TONY’S TAKE – A PREVIEW OF BILLS-PATRIOTS

by Tony Fiorello

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 23: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 24-22 at SoFi Stadium on December 23, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Welcome to Week 17 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’ 16th game of 2023 will take place at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York as they face the New England Patriots. Here’s what you should know:

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 22: New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien speaks with Mac Jones #10 and Bailey Zappe #4 during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

PATRIOTS TO ATTACK THE BILLS IN AN OLD SCHOOL WAY

Over the years the New England Patriots have changed their identity on offense numerous times. Having featured a power-running team centered around Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon in the early 2000s, a spread, pass-happy team with Randy Moss and Wes Welker and an attack revolving around Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, head coach Bill Belichick has done it all with fantastic results.

For the better part of 20 years, the triggerman behind this attack was future first-ballot Hall of Famer Tom Brady. Until now. Brady, seeking a new chapter elsewhere, departed in 2020 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was replaced by former league MVP Cam Newton. Then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels adapted to Newton’s presence on the roster by applying more designed runs to take advantage of the veteran’s mobility, including read-options, RPOs (run-pass options) and quarterback sweeps, counters and power plays. The results, however, were mixed, prompting the Patriots to draft Mac Jones from Alabama.

Jones, a Nick Saban protégé, drew comparisons to Matt Ryan and Chad Pennington coming out of college. While not boasting elite physical tools like am strength, like those two veterans Jones’ game is based off timing and rhythm, and his accuracy and intelligence were exceptional for a rookie.

His play helped keep drives alive by completing passes to receivers who have mostly executed screens and option routes but Jones underwent a sophomore slump in 2022 while adjusting to a new offensive play-caller in Matt Patricia. Patricia tried to mix elements of the Patriots’ longstanding scheme with an approach taken from Sean McVay’s Rams teams in Los Angeles, but it failed miserably – leading Belichick to return fully to the Erhardt-Perkins scheme by reuniting with Bill O’Brien, the ex-Houston Texans head coach and Belichick’s play-caller from 2009-11.

O’Brien, whose up-tempo system utilizes lots of empty shotgun sets (allowing his quarterbacks to identify favorable matchups), should have been a good fit with Jones given that he played in a similar system at Alabama. Jones, however, continued to regress, as his penchant for hesitation at the top of his dropbacks lead to inaccuracy and turnovers – leading to his benching. His replacement, backup Bailey Zappe, has a better arm, more mobility both in and outside the pocket and is an aggressive passer in the red zone.

New England’s offensive line is usually made up of David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Trent Brown (who has been losing playing time to Vederian Lowe), Cole Strange (out for the season with a knee injury, replaced by James Ferentz and Atonio Mafi) and Sidy Sow, and they’ve struggled this year due to injuries and ineffectiveness. The man usually running behind them is Rhamondre Stevenson, who along with ex-Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliot bring physicality and downhill ability with speed and operate well with power-blocking schemes like power, toss-crack sweep, counters, traps and iso leads (Stevenson is also done for the year). New England will occasionally throw in runs with “wham” blocks” to counterattack aggressive run defenses.

The Patriots are typically one of the league leaders in rushing attempts (and mostly from formations under center, and not out of the shotgun). In fact, few teams have used more 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end) over the last several years than New England – forcing defenses to play more predictable coverages, and they will also liberally use an extra offensive tackle for added blocking prowess.

The Pats’ passing game is built around concepts, formations and motioning to dictate favorable matchups for their wideouts (check out Chris B. Brown’s excellent piece about it here: http://grantland.com/features/how-terminology-erhardt-perkins-system-helped-maintain-dominance-tom-brady-patriots/). They typically ask Jones and Zappe to get the ball out of their hands quickly with defined reads and play-action – which combined with their power running game makes their attack reminiscent of the Pats’ offense utilized between 2001-06.

New England’s best pass-catchers are veterans John “JuJu” Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne (also injured, and has been replaced by Tyquan Thornton, DeMario Douglas and Jalen Reagor). Unfortunately for Belichick and company, this group of targets doesn’t possess much speed to take the top off defenses vertically and struggle to get separation at the line of scrimmage. Tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki bring different strengths to the table – while Henry is a red zone target, Gesicki is versatile and can align anywhere in the formation.

Given their woes, the Pats are last in scoring and on third down, 28th in total yards, 25th in rushing and 24th in passing. They are, however, 11th in red zone percentage.

DENVER, COLORADO - DECEMBER 24: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on before a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on December 24, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

NEW ENGLAND’S DEFENSE IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

Early in Belichick’s tenure in New England his defenses were versatile and unpredictable, with intelligent veterans carrying out his voluminous schemes. But it has done a complete about-face over the past decade.

According to former MMQB/SI writer Andy Benoit, “(Belichick’s) Patriots were known for being a certain defense one week and a totally different defense the next. They could run any coverage, play out of any structure – be it 4-3, 3-4 or a blend – and disguise pressures and post-snap rotations like none other.

“Belichick’s defense is, and has been for roughly 10 years, a simple bend-but-don’t-break unit….. They play a lot of straight man coverage, often with one safety deep and the other robbing over the middle. They blitz rarely….. even presnap disguises can be few and far between. When the Patriots do get aggressive is usually when the offense approaches scoring range. That’s the ‘don’t break’ part.”

