TONY’S TAKE – A PREVIEW OF BILLS-COWBOYS

by Tony Fiorello

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 10: Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott watches game play against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 10th at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Welcome to Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season. Here at Buffalo Sports Page we will attempt to inform and educate our readers about the Buffalo Bills’ upcoming opponent and what each team might do to emerge victorious.

The Bills’ 14th game of 2023 will take place at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York as they face the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s what you should know:

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 29: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys talks with \head coach Mike McCarthy during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at AT&T Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

COWBOYS’ OFFENSE A MIX OF OLD AND NEW IDEAS

The foundation of Dallas’ passing attack was the vertical-based Air Coryell system for the better part of three decades, but with the hire of former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy in 2020 their offense has gotten a facelift. McCarthy’s version of the West Coast offense yielded solid results with Dallas being 14th in the NFL in passing, ninth in rushing, 11th in total offense and fourth in scoring a year ago, and this season has been even better.

So far the Cowboys are first in scoring, fourth in total yards, second in passing and 11th in rushing – they’ve been especially hot as of late, scoring 40.2 points a game in their last five and have turned the ball over just 11 times all year, the lowest mark in the NFL. Additionally, they’ve averaged 19.8 points in the first half of games this year, the second-highest first half scoring average in NFL history behind the 2007 New England Patriots (20.8, their scoring margin of plus-133 in the first half leads the league – for comparison’s sake, the Bills’ is plus-47, good for seventh-best) and have scored on 53.5 percent of their drives, the highest mark in the NFL since at least 2007.

McCarthy has added more formations, motions and intricate route combinations (such as double posts, or “dino” concepts) to this attack, a refreshing change for an offense that previously utilized static formations and isolation routes that relied on a receiver’s talent to get open. The trigger man for his system is Dak Prescott, whose mobility helps Dallas remain dangerous on play-action, bootlegs, rollouts, zone-reads and RPOs – all plays that are built off the run.

Prescott, who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in seven straight games (tied with Tony Romo for the second-longest streak in team annals – Don Meredith had 12 straight from 1965-66), is an interesting quarterback to evaluate. According to former MMQB/SI writer Andy Benoit, “Prescott does many things well; he commands the field in spread-empty formations, makes the occasional big-time throw and poses a threat as a perimeter runner, keeping edge defenders from attacking down on Dallas’ zone runs….. Then there are the negatives. Prescott’s arm is merely adequate, and he’s not always great at reading a field quickly.”

Prescott’s top weapon in the passing game is CeeDee Lamb, who excels both on the boundary and in the slot and is a very good route runner. The problem for the Cowboys is that he’s their only consistent receiving option, as Michael Gallup – who is normally their boundary ‘X’ receiver – is up-and-down and the well-traveled Brandin Cooks is a one-trick pony as a deep threat. Tony Pollard is a versatile and explosive running back who can align all over the formation and Jake Ferguson has emerged as a quality starting tight end.

Pollard operates behind one of the league’s better offensive lines. Anchored by perennial All-Pros Tyron Smith and Zack Martin plus Tyler Smith, Tyler Bladasz and Terrence Steele, this unit performs well on man and zone-based running plays.

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys lines up before a play during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

DALLAS DEFENSE BUILT OFF SIMPLICITY AND AGGRESSION

In the past, former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was a strong proponent of the Cover Three scheme (deep zone coverage on the outside with a safety in the box and a deep safety patrolling centerfield) but he has had excellent results in Big D while mixing in more single-high man coverages (Cover One) in recent years. No one uses more Cover One than Dallas – it’s been used on 47 percent of their snaps – and they’ll also throw in some Cover Two zone looks on third down from time to time.

While the Cowboys weren’t great against the run in 2022, (22nd), they were ranked eighth against the pass, third in sacks, fifth in points allowed and tied for seventh in interceptions. This year they’ve been better, as they are fourth in points allowed, third in total yards given up, fifth against the pass, 13th versus the run, tied for eighth in sacks, fourth in interceptions and sixth in blitz rate, but two flaws remain. Dallas is 22nd in red zone percentage and they’re also susceptible to pre-snap motion – they’re fourth-best in the NFL against plays with no motion and 20th against motion, according to ESPN.

Dallas’ athletic defensive line – led by Demarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Jonathan Hankins (out for Sunday’s game due to injury), Osa Odighizuwa, Dante Fowler Jr. and rookie Mazi Smith – relies on slants, stunts and twists at the line of scrimmage to get to the quarterback. They also use them against the run, which helps shut down multiple gaps at once, while also executing multiple pressure concepts and defensive fronts.

Helping at the second level are linebackers Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch (whose career may be over after a neck injury), Damone Clark and Markquese Bell, who are intelligent, fast and good in run support and in pass coverage. Parsons may be the league’s best pass rusher with a combination of violent hands, bend, flexibility, burst and explosiveness, and is versatile enough to execute at a high level at any position at the line of scrimmage.

The Cowboys are led in their secondary by Trevon Diggs (out for the season with a torn ACL), Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland, who has taken advantage of Diggs’ absence in a big way. His eight interceptions lead the league and has five pick-sixes, an NFL single-season record. Most of them have come by Bland gambling and waiting on specific routes to develop, but he can be beaten by wide receivers using double moves. Dallas’ safeties are the rangy Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson.

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 10: Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) and Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas (31) celebrate after a play during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 10th at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BUFFALO’S DEFENSE USUALLY ELITE, BUT UNDERGOING CHANGES IN 2023

For most of head coach Sean McDermott’s time in Buffalo, the Bills’ defense – led by longtime stalwarts Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Matt Milano and Ed Oliver – has been one of the league’s best in the regular season. Points allowed (second in the NFL in that category in 2022), total yards per game allowed (sixth), rushing yards surrendered (fifth), takeaways (tied for fourth), interceptions (tied for fourth) and red zone defense (second) have generally been the categories that the Bills have excelled at (last year’s 15th ranking against the pass not withstanding).

Buffalo, however, was inconsistent in two areas – creating a consistent pass rush and, from time to time, stopping the run. These issues are mainly caused by poor tackling (a year ago their missed and broken tackle percentage were among the highest in the NFL), a lack of gap integrity and a lack of versatility along the defensive line. This problem came up again this year against the Jets in Week One, where the Bills allowed 172 yards on the ground but a week later they held Josh Jacobs – last year’s rushing champion – to -2 yards on nine carries, the first time a reigning rushing champion was held to negative yards in a game according to ESPN.

To address this over the years, McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier (who has taken this season off, leaving McDermott to call the defensive plays) have brought in more talent. Out went names like Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Star Lotulelei, Carlos “Boogie” Basham and Harrison Phillips, and in came talented and versatile linemen like Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa (who earlier this season became the first Bills defensive lineman to return an interception for a touchdown since Aaron Schobel in 2009 but is out for Sunday’s game), Da’Quan Jones and Tim Settle, and the return of former Bills like Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson were also welcomed additions. This season Buffalo has signed veterans such as Leonard Floyd, Kaylon “Poona” Ford and Linval Joseph to help out, and they’ve fit like a glove – especially Floyd, whose length and athleticism were needed on the edge (he has 9.5 sacks, the most of any Bill since Phillips had the same amount in 2019 – no Bill has had a double digit sack season since Lorenzo Alexander in 2016). They’ll be needed even more after Jones, perhaps their best run-stuffing lineman, tore a pectoral muscle against Jacksonville.

Beyond improving against the run, the Bills had also lacked an elite pass rusher off the edge who could command double teams on a consistent basis since Mario Williams was employed nearly 10 years ago. With this in mind, in 2022 general manager Brandon Beane signed future Hall of Famer Von Miller. But Miller suffered a torn ACL after putting up eight sacks in 11 games and missed the first four games of this season while recovering on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He’s back now and on a snap count as he shakes off the rust, but his return is good news regardless. With Miller the Bills were fourth in the NFL in pressure rate with four or less pass rushers in 2022, without him they were 27th in that category – however their pressure rate and sack percentage has been among the best in the league thus far even without Miller.

Schematically the Bills’ defense mostly relies on basic zone coverages after the snap (they’re usually among the top units in the NFL in usage of Cover Two, Four and Six) but before the snap it is complex – safety rotations to disguise their intentions keep opposing quarterbacks guessing and selective pressure looks at the line of scrimmage and coverage exchanges are the team’s calling cards.

Those blitz looks usually happen in the A-gaps with the smaller, but smart, speedy and athletic Milano and Terrell Bernard (replacing the departed Tremaine Edmunds) to confuse opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks, but they rarely send five or more pass rushers – their favorite blitz tactic besides A-gappers are four-man zone exchanges. Bernard has stepped up to the challenge so far, leading Buffalo in tackles and recording two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery against Washington – becoming the first NFL player to do so in one game since Brian Urlacher in 2007. Milano, however, is out for the foreseeable future after suffering a broken leg and a knee injury against the Jaguars, so backups Tyrel Dodson and rookie Dorian Williams will need to pick up the slack. So far they’ve struggled to defend the run well because of a lack of experience and not diagnosing those plays at the line of scrimmage (especially Williams) and Dodson is limited athletically.

The Bills mainly utilize nickel personnel, as evidenced by Buffalo using five defensive backs between 90 and 100 percent of their snaps since 2020. They did use nine snaps of dime against Kansas City in Week Seven last year – a matchup that saw them rely on three-man rushes and Milano utilizing a spy technique on Patrick Mahomes, and that setup has been relied upon again since Week Eight with three safeties to help offset the loss of Milano in pass coverage. Generally it features Hyde and ex-Ram Taylor Rapp on the back end and Poyer near the line of scrimmage.

White, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, was back to full form after tearing his ACL against the New Orleans Saints two years ago but is injured again – this time after rupturing his Achilles tendon against Miami in Week Four. Opposite him at the other boundary corner spot were second-year man Christian Benford, Dane Jackson and Kaiir Elam, who has underwhelmed so far as a pro.

Slot corner Taron Johnson remains elite, but with White’s upper-echelon ability to play both man and zone coverage gone, will McDermott lean on more zone from Jackson, Elam, Benford, Johnson, Josh Norman and newly-acquired Rasul Douglas than they ever have? It would make sense, especially given that Douglas and Norman are primarily zone corners. Douglas, an ex-Green Bay Packer and Philadelphia Eagle, has great size and length, is versatile and a gambler – he can take chances because he understands route combinations very well (he had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against New York, the first Bill to do so in a game since Kurt Schulz in 1998).

Hyde and Poyer have reunited to form perhaps the league’s best duo on the back end after being in and out of the lineup with various injuries throughout 2022, and the rangy and physical but inconsistent Damar Hamlin has also returned to full health after suffering a cardiac arrest episode against Cincinnati in Week 16. Hyde, however, is out for Sunday’s game after suffering a stinger against Kansas City.

Special teams were also solid for the Bills in 2022, having been 13th in punt return average and sixth in kick return average (which was boosted by Nyheim Hines’ two kick returns for scores in Week 18, the first player in Bills history to return two kicks for scores in one game and the first kick return for a touchdown by a Bill in three years) and were 18th and third in covering punts and kicks, respectively. However, Hines was lost for the season after a knee injury was sustained during the summer and the team allowed a punt return for a touchdown in overtime in Week One – the first time an NFL game ended on a punt return score since 2011.

Through 13 games Buffalo is sixth in points allowed, 14th in total yards allowed, 11th against the pass, 19th versus the run, tied for third in sacks despite blitzing among the least of any NFL team and tied for second in takeaways. Their nine sacks and four picks against Washington allowed them to be the first team to put up those numbers in a game since the 1985 Dallas Cowboys, and combined for six sacks and four turnovers against the Jets in Week 11 – they also held them without a first down on 11 third down tries, the first time since 1987 the Bills have prevented an opponent from converting on third down. Additionally, Buffalo didn’t allow the Eagles to convert a third down in the first half two weeks ago.

As well as they’ve played, however, their injuries have taken a toll. The Bills have given up tying or go-ahead drives in the final two minutes in four of their six losses – meaning they have struggled to close out games. As a result, they have gone 3-6 in one-score games (Buffalo was 7-3 in one-score outings a year ago). They also have the toughest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 10: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills huddles with his offense during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

BILLS’ OFFENSE AN UPPER-ECHELON UNIT, BUT REBOUNDING AFTER SLUMPING

Led by quarterback Josh Allen and a cadre of gifted pass-catchers, between 2020-22 the Bills boasted one of the NFL’s elite offenses for the first time since the K-Gun was running roughshod over the league 30 years ago. Allen’s improved processing skills, ball placement, patience within the pocket and touch on passes allowed Buffalo to become one of the most feared attacks in pro football (he was second in passing and total touchdowns and seventh in yards in 2022).

His core of targets is talented. Stefon Diggs is an exceptional route runner who excels in making contested catches and operates well out of bunch and stack formations. His presence along with the physical but inconsistent Gabriel Davis has balanced out Buffalo’s wide receiver corps. But one element – speed – was lacking a year ago, so the Bills addressed this by letting veterans Jamison Crowder, Cole Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie and John Brown walk and brought in names like Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty and Andy Isabella to go along with second-year man Khalil Shakir. Tight end Dawson Knox is now joined by rookie first-round pick Dalton Kincaid from Utah, and their diverse skillsets should allow the Bills to throw curveballs at opponents with multiple tight end sets – Kincaid has lived up to the hype with 61 receptions, the most by any Bills rookie since Sammy Watkins in 2014 and is seven catches from tying Pete Metzelaars for the franchise record in catches by a tight end in one season.

The Bills’ offensive line is composed of Dion Dawkins, former Cowboy Connor McGovern, Mitch Morse, rookie O’Cyrus Torrence and Spencer Brown. This crew along with fullback Reggie Gilliam, while not elite, has mainly executed outside zone runs along with zone-reads, pin-and-pull concepts, traps, counters, split inside zone and sprint draw plays sprinkled in for running back James Cook. Cook has taken on more of a featured role and played well since Devin Singletary left for Houston and is backed up by physical ex-Patriot Damien Harris (out with a concussion and sprained neck) and veteran Latavius Murray, who has rushed for a touchdown with six NFL teams – tied with Adrian Peterson for the most all-time. Former Jaguar and Buccaneer Leonard Fournette, a bruising type, was also signed to the team’s practice squad and can catch out of the backfield along with ex-Jet Ty Johnson.

The starting front five, while not bad, has been iffy in providing push in the running game and in pass protection over the last couple of years. Most of the team’s rushing production came from Allen’s legs and few came from their backs – the Bills’ rushing attempts per game in 2022, 18.2, was last in the NFL but that number has increased this year. In Week One against New York Buffalo surrendered five sacks, tied for the fifth-most in Allen’s career, but has been taken down just 18 times total in 13 outings – tied for the best mark in pro football so far.

Since 2018 Buffalo’s passing offense has been a Patriots-style system built upon concepts involving option and crossing routes from the slot, downfield routes from the outside, run-pass options (especially in the red zone), designed quarterback runs to take advantage of Allen’s mobility, deep dropbacks and alignments that create favorable matchups and some trick plays with jet/orbit motion and sweeps. They’ve also used plenty of pre-snap motion and shifts – in the past it was mostly out of “11” personnel groupings (one back, one tight end and three wide receivers) and “10” personnel (one back, no tight ends, four receivers) – and will also go no-huddle from time to time to limit the opposition’s defensive calls.

The Bills got away from those concepts for most of 2023 and tried to rely on their talent winning one-on-one matchups instead of having the scheme help them, but have returned to them the last three weeks with a season-high usage in motion (61 percent, eighth-best in the NFL, previously they were 20th at 46 percent), designed passes to running backs and route combinations with defined reads for Allen so he can play within structure. They have helped on third down, especially against Philadelphia, where he went 12 for 19 on third and medium or longer – the best of any signal caller in 20 years.

The Bills’ multi-receiver sets were traditionally their offensive calling card. In 2020 they used four wide receivers or more 155 times – the second-most in the NFL at the time – and they utilized someone in motion on 43 percent of their offensive snaps, a huge increase from their 25 percent rate in 2019. Former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll – now the head coach of the New York Giants – also called for a passing play on 64 percent of their first downs, according to ESPN Stats and Information – no team with a winning record in the last 20 years did it more than Buffalo – and that rate continued in 2021 and ’22 with “11” personnel used on nearly three-quarters of their plays.

Buffalo’s expected usage of “12” personnel (one back, two tight ends) has gone up a bit with the employment of Knox and Kincaid. They were last in the NFL in usage of that grouping a year ago (three percent – it has gone down again after injuries to Knox and Kincaid throughout the year), and their amount of play-action passes has dropped after being a top-four team in those concepts used in 2020 and ’21 and 25th a year ago – especially while under center, which when utilized helps the Bills be one of the most efficient play-action teams in football. It also gives Diggs time to set up double moves, masks any pass protection weaknesses and improves their timing, rhythm and efficiency.

For everything the Bills did right on offense last year (first in third down conversion percentage, second in points scored and in total yards per game, fifth in passing, seventh in rushing and ninth in red zone percentage), two flaws remained – they were one the league’s sloppiest teams with 27 turnovers and the team’s ability to create sustained offense slipped during the stretch run of the season. Allen had 14 interceptions and 13 fumbles in the regular season and had three turnovers in the wild card playoff round versus the Dolphins (mainly due to perceiving pressure that wasn’t there and playing too fast). Those issues have persisted in 2023 as Allen has thrown an interception in nine straight games, a career-high and the most of any Bills quarterback since Jim Kelly from 1995-96.

In 2022 the Bills won eight in a row (including playoffs, their longest streak since eight in 1990) and included winning six straight non-Sunday games – the first team to have done so since the 1962 Boston Patriots. Additionally Buffalo lost just three games by a total of eight points and tied the franchise mark for wins in a season with 13 (along with the 1990, ’91 and 2020 teams).

Through 13 weeks the Bills are fifth in scoring, total yards and passing yards and 10th in rushing. They’re also among the best in the league in third down rate and red zone efficiency (second), yet their offense performed poorly over a six-game stretch where they averaged just 20.5 points per game. It resulted in offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey getting the boot in favor of quarterbacks coach and former Carolina Panthers play caller Joe Brady. Brady’s work is cut out for him – he needs to create better synergy between Buffalo’s running game and play-action plays and get back to more shifts, motions and under-center formations. Which he’s done so far, but it remains to be seen if it will continue moving forward.

Punter Sam Martin and kicker Tyler Bass have also been their usual excellent selves, especially Martin as of late. While McDermott elected to punt four times in fourth-and-one situations against Tampa (according to OptaSTATS, no other NFL team in the last 30 years got within a yard of or past midfield on each of their last four drives of a game and punted all four times), Martin answered the call by pinning the Bucs inside their own 10-yard line three times.

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 10: Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) on the field prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 10th at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

STATS AND MUSINGS

·         Allen has compiled 38 career regular season games with a passer rating of 100 or better and has reached that mark in 21 of his last 35 outings. In those games Buffalo’s record is 35-3, and he had a perfect quarterback rating against Miami in Week Four – Doug Flutie was the only other Bills passer to accomplish that feat in one game.

·         Allen has tied Steve Young for most career regular season games (eight) with 300 or more passing yards and 50 or more rushing yards. He’s second all-time in games with a passing and rushing score (41) – behind just Cam Newton (64).

·         Buffalo’s franchise quarterback has eight career games with three passing touchdowns and a rushing score – only Drew Brees and Tom Brady (nine) have more all-time. He also became the first signal-caller to throw for 250 yards, run for 50, toss three touchdowns, run for one, complete 80 percent of his throws and win a game in league history against the Rams in Week One last year. His completion percentage against Miami in Week Four was 84, the highest in team history.

·         Allen has moved past Young for second all-time in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback – only Newton has more (75).

·         Allen and McDermott have defeated every team in the NFL at least once except two – Arizona and Philadelphia. Allen’s also become the only signal caller with 4,000 passing yards and 750 rushing yards in a season twice (he’s the only one to do so once).

·         Diggs and Allen have connected for a touchdown 37 times, second on the Bills’ all-time list (Jim Kelly and Andre Reed have 65). Diggs also tied Bill Brooks’ team record for touchdowns in a season in 2022 (11), is fourth in franchise history in scores and receptions and has surpassed Frank Lewis for fifth in team annals in yards. He and Stevie Johnson are the only Bills with three straight 1,000 yard seasons and could be the first with four straight.

·         Speaking of Diggs, he became the sixth player ever with 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards in three straight seasons – joining Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Herman Moore, Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas. He’s also the first to do so in each of his first three years with one team and has three 100-yard receiving games with the Bills in the playoffs, joining Reed (five).

·         Secondary target notes – last year Knox moved past Jay Riemersma for second in team annals with 21 receiving scores by a tight end. He’s behind only Pete Metzelaars (25) and became the fifth Bill with five or more receiving scores in the playoffs all-time while also catching a touchdown in five straight games (only Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski have had longer streaks among tight ends). Meanwhile, Davis has the second-most receiving touchdowns in team playoff history (six), tying James Lofton. Reed had nine.

·         Since 2017 the Bills are 53-8 when leading at halftime and Week Six versus the Giants was the first game in which they were held scoreless through three quarters and won since December 1993 against Philadelphia (it was first time it had happened at home since 1987 – also against the Giants).

·         Miller is the first defensive player in league history to sign two contracts worth at least $100 million. He is also vying to be the second player to win a Super Bowl with three different teams (Matt Millen was the first), has moved past Robert Mathis for 19th on the all-time sack list and is two quarterback takedowns away from tying Dwight Freeney for 18th.

·         Buffalo’s point differential was plus-169 in 2022 – the second-best in the NFL and second-best in franchise history (2021) – and recorded 5,000 yards of offense for the third time in team history, joining the 1991 and 1975 teams. This year it’s plus-104, fifth in the league.

·         After beating Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in 2022, according to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports Allen became the first quarterback to defeat three former MVPs in a four-game span since Troy Aikman downed Dan Marino, Young and Brett Favre in 1996. He’s also the first signal caller to beat three former MVPs in one month since David Woodley in September 1981.

·         The Bills have compiled a road winning percentage of .657 (25-13) since 2019. Buffalo is also 15-2 in December and January in the regular season since 2020 – the best mark in the NFL.

·         The Bills rushed for 100 yards in every game but one last year. They clinched a playoff berth for the fourth straight year, which tied the second-longest streak in franchise history (1963-66, six years from 1988-93 is the longest) and was the fifth time McDermott clinched a playoff berth, trailing just Marv Levy (eight) for the most. Buffalo also won a third straight AFC East title, which is their longest streak since 1988-91.

·         McDermott’s record against the AFC East since 2017 is 25-15 – a winning percentage of .625. He also became the 11th coach all-time to make the playoffs five times in his first six years – joining Andy Reid (PHI), John Harbaugh (BAL), John Madden (OAK), Mike Holmgren (GB), John Robinson (LAR), Paul Brown (CLE), Dennis Green (MIN), Chuck Knox (LAR), George Seifert (49ers) and Bill Cowher (PIT).

·         Buffalo hasn’t won a road playoff game since the 1992 AFC title game in Miami – they’re 0-7 since.

·         Buffalo’s regular season record over the last three years with Allen is 44-18, and he’s 59-31 all-time as a Bill. Allen is 19-6 against the NFC in his career.

·         Since 2020 the Bills’ record coming off a loss is 14-4 and in Allen’s career they’re 23-6 after a loss – a .793 winning percentage, the highest among NFL quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era (Joe Montana is second with a 33-10 mark).

·         McDermott is the third coach in Bills history to appear in 100 games with the franchise along with Levy and Lou Saban. He’s also moved past Saban for second in franchise annals in wins and the Bills haven’t lost coming off a bye week under him (in fact, they haven’t lost in their first game after a bye since 2014). However, he’s also 1-6 in overtime including playoffs.

·         Since 2020 Buffalo has the best home record in the NFL – 29-8 including playoffs.

·         Allen’s career record in primetime is 14-6 and he and McDermott are 5-1 on Sunday Night Football. They’re also 6-1 on Thursdays, but just 3-4 on Monday Night Football.

·         Allen’s thrown a touchdown in 21 straight games, a team record. He’s also broken Patrick Mahomes’ record for most scores by a quarterback in his first six seasons and he and Mahomes have the most total touchdowns in the NFL since 2018.

·         The Bills have won four games by 25 or more points this year – tied for their most ever in one season. They’ve also lost all six of their games by six points or less, the first team to do so since the 2015 Baltimore Ravens and ’12 Carolina Panthers.

·         Buffalo became the first team ever to convert 10 third downs, have 500 yards of offense and win the turnover battle and still lose when it happened against the Eagles. Teams were 39-0 before that, according to ESPN.

·         Cook’s usage has gone up in the last four games, posting 100 or more scrimmage yards in each outing and has accomplished that feat seven times in 2023. He is the first Bills running back since LeSean McCoy to do so four or more times in one season (Buffalo has also rushed for at least 100 yards in their last four games) and he’s also third in the NFL in scrimmage yardage.

·         The matchup between Allen and Prescott will be just the third time the NFL’s respective leaders in total touchdowns and passing touchdowns have gone against one another. Additionally, Buffalo has beaten Dallas in their last two meetings (2019 and ’15).

·         Allen is just nine rushing touchdowns away from moving past O.J. Simpson and 17 away from surpassing Thurman Thomas for second and first all-time, respectively, in Bills annals.