Bills ride bumpy road with AFC East title in reach vs. Jets
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — If not for the sheer fact of being bald, Bills coach Sean McDermott acknowledges what hair he could grow would have turned grayer during a season in which Buffalo teetered on the brink of collapse before clinching a third consecutive playoff berth.
“Would I have more gray hair? Probably,” McDermott said with a laugh.
“But I think that shows wisdom, though, too, right? I think you learn a lot going through a season like this,” he added. “Some seasons are harder than others, and that’s what makes it, I guess, enjoyable on the other hand, when you can work your way through it and have a successful season like we’ve been able to.”
At 10-6, the Bills need a win — or a New England loss at Miami — in their season finale against the New York Jets (4-12) on Sunday to clinch Buffalo’s second consecutive AFC East title.
What separates this season from last year, when Buffalo won 13 games to run away with the division title, is how much bumpier the road has been.
Following a 4-1 start, the Bills endured a stretch in which they dropped five of eight, including a 9-6 dud at Jacksonville, to cede first place to New England following a 14-10 loss on Dec. 6.
Rather than wilt, Buffalo rallied to win three straight, including a 33-21 win at New England, in a run which began after the Bills trailed 24-3 at halftime in an eventual 33-27 overtime loss at Tampa Bay.
“It speaks a lot about the guys in this locker room, about the front office and the coaching staff,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “There was no panic in our locker room and we have a sense of
JETS at BILLS
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. (WCBS)
calmness, but also a lot of urgency.”
Allen’s comments and the Bills’ resilience validate the vision McDermott and GM Brandon Beane outlined upon their arrival in 2017 by vowing to transform a perennial loser, in the midst of a 17-year playoff drought, into a team with a track record of sustained success. Buffalo has now clinched its fourth playoff berth in five years.
The Jets continue their search for stability in missing the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season, while showing glimpses of promise under Robert Saleh, their third coach since Rex Ryan was fired following the 2014 season.
What’s encouraging is the competitiveness they’ve shown over the past few weeks by beating Jacksonville before squandering a 24-10 lead in a 28-24 loss to the Buccaneers last weekend.
“The biggest thing is laying the foundation of what we’re trying to build on,” Saleh said.
It’s why he points to the game at Buffalo as one last chance for the team to show growth and experience a playoff-type atmosphere in what should be a loud, unfriendly environment.
“We’re going to get their absolute best shot and we’ve got to give it right back to them. We’ve got to make them earn it,” Saleh said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and it’s one that I hope our guys are excited about just like I am.”
WILSON SETTLING IN
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will face the Bills and their top-ranked defense for the first time after missing the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 14 while recovering from a sprained knee ligament. Mike White started in Wilson’s place and was intercepted four times in a 45-17 loss.
The No. 2 overall pick has gone four straight games without being picked off, the longest streak by a Jets rookie.