The Patriots also like to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks by rushing six players with stunts and twists out of a “diamond” front when opposing offenses show a five-man protection scheme – often with man-coverage across the board and no deep safeties (also known as Cover Zero). They have also recently been incorporating another single-high safety coverage more in Cover Three, with three deep defenders and four underneath defenders in zone coverage (dividing the deep areas into thirds).

New England’s back end is held down by heady veterans Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers (out for Sunday), Adrian Phillips, Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills, Myles Bryant, Alex Austin and the re-acquired J.C. Jackson (who was brought back from the Chargers after standout rookie Christian Gonzalez suffered an injury, but is also out). These defensive backs typically line up with three cornerbacks and three safeties (also known as big nickel), with Phillips and Dugger near the line of scrimmage to help in run support and cover tight ends.

New England’s linebackers are led by former Lion Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings and Ja’Whaun Bentley along with contributors Mack Wilson and Raekwon McMillan (out with an injury). Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise do a lot of the dirty work on the edge of the defensive line while Matthew Judon (currently injured) and Josh Uche are the team’s best pass rushers. Davon Godchaux and Christian Barmore are excellent and versatile run stuffers up the middle.

Typically Belichick’s charges have been productive over the years and this season has been no exception – rankings of eighth on third down, seventh in the red zone, eighth in yards allowed, 15th against the pass and second versus the run are proof of that. But they’re 16th in points allowed.

INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 23: Ed Oliver #91 of the Buffalo Bills rushes the line of scrimmage during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 23, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ryan Kang/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), Da’Quan Jones and Tim Settle, and the return of former Bills like Jordan Phillips (out with a wrist injury) 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 10.5 sacks, the most of any Bill since Lorenzo Alexander in 2016). Jones, perhaps their best run-stuffing lineman, tore a pectoral muscle against Jacksonville but he is returning this week.

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 but has come on as of late.

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.

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 15 games Buffalo is fourth in points allowed, 10th in total yards allowed, ninth against the pass, 16th versus the run, third in sacks despite blitzing among the least of any NFL team and tied for seventh 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. They also held Dallas, the highest-scoring offense in the NFL two weeks ago, to just 10 points.

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 4-6 in one-score games (Buffalo was 7-3 in one-score outings a year ago).

INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 23: The Buffalo Bills huddle on offense during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 23, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

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

Led by quarterback Josh Allen and a cadre of gifted pass-catchers the Bills have 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 have 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 six 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 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 had been iffy in providing push in the running game and in pass protection over the last couple of years but has become a strength for most of this season. Most of the team’s rushing production came from Allen’s legs and few came from their backs in the past – the Bills’ rushing attempts per game in 2022, 18.2, was last in the NFL but that number has increased this year. Rushing for 266 yards against Dallas, it was the most such yardage under Sean McDermott since 2017. Additionally, 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 20 times total in 15 outings – 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 five weeks with a season-high usage in motion, 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), 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 threw 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 15 games the Bills are sixth in scoring, fourth in total yards, seventh in rushing and ninth in passing yards. They’re also the best in the league in third down rate and red zone efficiency, 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. Bass, meanwhile, is nine for nine on go-ahead field goals in his career with two minutes or less remaining in games.

INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 23: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills runs a route during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on December 23, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

STATS AND MUSINGS

·         Allen has compiled 39 career regular season games with a passer rating of 100 or better and has reached that mark in 22 of his last 37 outings. In those games Buffalo’s record is 36-3, 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 (43) – behind just Cam Newton (64) – and became the first quarterback with 11 games of a rushing and receiving touchdown in one season.

·         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) and has become the first quarterback with four straight 40 total touchdown seasons. He’s also joined Newton and Jalen Hurts as the only signal callers with 13 or more rushing scores in a season.

·         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 is the first Bills receiver with four straight 1,000 yard seasons.

·         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 with four catches could tie Keenan Allen, Wes Welker, Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald for the second-most 100-catch seasons ever with 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 55-8 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 their differential is plus-127, fifth-best.

·         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 .667 (26-13) since 2019. Buffalo is also 17-2 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, and one more win this year would give them five straight seasons with double-digit wins.

·         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 46-18, and he’s 61-31 all-time as a Bill. Allen is 20-6 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 – 30-8 including playoffs.

·         Allen’s career record in primetime is 15-6 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 23 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 six games, posting 100 or more scrimmage yards in five of them and has accomplished that feat eight times in 2023. He’s also second in the NFL in scrimmage yardage and is third in rushing, becoming the first Bill with 1,000 yards on the ground since LeSean McCoy in 2017. Cook also became the first Bill with 200 or more scrimmage yards, a rushing and a receiving score in a game since Thurman Thomas in 1991 and only the fourth Bill ever to accomplish the feat (Thomas in ’91 and ‘89, Greg Bell in ’84 and O.J. Simpson in ‘75).

·         Allen is just six rushing touchdowns away from moving past O.J. Simpson and 15 away from surpassing Thurman Thomas for second and first all-time, respectively, in Bills annals.

·         Buffalo’s won six of their last eight meetings against New England including playoffs and Allen has six wins against Belichick – only Peyton Manning has more (eight). Belichick is 37-12 against the Bills all-time and he’s never lost 12 games in a season (he’s gone 5-11 twice – in 2000 and 1995).