‘Jackson was picked on a bunch. It seemed like whenever the Lions needed a play in the passing game, they went Jackson’s way, and too often had success.’

‘It means on 65% of their drives they either score points or turn the ball over. They’ve punted a league-low twenty times. Now they face a Lions defense that’s allowed opponents to score on 43.3% of their defensive possessions, fifth-most in the league, but has also taken the ball away 13 times. The Bills need to take advantage of the Detroit defense and not let the Lions have those extra chances by giving them the ball.’

‘The Bills’ running game came alive in their win on Sunday, with both rookie James Cook and veteran Devin Singletary rushing for 86 yards, and Singletary scoring a touchdown. McDermott has been really impressed with how Cook has handled himself, especially since the acquisition of Nyheim Hines from the Indianapolis Colts.’

‘McDermott also gave an update on several injured players, saying that center Mitch Morse, offensive lineman David Quessenberry, and defensive end Gregory Rousseau will all be limited at practice this week. It will also be a stretch for linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and defensive end A.J. Epenesa to be able to play come Thursday.’

‘The Bills picked up right where they left off in the second half. Allen found Diggs twice on the opening drive of the second half helping push the offense into Browns territory. Buffalo ultimately came up short on third down and Bass was called into action once again. This time Bass nailed a 56-yard field goal, his third of the game.’

‘”Very impressed by the way we ran the football,” McDermott said. “Both backs had close to 80 plus yards. They were running hard, taking care of the football. Good to watch our offensive line go to work the way they did.”‘