Buffalo Bills OL Quinton Spain on his pending free agency.
As the Bills cleanred out their lockers on Sunday following their postseason loss to the Houston Texans, one player said he’d like to make his time in Buffalo more than a one-and-done.
Bills guard Quinton Spain, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, discussed his plans moving forward. He signed with the Bills late last offseason, but only inked a one-year deal with Buffalo at the time, and he wouldn’t mind landing another one with the Bills before becoming a free agent, too.
“I’m going to leave that to my agent,” Spain said. “I told my agent, if they really want me and want me to be here, I would like to get something done before free agency starts.”
Spain joined the Bills this past year after spending his first four seasons in the league with the Tennessee Titans. Spain became an integral part of the Bills revamped offensive line, playing every snap while not allowing a sack during the entire 2019 regular season.
That did not go unnoticed by Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, either. Allen wanted the left guard back.
“The mindset, the way he play… he brings a fire,” Allen said. “I wish we get him back… I hope he knows I love him.”
The Bills enter the offseason with nearly $90 million in cap space, which will allow general manager Brandon Beane some flexibility to bring certain players back, while also looking to improve his roster.
Buffalo Bills NFL podcast following Wild-Card loss to Houston Texans.
In a game that had all of the excitement, drama and controversy, the Buffalo Bills 2019 campaign ended. It was an incredibly disappointing ending as well, as the Bills had a 16-point lead in the middle of the third quarter over the Houston Texans in their Wild-Card matchup.
Complacency cost the Bills their first postseason win in this millennium.
Buffalo looked explosive, and dynamic on offense for the first time this year, on the opening drive, wasting little time to make it into the endzone with a mix of trickery and balanced play-calling. It seemed to truly peak there however. While the Bills did manage to get some points on the board after that, it became the proto-typical Bills offense, and that is something that must change if the team is to make leaps and progress.
Devin Singletary shined though in this game, and was utilized incredibly well in the first four quarters. His pass-catching ability is lucrative to the future of this team, as we see top-tier offenses strongly utilize those dual-threat running backs. His future is exciting and one that has a high upside.
Today, it may not feel like it, and maybe not even tomorrow, or next week, or next month, but this team has a bright future. This is not me saying the classic “next year” line that this fan base has heard for two decades, but this team has a bright future.
With young, affordable center pieces to the team, a culture first head coach and a general manager with a good sense of direction, expect the Bills to continue to be effective heading into the 2020 season.
The Bills Wire’s Matt Johnson breaks down the Wild Card game that was in this week’s Bills Wire podcast:
Allen says the loss to the Texans will only make the Bills hungrier.
Following the Bills 22-19 playoff loss to the Houston Texans quarterback Josh Allen faced the media after a game that simply got away.
“It’s a game we should’ve won, could’ve won,” Allen said. “It sucks. This is a team that fought the entire game. I appreciate how the guys battled today… it’s going to be a long offseason, but we’ll learn from it.”
After coming out firing on offense, in a drive that concluded with Josh Allen catching a touchdown pass from wide receiver John Brown, the Bills offense was held out of the endzone for the remainder of the game.
Thanks to a perfect performance from kicker Stephen Hauschka, the Bills took a 16-0 lead into halftime, but the defense was unable to shutdown the likes of Houston quarterback Deshaun Watston in the second half.
Allen said repeatedly after the game that the offense not converting it’s opportunities was on his shoulders.
“It’s a bitter taste taste… we have to find a way to get six instead of three when we get down there and that’s on me.”
While the Bills season ends in Houston, there is a lot that can be learned from a tough playoff loss like this one and applied to the future.
“I am going to take this into the offseason… let it fuel me and take it from there,” Allen said. “This will hurt and sting for a while, but we’ll move on.”
Part of the Bills success this season has been attributed to the culture head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane are building in Buffalo. That closeness is something Allen feels will help propel them forward.
“I love my teammates, I love the energy they brought today and how they battled… it’s gonna make us hungrier, it sucks that we lost today, but life goes on… I expect this to make us hungrier and come out next year ready to go.”
While it is perfectly normal to feel disappointed in a game that as Allen put it, the Bills could have won, it is also OK to feel optimistic about this team’s future.
With strong leadership in McDermott, close to $90 million in salary cap space for Brandon Beane and several young building blocks in Allen, Tre’Davious White and Tremaine Edmunds (just to name a few,) unlike the last time the Bills made the playoffs, the growth should continue right on into next season. No rebuild, or teardown needed.
While today is undoubtedly painful for Bills fans, it is another step in the process and if Josh Allen and his teammates do indeed use it as fuel, we might all look back on this game one day and point to it as a large part of what ultimately pushed this franchise over the edge.
