San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
AMID TRAUMA, BILLS FOCUSED ON PRIZE
Mcdermott: ‘This is not a soap opera’ as team begins playoffs
With Damar Hamlin recovering at home, Buffalo Bills coach Sean Mcdermott smiled when asked if he thought the tide of bad news might finally be turning for his team.
And he jumped on an opportunity to move forward to today, when the AFC East champion Bills (13-3) host their division rival Miami Dolphins (9-8) in a wild-card playoff game.
“I appreciate where you’re going with that, but this is not a soap opera,” Mcdermott responded. “We’ve got one game to get ready for, and that’s really what we’re focused on.”
In the wake of an emotionally draining stretch during which the Bills were inspired by the outpouring of support from around the NFL, and uplifted further by
AFC wild-card round Today:
10 a.m., Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y. Bills by 131 Ch. 8
Line:
On the air:
Sam Farmer’s Pick: The Bills are galvanized like no other team right now. Miami has played them tough this season and could be a spoiler. But if Buffalo plays the way it can, this won’t be close. Bills 34, Dolphins 13
⁄2
Hamlin’s remarkable recovery since he had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati, Mcdermott’s message was clear.
Given the adversity the Bills have overcome — from two snowstorms, injuries and four fourth-quarter deficits — already this season, this is no time for a letdown or occasion to overlook an opponent that is down to its third-string quarterback in rookie Skylar Thompson.
The Bills are favored by 131⁄2 points with Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa ruled out due to the aftereffects of a concussion sustained three weeks ago, and backup Teddy Bridgewater nursing a broken pinky finger.
The Bills also have momentum on their side in closing the season on a 7-0 run, which included a 32-29 win over Miami four weeks ago. And Buffalo is a more playoff-tested team in making its fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
The Dolphins, by comparison, stumbled down the stretch in losing five straight before clinching their first playoff berth since 2016 with an 11-6 win over the New York Jets last weekend — and only after New England was eliminated following a 35-23 loss at Buffalo.
First-year coach Mike Mcdaniel remains upbeat while understanding the challenge ahead.
“I know we have a dedicated, hungry football team that’s excited to play a game they earned to play in,” Mcdaniel said.
Rather than view the Dolphins’ late-season skid as a negative, the coach attempted to turn it into a positive by informing his players they’re one of five NFL teams to lose five straight and still qualify for the playoffs.
“You prefer to not lose five in a row, but I think it also more precisely speaks to the level of determination, the lack of splintering,” Mcdaniel said.
The Bills know plenty about perseverance, while also appreciating what they’ve overcome doesn’t provide them a pass into the next round.
“We understand the mortality of this team, and granted that might be the wrong choice of words in this given moment,” center Mitch Morse said. “But we understand that anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We do not feel like we’re owed anything.”
The teams split the season series. The Bills melted down in the South Florida heat in blowing a fourthquarter lead in a 21-19 loss in September. Four weeks ago, the Dolphins froze in the fourth quarter as snow began falling in blowing an eight-point lead in a 31-28 loss.
The forecast for today calls for sun and a high of 32.
Thompson is 1-1 in two starts this season after being selected in the seventh round out of Kansas State.
“I feel like I got a pretty good feel for what a playoff game kind of would look like just last week,” Thompson said of beating the Jets. “It was a win or go home type of situation for us, so getting to experience kind of what that felt like last week I think was helpful.”