Scouting Report: Bills' resurgent run game gives Patriots something else to think about
When the Bills run: Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has unleashed quarterback Josh Allen as a runner. Over the last five regular-season games, Allen had four of his highest-rushing games of the season. He’s topped 60 yards in each of his last three games. He had 28 runs of 10-plus yards in the regular season, second only to Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (29) among quarterbacks. On designed runs, Allen carried 57 times for 324 yards, according to TruMedia, picking up a first down on 50.9% of those plays. For comparison, Hurts was the only other player in the NFL above 40%. The New England Patriots have struggled to defend the run lately, including in Week 18 when they gave up 195 yards to Miami. Devin Singletary has five rushing touchdowns in his last four games. The only game he didn’t hit at least 86 rushing yards over that time was against New England, but the Buffalo Bills have shown the threat of their run game has to be respected. EDGE: Bills.
When the Bills throw: The Patriots ramped up their usual defensive approach in Week 16 against the Bills, going with more man coverage than they usually play. It was a logical approach, given that Allen threw six interceptions against that style of defense in the regular season, second most in the NFL. Allen, though, played one of his best games, and produced 12 first downs against the coverage. Switching to zone didn’t help, either, as Allen torched that coverage by completing 80% of his passes for 173 yards. It will be interesting to see if New England plays more man defense. If the Patriots do, it could mean more snaps for Isaiah McKenzie, who worked over Miles Bryant in the last meeting of the teams. Another big development was the Patriots putting No. 2 cornerback Jalen Mills on the reserve/Covid-19 list. If he can’t play, it will weaken their secondary. EDGE: Bills.
The journey to the postseason – which begins Saturday when the New England Patriots visit Highmark Stadium for an AFC wild-card playoff game – has been full of adversity. Some of that is the same type as every NFL team goes through, and some of it has been self-inflicted and unique to the Bills.
If the Bills beat the Patriots, it pretty much makes the entire season. Two victories over Belichick in the same year – and sending the Pats packing in the playoffs? That would be a great way to remember the 2021 campaign.
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Bills great Darryl Talley reveals secrets of 'Spidey' ski suit before icy playoff game with Patriots
Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame linebacker Darryl Talley used to slather his body with Vaseline, then pull on a pair of Big Mama pantyhose, then his football pads, pants and jersey, just one old-school trick for staying warm in the extreme cold.
Then he’d lube up his feet and pull on silk socks, then GORE-TEX socks to remain dry, then his uniform socks, then his cleats. The idea was simple, yet brilliant.
How we see it: News' writers predict Bills-Patriots III in wild-card playoff game
The Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in an AFC wild-card game at Highmark Stadium. The Bills are a 4-point favorite. Here is how The News' sports writers project the outcome:
The New England Patriots had 60 pass plays of 20 or more yards during the regular season, 10th best in the NFL. The Bills had 51 plays of 20-plus yards, 16th most.
Jay Skurski: Make no mistake: All the pressure is on the Bills in this one. They are the team that was a popular Super Bowl pick. They are the team with an established franchise quarterback, not the one with a rookie making his first postseason start. They are the ones who will undoubtedly be viewed as a disappointment, should they lose. I don't see that happening. The Bills' offense has discovered a running game at the right time. That's a big deal, because it could take just a bit of the pressure off quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills' defense needs to do what it did in Week 16 against New England: Force Mac Jones to beat them. I don't think he's up for the challenge. The Patriots are 1-3 in their last four games, while the Bills are riding a four-game winning streak. We'll see how much momentum means. Bills, 27-19.
If the Bills beat the Patriots, it pretty much makes the entire season. Two victories over Belichick in the same year – and sending the Pats packing in the playoffs? That would be a great way to remember the 2021 campaign.
The journey to the postseason – which begins Saturday when the New England Patriots visit Highmark Stadium for an AFC wild-card playoff game – has been full of adversity. Some of that is the same type as every NFL team goes through, and some of it has been self-inflicted and unique to the Bills.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022.
What we learned from each Bills game on way to the playoffs
The Bills' journey to the AFC East championship and the NFL playoffs might have been more difficult than many expected before the season began. In every win and loss, there was good and bad and a lesson to be learned.
Week 1: Pittsburgh 23, Bills 16
Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) wraps up Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) during the second quarter on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.
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Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) makes a catch against Washington Football Team inside linebacker Jon Bostic (53) and cornerback Bobby McCain (20) during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021.
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Even Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) has to smile about how good the touchdown catch by Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (1) looks up close Oct. 10 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) pulls in a Josh Allen pass for a touchdown against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) during the fourth quarter on Oct. 31, 2021.
Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde (23) recovers a fumble in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford,New Jersey on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) steps away from a diving New York Jets defensive end Kyle Phillips (93) during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022.
Reading the Fan Meter: It was an up-and-down season for Bills Mafia
Stefon Diggs talks all the time about the how the Bills can’t ride the roller coaster. The Buffalo wide receiver says he has to stay steady all the time. It’s good and sound advice for the actual players on the field, and they seem to take to it. It is not realistic advice for fans, who live and (might feel they) die by every moment.
The Bills’ 2021-22 season has been an up-and-down ride. The 11-6 record perhaps doesn’t fully reflect how heart-pounding it felt for the eight-week stretch of alternating wins and losses. The team stayed the course, and fans clung on every twist and turn, as Bills fans always do.
'We took our lumps': How the Bills' tough stretch prepared them for this moment
Sean McDermott planted the seed the day after Christmas.
During his postgame news conference following the biggest win of the season, the Buffalo Bills’ coach provided the type of insight that can sometimes be rare from the leader of an NFL team.
The News created a Fan Meter to measure moments ranked on this scale: 1 (panic or gloom), 2 (worry or doubt), 3 (uncomfortable optimism) or 4 (excitement and joy).
CBS play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle and analyst Charles Davis, who called Bills-Pats II, Buffalo’s 33-21 road victory on Dec. 26, are back for the rubber match.
“The snow-covered gridiron reduced the effectiveness of the power running of (Cookie) Gilchrist,” The New York Times said in its report, “but did not seem to hamper Ron Burton or Larry Garron,” the Patriots’ running backs.
“I feel like that Tampa Bay game kind of got us back to where we needed to go, as far as having confidence, playing free, and playing like we know what we can play,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said in late December.
“They beat us at home, we beat them at [their] home. It's a playoff game, Buffalo, New York, on Saturday night,” Bills safety Jordan Poyer said. “I mean, it's just really everything you asked for in a football game, football season, this type of game right here.”
Buffalo Bills healthy on final injury report ahead of facing New England Patriots
The Buffalo Bills had one of their cleanest injury reports of the season heading into Saturday's AFC wild-card game against the New England Patriots.
Of the players on the active roster, no one was listed with an injury designation on Thursday's practice report. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (knee) and defensive end Efe Obada (ankle) were full participants all week. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs had his usual end-of-week veteran's day of rest Thursday.
If the Bills beat the Patriots, it pretty much makes the entire season. Two victories over Belichick in the same year – and sending the Pats packing in the playoffs? That would be a great way to remember the 2021 campaign.
View from Vegas: Bills could ride trend of playoff return after conference title game loss
Rest assured, Bills Mafia has been chewing nails since the Bills lost to Kansas City in the AFC title game last season. Not only have they played their way back to the postseason this year, they’ll take the field knowing that playoff home teams that fell in their conference title game the previous season are 44-8 straight up and 34-16-2 against the spread overall. That includes 26-3 straight up and 21-6-2 against the spread when coming off a win of six-plus points. And yes, we realize that six of the Bills' victories this season have come against teams that were using a backup quarterback.
As for New England, after their 7-0 win streak straight up and against the spread, the Patriots are just 1-3 straight up and against the spread in their last four while nearly mirroring their dismal 1-4 start to begin the season.
Voice of the Fan: Bills have perfect playoff combination of Motor, mojo, momentum and Mafia
The Buffalo Bills have Motor, mojo, momentum and the Mafia as they storm into the NFL playoffs.
The Bills started off well in their division-clinching win over the lowly New York Jets, scoring on their first two possessions for a 10-0 lead they never relinquished. After a short stint in the second quarter idling on the tarmac, Buffalo jammed into gear and took off again.
Matt Haack, Bills forget past punting woes ahead of frigid wild-card game
The Buffalo Bills will look for any edge they can find Saturday in the wild card game.
With rough weather on deck, the Bills will need a clean day on special teams against the Patriots in Orchard Park. They've had consistency in some cases throughout the season, with kicker Tyler Bass being reliable. Other decisions are still being made.
If the Bills beat the Patriots, it pretty much makes the entire season. Two victories over Belichick in the same year – and sending the Pats packing in the playoffs? That would be a great way to remember the 2021 campaign.
“They beat us at home, we beat them at [their] home. It's a playoff game, Buffalo, New York, on Saturday night,” Bills safety Jordan Poyer said. “I mean, it's just really everything you asked for in a football game, football season, this type of game right here.”
“The snow-covered gridiron reduced the effectiveness of the power running of (Cookie) Gilchrist,” The New York Times said in its report, “but did not seem to hamper Ron Burton or Larry Garron,” the Patriots’ running backs.
“I feel like that Tampa Bay game kind of got us back to where we needed to go, as far as having confidence, playing free, and playing like we know what we can play,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said in late December.
Mark Gaughan: Bills-Pats, Round 3 is going to be so sweet – or so bitter
Losing to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots Saturday would be like the groundhog declaring six more months of winter for Western New York.
The wind off Lake Erie would be colder. The short winter days would seem darker. And it’s not because the Bills clearly should beat the Patriots in the AFC wild-card playoff game. The Bills are 4-point favorites. Pretty slim.
“They beat us at home, we beat them at [their] home. It's a playoff game, Buffalo, New York, on Saturday night,” Bills safety Jordan Poyer said. “I mean, it's just really everything you asked for in a football game, football season, this type of game right here.”
This week's playoff game may turn out to be one of the coldest games the Bills have ever played. Temperatures are expected to be in the single digits at the 8:15 p.m. kickoff Saturday at Highmark Stadium.
“The snow-covered gridiron reduced the effectiveness of the power running of (Cookie) Gilchrist,” The New York Times said in its report, “but did not seem to hamper Ron Burton or Larry Garron,” the Patriots’ running backs.
“I feel like that Tampa Bay game kind of got us back to where we needed to go, as far as having confidence, playing free, and playing like we know what we can play,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said in late December.
On the heels of a second straight AFC East crown for the Buffalo Bills, chances are high you need to restock your beer fridge for this weekend as the Bills take on the Patriots on Jan. 15. And you’re going to need a lot of beer on hand as you watch the Bills finally expel the ghosts of New England once and for all.
Luckily for all of us, there is not a shortage of Bills-themed brews to fill our glass come kickoff.
Why Bills' late-season surge to win AFC East began with overtime loss in Tampa
Sean McDermott was a defensive quality control coach on Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia in 2003, when the Eagles opened the season with back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and New England, then boarded a turbulent flight to Buffalo, where they turned their season around.
The Eagles defeated the Bills and won 12 of their final 14 regular season games to clinch the NFC East title, the No. 1 seed in the conference and advanced to the NFC championship game.
“They beat us at home, we beat them at [their] home. It's a playoff game, Buffalo, New York, on Saturday night,” Bills safety Jordan Poyer said. “I mean, it's just really everything you asked for in a football game, football season, this type of game right here.”
'We know each other extremely well': Bills prepare for third meeting of season with Patriots
When the Bills toppled the Patriots in New England three weeks ago, they couldn’t count on it being the final word between the two teams this season. Already, there was the idea that they could face the Patriots again quite soon.
Safety Jordan Poyer admitted that it felt somewhat inevitable.
Bills, Patriots both in good health entering playoffs
The Buffalo Bills enter the playoffs in remarkably good health, and the New England Patriots have only a couple of injuries to monitor this week leading up to Saturday’s game.
Buffalo held only a walk-through practice Tuesday and listed nobody as injured. Receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who has missed the past two games with a knee injury, participated fully. He looks on track to play, bringing the receiving corps up to full strength.
Bills Mailbag: Should Cole Beasley or Isaiah McKenzie play more against Patriots?
Welcome to a playoff edition of the Bills Mailbag. Let’s get right to your questions …
Ed in Tonawanda asks: Do you think Isaiah McKenzie will have a bigger role on the offense given his success last time against the Patriots? Do you see the Bills extending Mitch Morse after this season? I'm hoping Brian Daboll is less conservative than he was against the Jets – weather permitting.
Alan Pergament: Bills regular season ratings up 13% locally; national telecasts have mixed results
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs were an even bigger TV draw in Western New York this 11-6 regular season than they were a year ago when they finished 13-3 and made it to the AFC title game.
The Buffalo Bills’ 17 games in a season that began with Super Bowl expectations averaged a 47.4 rating, up 13% from the 42.1 average for 16 regular season games last season.
Fans from years ago may remember a sign – once a staple at Buffalo Bills games – that read, "The Blue Lights. Auburn, N.Y. Go Bills." Here's the story behind the sign.