Are the Patriots done? Can the Bills win outright? The Saints should defend homefield, but what will happen in Seattle-Philadelphia?
We did it! We ended the regular season over .500 — and I bet you thought I was going to say we made it to wild-card weekend. A 6-3 record — and hitting on two parlays — helped save the season and now it’s time to keep the hot streak going into the playoffs.
Playoffs best bets are a bit different than the normal best bets during the regular season. We will bet on every single game. If there’s a total we like, we will take it, but there will be at least four game bets/picks.
As usual, the home teams are in CAPS, and we are using Bet MGM for our odds. Games will be listed at -110 unless denoted otherwise.
Previewing the Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl LIV chances, with NFL betting odds, picks, futures and best bets.
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AFC East teams besides the New England Patriots don’t typically make the playoffs. They certainly don’t usually go 10-6 or challenge New England for the division crown very often. Yet, that’s exactly what the Buffalo Bills did this season, giving the Patriots a run for their money in the AFC East and becoming just the third wild-card team from the division since 2011.
But do the Bills have a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl? According to the oddsmakers, not really.
Buffalo Bills playoff futures
NFL futures odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Friday at 12:30 pm. ET.
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BetMGM has the Bills at +6000 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February, the longest odds of any team in the playoffs. That’s the result of them having a young, inconsistent sophomore quarterback under center in Josh Allen, a tough matchup in the first round against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, and a second-round date with either the Baltimore Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs if they were to advance to the Divisional Round.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Bills to win Super Bowl LIV would return a profit of $600 should Buffalo win the Super Bowl.
Allen had a solid season. He threw 20 touchdown passes with only nine interceptions, rushing for another 510 yards and nine touchdowns, as well. However, he only completed 58.8% of his passes and his 5.71 adjusted net yards per attempt – a good measuring stick of a quarterback’s aggressiveness and success – ranked 23rd among qualified quarterbacks.
(Photo Credit: Rich Barnes – USA TODAY Sports)
The Bills defense is what helped carry them to the postseason, ranking second in points and third in yards allowed, but how many top offenses did they truly face? The Dallas Cowboys and Ravens were the only teams that really stand out offensively from Buffalo’s schedule, though it was impressive that they were held to a combined 39 points in consecutive weeks.
The Bills aren’t exactly coming into the postseason riding high, either. They lost three of their last four games, one of which was the season finale with Matt Barkley at quarterback. There isn’t much momentum behind the Bills heading into this wild-card matchup with the Texans, especially on offense. In the last three games that Allen completed, the Bills had fewer than 300 yards of offense in each, including fewer than 200 yards passing.
Why You Shouldn’t Bet On the Bills to win Super Bowl LIV
(Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire – USA TODAY Sports)
So that begs the question again: Should you bet on the Bills to win Super Bowl LIV? In short, no. Unless the Tennessee Titans go on a deep run, Buffalo will be on the road for the entire postseason run. Winning four straight games away from home is no easy task for any team, let alone one that faced only three playoff teams in the regular season – including a Philadelphia Eagles squad that barely got in.
Save your money and put it on a team like the Ravens, San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks at +2500 or the Patriots at +1200 are better bets than the Bills and still come with financial upside on a small wager.
So unless you just want to lay $10 down on a Bills Cinderella story, it’d be wise to pass on this wager.
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Williams hopes his game vs. the Jets is enough to make him active in the Wild Card round.
During the Bills’ 13-6 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets, several backups had a chance to showcase their abilities in hopes of seeing the field during next week’s Wild Card game against the Texans. .
Perhaps the player with the most to gain, was wide receiver and fan favorite, D’haquille “Duke” Williams.
After being called up from the practice squad earlier this season, Williams has been inactive since the Bills week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I was just ready to play. I’ve been sitting out a long, long time,” Williams told the media after today’s game. “There’s only so long you can keep a dog on a leash… and once they let me off, they told me they was gonna let me out this week, all I could think about was go get it, attack, play dirty in the run game, play dirty in the pass game, catch everything that come to you and that’s what I did today.”
After hauling in six catches for 108 yards, Williams knows that a good game today could be the difference between seeing the field next week vs. the Texans and being on the inactive list.
“Today was my playoff game,” Williams said. “I tried to show these coaches that I’m available for them if they need me come playoff time. You know, I went to sleep with it on my mind last night, like if you grind hard enough and show these coaches that you want to be playing next weekend, it’s suppose to happen today and it did and I played good. Like I said, I left a few plays on the field that’s still in the back of my head right now, but hopefully I showed these coaches enough that they’ll have me up for Houston.”
