WHAM

‘Buffalo still has not clinched a playoff berth, while Miami has. Losses by either Pittsburgh or Jacksonville, or a tie between Houston and Indianapolis, would seal a berth for Buffalo regardless of Sunday night’s result.’

‘Coach Sean McDermott said he’s noticed a difference in his quarterback’s emotion and leadership over the last month. “His urgency, his vulnerability, his leadership,” McDermott said.’

‘”The fact that we lost game one tells our guys we have to put our best stuff out on the field, or we’re not going to win this game,” Allen said. “Frankly, it’s a game we need to win. They know that. We know that. If I’m in the Patriots locker room, I’m looking to ruin their season. An opponent’s playoff hopes are on the line — a divisional rival. They’re going to be ready to go, I can guarantee you that. That, in turn, makes us need to be ready to go, as well.”‘

‘The game will be available over the air on NBC affiliates in the Buffalo and Los Angeles markets only.’

‘Running back James Cook, who’s coming off the best game of his young and promising NFL career against the Cowboys, was a full participant Thursday after missing some practices with an illness.’

‘NBCUniversal says there will be a 40% reduction in the standard ad time for an NFL game which should result in at least 12 additional minutes of game-related content.’

‘”If you’re not on your ‘A’ game, it shows up rather quickly,” McDermott said. “And then you head to the buses with sour faces.”‘

‘”Coordinators, they want to throw the ball too. Don’t get it twisted,” Allen said. “You want to be able to be balanced and throw in some wrinkles and have the splash plays, but, again, when something’s working so well, to go away from it, it’s very hard to do and it’s probably not the smart thing to do.”‘

‘The second-year player out of Georgia posted 179 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in Buffalo’s 31-10 win Sunday against Dallas.’

‘Head coach Sean McDermott said Sunday’s win was great, but doing that once only goes so far. “It should help confidence, number one. Beyond that, though, the good teams do it more than once,” McDermott said. “I think that’s where our focus has to be this week — doubling down on the focus, doubling down on the execution and the preparation that leads to the execution, and the details we have to have on gameday.”‘

‘The Bills’ defense also played an incredible game, holding Dallas to just 10 points and 195 total yards on offense.’

‘”The key is James Cook,” Allen said. “Having that mindset, having that mentality, putting his shoulder down, running through tackles, in the pass game making plays. I know he’s going to beat himself up over that one at the goal line, but you can’t ask for much more from the guy. He’s been working hard. He’s probably top five in most scrimmage yards in the league right now. We’ve got to keep relying on him.”‘

‘The Bills got a ton of pressure, making Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott uncomfortable all game.’

‘”Josh reminds me a lot of that one crazy guy at the frat. I probably would have hated to meet Josh in college. He’s the one that makes his friends get all the way drunk and you just be like ‘Ah, I ain’t going out with this guy,'” Parsons joked. “He just does anything. He’s that wild dude on the field. He wants to dip his shoulder, he’s going to talk trash, and he’s going to get rowdy. You shoot the beer pong and he ace the cup and it’s on and popping. I would love to have a bar and grill out with Josh, for sure. Just not this week.”‘

‘”We have to start with ourselves and making sure that we’re fundamentally strong,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said. “They’re a tough matchup, and it’s a matchup game. They’re tough because of the skills that they possess.”‘