During his postgame press conference, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said he was impressed by Williams.
“He’s a tough football player,” McDermott said. “He’s popular with the fans… love the juice and the toughness, he brought us some energy.”
While Quarterback Josh Allen played limited reps during today’s game, he added that Williams is a, “big bodied possession guy” and that, “the way he plays the game is infectious.”
It remains to be seen whether Williams has done enough to crack the lineup next week for the Bills playoff game, but in his rookie season in the NFL, after coming over from the Canadian Football League, Williams can at least cherish the fact that he even has the opportunity to do so.
New York Jets safety Jamal Adams says team is going ‘hunting’ against the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets don’t have anything to play for against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. But as New York showed in their Week 16 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’re trying to go out with a bang.
Safety Jamal Adams had an interesting word to describe the mindset his team will have going into their season finale.
During a Tuesday conference call via SportsNet New York, Adams said his team will be gunning for Week 1 revenge against the Bills. Buffalo came back in that one, winning that outing, 17-16.
And the Jets are really, really going for it, says Adams.
“Yeah, we’re coming after them. We hunting, man,” Adams said. “It’s a playoff game for us. We hear they’re going to start their starters, that’s good. We’re looking forward to the matchup, I can tell you that.”
For a few reasons, some alarm bells go off for the Bills. While no one wants to see quarterback Matt Barkley injured, no one wants to see Josh Allen hurt even more. Sorry, Matt, just the nature of the beast. Allen is the Bills’ starting quarterback and has guided the team to the postseason.
With that factored in, despite Week 17 being a meaningless game for the Bills in the standings (they’ve locked up the No. 5 seed in the AFC) Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott announced on Tuesday that Allen and a “majority” of the team’s starters will play in the game. How much? That hasn’t been determined, but per Adams, the Jets aren’t going to let up at all in this one.
In addition, there’s the Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to consider. The former Bills head coach was involved in the infamous “bounty scandal” while with the Saints. Williams’ defenses have been known to try and lay the lumber against opposing QBs, regardless of bounties, during his various stops around NFL clubs.
McDermott even acknowledged Williams was taken into consideration when deciding that Allen will play for an undisclosed amount of time in the game.
“That has been factored in,” McDermott said. “That’s been discussed. I don’t want to go any further than that.”
“It’s got to be played the right way and that’s where the officials have to do their job. We respect their job and we expect them to their job,” McDermott added.
The Bills will be crossing their fingers for the “hunting” to begin when their starters exit the game and for the entire team to avoid any costly injuries in their season finale.
Previewing the NFL AFC champion futures odds with 1 week left in the regular season, with NFL futures, betting odds, picks and best bets
Though there remains some jockeying to be done in terms of seeding, the teams that make up the top five spots in the AFC playoffs are locked in. The Baltimore Ravens are also locked into the conference’s top seed (and thus hold home-field advantage to the Super Bowl), and New England will likely finish with the No. 2 seed.
Today, we take a look at how to bet on the AFC in terms of who will emerge as the conference champion, and which teams present the most value for winning the conference. Here are the top five teams in AFC championship odds heading into the final week of the season.
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1. Baltimore Ravens (-112)
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. (Photo credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
As you would expect, the Ravens are the favorites to win the AFC this season. Every game they will play up to the Super Bowl will be at home — which is only two games thanks to their first-round bye. They have the likely NFL MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson and a veteran team that is loaded with talent.
However, there just isn’t a ton of value in betting the Ravens here unless you are combing them in another parlay. At -112, the Ravens are a bet to avoid despite how much you make like them to advance to the Super Bowl.
2. New England Patriots (+250)
Patriots coach Bill Belichick. (Photo credit: Raj Mehta – USA TODAY Sports)
This number, +250, is larger than what we’re used to seeing the Patriots at to win the AFC with one week to go in the regular season. They will have a home playoff game in the divisional round, and that game will likely be against the Chiefs. A bye week would certainly help the Pats given their age, and if they get that then it’s tough to bet against them. The value here may be too good to pass up.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (+375)
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. (Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing – USA TODAY Sports)
Having to win three straight games — with at least one and likely two on the road — isn’t a recipe for success when it comes to getting to the Super Bowl. However, few — if any — teams have ever had a player like Patrick Mahomes on their roster.
The Chiefs have shown they belong with the AFC’s best, having beaten the Ravens and Patriots this season, making them are fascinating pick at +375. But for them to get to the Super Bowl, they will likely need to beat both the Nos. 1 & 2 seeds on the road. It’s certainly not impossible, but the odds just aren’t quite good enough to bet on them. You are better off betting the Kansas City moneyline each week rather than picking them now to win the conference.
4. Houston Texans (+1600)
Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (10) and QB Deshaun Watson (4). (Photo credit: Christopher Hanewinckel – USA TODAY Sports)
The team with the fourth-best odds to win the conference is the Houston Texans. While they have been mighty inconsistent this season, they also have the talent to compete with just about any team. And when you compare their talent vs. the Chiefs to their odds relative to the Chiefs, there is a lot more value in betting the Texans to come out of the AFC. Consider betting on Houston as a potential longshot.
5. Buffalo Bills (+2500)
Bills RB Devin Singletary. (Photo credit: Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports)
You can make a strong case that the Bills are the third-best team in the conference despite being the No. 5 seed in the AFC. They have one of the best defenses in all of football, and their offense seems to be improving by the week. Unfortunately, their road to the Super Bowl will be incredibly difficult as they would need to win three straight games in three straight weeks and, barring a miracle, all three games will be on the road. And if the seedings hold, their opponent will have the better quarterback each time, too. The Bills are certainly a great story and a fun team, but don’t count on them making much noise in the playoffs.
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Buffalo Bills podcast following 24-17 loss to New England Patriots.
The Bills couldn’t get the job done against the New England Patriots. Poor execution on the offensive side, with an inability to extend drives, led to exhaustion and sloppy play on the defensive side of the ball. The Patriots experienced one of their better games of this back half of the season against Buffalo on both sides of the ball.
For the Bills, it’s not the end of the world, fortunately. While the idea that they were in the race for a home playoff game in Week 16 was enticing, they’re still in the postseason, and they still have a shot. The only ways that Buffalo would see the Patriots again is one of two situations.
First, both the Bills and whoever is the sixth seed win. Lowest remaining seed goes on to face Baltimore, and Buffalo would end up facing New England in the divisional round. Secondly, if both Buffalo or New England win out, and they meet in the AFC Championship.
That all sounds good and well, but one game at a time has to be the mentality, and right now, despite a meaningless Week 17 game against the Jets, Buffalo is slated to face either Houston or Kansas City come Wild Card Weekend.
Billswire podcast host ost Matt Johnson recaps the Bills-Patriots game and looks ahead to Wild Card weekend:
Despite a familiar result, the Bills feel ready for what lies ahead.
Another game vs. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and yet another loss.
Despite a familiar result, the reaction in the Bills locker room following the game felt different. Even after a loss that knocked Buffalo out of contention for the AFC East title, the team appeared composed and ready to embrace what lies ahead.
“If you look at the type of teams we’ve played the last three weeks, they’re all playoff-type teams,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen said. “Getting that experience against these defenses, teams we might be able to see again, it’s all valuable experience because playing games in December that means something; not many people are doing that right now and we’re one of those teams. So it feels good to be in the situation that we’re in and the position that we’re in.”
While many on the Bills made it clear that simply competing vs. good teams is no longer good enough and that there are no moral victories, Bills Head Coach, Sean McDermott echoed similar sentiments to Allen after the game.
Yeah, I mean listen, we’re here to win – number one,” McDermott said. “Having said that, we’ve gone on the road and played in tough environments before. We’ve played four quality opponents, the last four weeks, in big games. And our players have put it on the line and that’s all I can ask.”
Dion Dawkins, who had a huge touchdown reception to tie the game going into the half, was clear that as cool of a moment as it was, he’d trade it all if it meant a victory. No surprise from a team that has learned to put the we, before the me.
“I’m thankful for that score, but I would trade that score for a win every day,” Dawkins said. “The touchdown was called in the playbook. Like I said I would rather have the win than the touchdown.”
Dawkins also said that regardless of the opponent, the Bills just want to continue to win football games. They know the goal is now to do something beyond merely qualifying for the playoffs.
“Whether it was the Patriots, or the Jets… We have our foot on the gas and we’re not taking it off. We just want to get a win every week and we like winning,” Dawkins.
The Bills are now locked into the 5th seed and will wait to see whether they travel to Houston, or Kansas City for the Wild Card round.
According to the NY Times, the Bills are more likely to head to Houston, which appears to be the preferred destination among the Bills Mafia. In large part because as good as Deshaun Watson has been… he’s still not Patrick Mahomes.
According to the @nytimes, the Texans have a 67% chance of finishing the no. 4 seed and playing the #Bills in the WC. That leaves the Chiefs with a 33% chance.
While the Bills can’t play the Patriots during the Wild Card round, there is a chance they could see them again in either the Divisional round, or AFC Championship game, should they advance that far.
Buffalo offensive lineman Jon Feliciano took to social media and said the Bills will be ready if there’s a Round 3:
