Six storlyines for the Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens during the NFL’s Week 14 slate.
The Bills and Baltimore Ravens will get after it in Week 14 at New Era Field. It’s not just your run of the mill game, though.
Nobody thought prior to the season that this one could have home field advantage implications taking part in the festivities, but alas, here we are with the 10-2 Ravens visiting the 9-3 Bills.
With that, here are six storylines to follow during the Bills’ Week 14 game against the Ravens:
That’s the question nobody has had an answer for yet in the NFL and the most obvious storyline heading into this game for the Bills. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t been stopped at all this season. Yes, the Ravens have two losses, but they’re on an eight-game winning streak currently.
Jackson’s talents of a dual-threat quarterback are much like the ones the Bills have in Josh Allen, but Jackson’s elusiveness as a playmaker while running the ball are next level. With 977 rushing yards already this year, he’ll top 1,000 yards against the Bills. But exactly by how much is the real question.
And even then, Jackson has two games this season where he’s tossed five touchdown passes in a single game. Like Allen, his arm is questioned a little bit in comparison to his running skills, but to a much lesser extent since… did we mentioned Jackson has tossed five touchdowns in a single game two times this year?
Six important stats to know from the Bills’ Week 13 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Well, well, well…
Don’t look now, but all of the sudden, the Buffalo Bills are national darlings.
It seemed like just yesterday, the upstart Bills were content to fly under the radar, picking up victories against what some in the media might call cupcake opponents. Buffalo entered its Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas as an overlooked 8-3 team which was presumably en route to a crash-landing back to earth at the hands of the Cowboys.
Except, by now, you know that didn’t happen. Instead, the Bills thumped the Cowboys 26-15, and had their Week 15 match up at Pittsburgh flexed to prime time.
Not a bad way to spend a holiday weekend.
Here’s a look at a few key figures that helped propel Buffalo to its ninth win of the season in Week 13:
79.1 percent
Bills quarterback Josh Allen turned in a gem in his first outing as Buffalo’s quarterback in front of a nationwide audience.
Allen threw for 231 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-24 passing for a career-high 79.1 percent completion rate. He ran for 43 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, putting his full game on display for the world to see.
Not only was Allen efficient, he played an extremely clean game. Allen, and the Buffalo offense, didn’t turn the ball over; he converted a fumbled snap into a first down run on a fourth in the second quarter.
110
As good as Allen was, Thursday’s victory could easily go down as The Cole Beasley Revenge Game.
In his return to Dallas, playing against his former team for the first time, the wideout hauled in six receptions for a season-high 110 yards and a touchdown. It marked the second consecutive game in which Beasley caught at least six passes and a touchdown. He had six receptions for 76 yards and a score in the Week 12 win over Denver.
Beasley has 55 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns on the season, and is on track to catch 73 balls for 846 yards and seven touchdowns; the yards and touchdowns would be career highs for eighth-year veteran out of SMU.
28
John Brown became the first Bills receiver in franchise history to throw a touchdown pass, when his 28-yard pass on a trick play in the second quarter found a wide-open Devin Singletary for a go-ahead score.
Brown is the first non-quarterback to throw a touchdown for Buffalo since Fred Jackson threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans in a Week 10 loss to Tennessee in 2009.
Brown finished with four receptions for a season-low 26 yards, but his play as a passer is what he will be remembered for in the victory over the Cowboys.
Two
Rookie defensive lineman Ed Oliver recorded his first multi-sack game of his career, bringing down Dak Prescott twice in Thursday’s win. It also marked Oliver’s third straight game with a sack, after recording just one through Buffalo’s first nine games.
After struggling to see the field midway though the season, Oliver is surging down the stretch. He’s notched 28 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and a forced fumble through 12 career games.
12
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot to 71 yards on just 12 carries, which tied his fewest carries this season with a Week 5 loss to Green Bay. Elliott did have a season-high seven receptions for 66 yards in the loss.
+6.5
The Bills welcome in the AFC’s top-seeded Ravens to New Era Field in Week 14, a game in which Buffalo opened as 6.5-point underdog.
Baltimore (10-2) is 6-51 against the spread, but 4-1 in its last five. Buffalo (9-3) is 8-3-1 against the number, but 4-0-1 in its last five.
The over/ under is set for 43.5 The over is 3-2 in Baltimore’s last five games, while the over is 1-4 in Buffalo’s previous five.
Eight things to know about the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bills have an upcoming clash that might be the highlight of the NFL’s next slate of games in Week 14.
Not many predicted the Bills (9-3) and Ravens (10-2) would have the records that they have heading into this game.
Alas, here we are, potentially battling for the top spot in the AFC at New Era Field. With such an important matchup in mind, let’s update ourselves on the opponent.
Here are eight things to know about the Bills’ Week 14 opponent, the Ravens:
The easiest place to start on the Ravens is exactly where everyone’s mind is. Quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Like Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Jackson is a dual-threat quarterback but in a much flashier sense. Both players are tough to bring down. Allen has the big body while Jackson has the elusiveness of Michael Vick. With those skills, Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing this season with 977 rushing yards, to go along with 2,532 passing yards. In total, Jackson has 25 passing touchdowns, seven rushing scores, six fumbles and five interceptions. It will be the first Lamar-Josh meeting at quarterback, too.
It’s hard to put into words how good Jackson is. He’s the current frontrunner for the MVP race and the Ravens are the only offense in the NFL to have scored more than 400 points (406) so far this season. Yes, that is good and yes he did this just last week:
What we learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys, NFL Week 13
The Buffalo Bills and their fans couldn’t have imagined a better Thanksgiving Day if they tried. The Bills went down to Dallas and had a Thanksgiving feast in front of the entire nation in a statement win that will have the rest of the league taking notice.
It was a Turkey Day that won’t soon be forgotten in Buffalo as the Bills grabbed the spotlight on the national stage and announced they’ve arrived with a 26-15 victory over a reeling Cowboys team. The final score actually makes this game appear a bit closer than it actually was. Between an opening Cowboys’ touchdown drive and a Dallas garbage-time touchdown, the Bills dominated this game.
Buffalo got two huge takeaways from its defense in the first half to help stem the tide after a slow start. Josh Allen enjoyed his most efficient passing day of the season (19-for-24 passing, 231 yards) and tossed a touchdown to former Cowboy Cole Beasley. The Bills also pulled off an all-time memorable play when John Brown threw a pass off a reverse for a touchdown to Devin Singletary.
Allen scored his eighth rushing touchdown of the season in the third quarter and the Bills squeezed the life out of Dallas from there. The Bills enjoyed themselves in the Lone Star State as Allen and Tre’Davious White got to enjoy a bite of turkey leg from CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game and the team carried Beasley around in the locker room in celebration of his big return to AT&T Stadium.
Thursday’s game was as memorable and enjoyable a win as the Bills have had in a very long time. In the short term, the Bills improve to 9-3 and get 10 days to prepare for a huge showdown with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. In the big picture, the Bills are now almost certain to find themselves playing in January as they are on the cusp of their second playoff appearance in three seasons.
Here are four things we learned from a joyous, unforgettable Thanksgiving evening in Dallas:
The Buffalo Bills won big on Thanksgiving, landing their first “statement win”, against the Dallas Cowboys with the world watching. Buffalo, for the last 20 years, has been a team that collapsed when the national spotlight was placed on them, but …
The Buffalo Bills won big on Thanksgiving, landing their first “statement win”, against the Dallas Cowboys with the world watching. Buffalo, for the last 20 years, has been a team that collapsed when the national spotlight was placed on them, but this was different.
The Bills delivered in a big way, and embarrassing the Cowboys, in their home stadium, and in a game that they have played in every year, since the 1960’s. I’ll admit, that it was strange to watch the Bills in a scenario like this, and a player in a Bills jersey eating a turkey leg to close out the game.
The offense fired on all cylinders, with Josh Allen moving the ball efficiently, by air, connecting with Cole Beasley, who was out for revenge against his former team. Devin Singletary caught a touchdown pass himself, as well as dominating on the ground. Allen looked like the franchise quarterback that Buffalo has long awaited, for the first time. It was certainly a defining game.
The Bills defense handled itself well. Giving up touchdowns to Dallas on their first and last possessions only, they did well, disrupting the number one ranked offense in the NFL. Dak Prescott, in an important contract situation this season, turned the ball over several times. He had defenders in his face all night, and even Ezekiel Elliott couldn’t get anything going.
Buffalo looked good when the lights shined bright, but what lays in front of them is another challenge, in the form of the red hot Baltimore Ravens. It’s hard to not try and enjoy this win against Dallas on a special occasion. With 10 days to prepare for the offensive onslaught that Lamar Jackson has brought against the best of the NFL, there is a lot more work that has to be done before the real celebrating can commence.
Billswire Podcast host Matt Johnson explores the win and outlook towards Baltimore in Week 13:
A look at the Cowboys’ 26-15 loss at home against the Bills, through the lens of EPA and Win Probability metrics from nflscrapR.
The Dallas Cowboys 26-15 loss against the Buffalo Bills was not the worst Thanksgiving defeat in NFL history. That belongs to the Detroit Lions, who lost 47-10 against the Tennessee Titans in 2008. However, the Cowboys’ loss on Thursday seems surreal for a team that seemingly has all the tools be one of the best in the league. The Bills played a sound football game but they benefited from some careless turnovers from the Cowboys. On top of that, head coach Jason Garrett’s unwavering trust in kicker Brett Maher has continued to hurt the team.
It was a stunning loss for the Cowboys. After a score on their opening drive their offense was non-existent. On defense they had no answers for the dynamic duo of quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Cole Beasley. When looking at the biggest plays in the game, this couldn’t be more apparent.
Here is a look using Expected Points Added (EPA) and Win Probability (WP) models from nflscrapR. EPA measure the value of a play based on down, distance to first downs and field position.
No. 1 Dak Prescott pass short right to Jason Witten for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN
The game started out well for the Cowboys. On their opening possession they drove the ball downfield picking up 62 scrimmage yards and an additional 13 yards on penalties. The drive elapsed nine plays, but the team managed to pick up six first downs. The end result was a touchdown from quarterback Dak Prescott to Jason Witten on a well executed play-action pass.
The score gave the Cowboys the early lead at 7-0, but it would be the last time they scored while the game remained competitive. Things only got worse from here.
No. 2 Josh Allen pass deep right to Cole Beasley for 29 yards
After a successful special teams play from the Cowboys, the Bills were pinned back in their own territory with abysmal field position. They began the drive at their own 2-yard line. In spite of the circumstances, the Bills made the most of the situation. Their biggest play of the drive came on an improbable pass from Allen to Beasley.
Allen was able to generate one of the biggest plays of the game thanks to some allusive movement in the pocket to avoid DeMarcus Lawrence off the edge. He delivered an accurate pass to Beasley and the play garnered 29 yards in total.
The Bills found the end zone on their third possession. They orchestrated their biggest drive of the game, gaining 85 yards and five first downs on nine plays. The drive was capped with a 25-yard touchdown from Allen to Beasley. It was a seamless play for the Bills as Beasley found the void in the Cowboys’ soft zone defense with relative ease.
Beginning their fourth drive of the game, the Cowboys’ WP odds stood at 53%. The game was tied late in the second quarter and both teams managed to avoid some costly mistakes to this point. However, it was the Cowboys that would commit the first turnover of the game. The play was a designed screen pass with Pollard being the intended target.
The pass might have reached Pollard, but Prescott was backpedaling and got hit by linebacker Matt Milano at the time of his release. Following the interception, the Cowboys’ WP was 40%.
After turning the ball over the Cowboys’ defense was able to absorb the blow. They held the Bills to minus-3 yards on the ensuing drive. The Bills settled for a 50-yard field goal attempt from kicker Steven Hauschka, but it was no good.
The Cowboys could breathe easy knowing their costly turnover didn’t result in any points scored. Unfortunately, the relief was short lived. Their next drive only lasted three plays and ended with a forced fumble from rookie defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
Prescott appeared to be locked in with Michael Gallup running an in breaking route on the right, but the play was slow to develop.
No. 6 John Brown pass deep right to Devin Singletary for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN
The forced turnover from Prescott was the biggest play of the game for the Bills. They were gifted with possession at the Cowboys’ 39-yard line. Later in the drive they flexed their creativity on a play that would give them a 14-7 lead. The Bills reached into their bag of tricks with a double reverse pass play with wide receiver John Brown throwing to a wide open Singletary along the sideline.
After the score, the Cowboys’ WP dropped to 26%. From this point on, the Cowboys failed to get a hold on the game. The Bills never relented their lead and despite their defense giving up a touchdown late in the game, it was never really a close contest.
The Buffalo Bills got their statement win. And, it occurred on a national stage.
The Buffalo Bills got their statement win. And, it occurred on a national stage.
The Bills knocked off the Dallas Cowboys 26-7 on Thanksgiving afternoon. The Thanksgiving triumph was Buffalo’s first turkey day win since 1975. In addition, the victory was Buffalo’s first win on a Thursday night since 2015.
Buffalo carved up the Cowboys throughout the game, winning battles in all aspects of the game. The Bills moved the ball at will offensively, with the Cowboys being a step behind on several plays. Defensively, Buffalo confused the top offensive in the NFL, allowing only one score to the NFC East leaders.
Above all, it was an exhibition in coaching, as Sean McDermott and his staff outsmarted the Cowboys’ staff, revealing a confused and oft-times struggling home unit.
The game started out inauspiciously for the Bills, as the Cowboys drove down the field on the opening drive of the game. Dallas went 75 yards on nine plays to put up seven points in less than five minutes into the game. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott found Jason Witten wide open for an eight-yard touchdown pass.
After that series, it was all Buffalo. Josh Allen found Cole Beasley for Buffalo’s first points of the day, a 25-yard touchdown pass in which the Wyoming product found the first-year Bill for a score against his former team. Beasley found a hole in the Cowboys’ secondary and Allen made a throw with pinpoint accuracy.
Buffalo’s offense kept things rolling along, adding another touchdown prior to the end of the first half. Many folks have been clamoring to see some more creativity from Brian Daboll’s play-calling, and it came in the form of a double reverse. John Brown ended up getting credit for the touchdown pass, as he found a wide open Devin Singletary for a 28-yard toss.
The offensive progress continued into the second half. Allen scored on a 15-yard touchdown run. It was a play that many are becoming familiar with seeing from Allen, as he found a space as the defensive end went too far up the field, leaving a gap for Allen to exploit.
When McDermott discusses complementary units, as the defense matched the offense’s dominance on the day. Star Lotulelei picked off a short pass from Prescott. On the subsequent drive for the Cowboys, Ed Oliver forced a Prescott fumble, which was recovered by Trent Murphy.
The Bills put constant pressure on Dallas’ offensive line. Prescott was under duress all afternoon, as Buffalo recorded four sacks and seven quarterback hits. Ed Oliver was tremendous on the day, recorded two sacks. Murphy added a sack, while Star Lotulelei and Jordan Phillips earned half a sack as well.
Buffalo deflected nine passes during the game. Tre’Davious White was in Amari Cooper’s face all game. Even though Cooper put up 85 receiving yards on eight catches, none really put the Bills defense in danger, aside from a few early yips.
Allen ended the day 19-of-24 for 231 passing yards. He added 43 yards on the ground. It was easily one of Allen’s best games in the NFL, as he led the offense with decisive and intelligent choices on the field.
Devin Singletary strengthened his case as the team’s No. 1 back, as the shifty rookie was a focal point for Buffalo’s offense. Singletary ran for 63 yards on 14 carries. He also caught three passes for 38 yards.
Beasley, in his return to Dallas, played like a man who had something to prove. He caught six passes for 110 receiving yards. He was borderline uncoverable, finding space in the Cowboys’ secondary.
The only downfall from the game was Stephen Hauschka’s kicking woes resurfaced. He missed a field goal and a PAT in the first half. He bounced a field goal attempt off the upright, which took a fortunate ricochet for the Bills. He ended two-of-three on PATs and the same stat line for field goals.
It’s a monster win for Buffalo, as it quiets those who criticized the team for their victories this year. The Bills move closer to cementing a playoff spot with this impressive win. Buffalo is now one-and-a-half games behind New England in the AFC East.
The Bills return to the field in ten days, as they face off against the surging Baltimore Ravens at New Era Field.
Quarterback Josh Allen led an impressive outing for the Bills against the Cowboys. The oft-not nationally televised team started slow. Allen and the offense barely mustered anything early. The defense wasn’t looking good, either. Tre’Davious White certainly wasn’t looking good between two penalties and Amari Cooper beating him.
But everything came together in the end for Sean McDermott’s crew. Allen didn’t reach 300 yards and yes it will be nice when he does and it’s wanted. Allen was 19-for-24 passing for 231 yards and a touchdown. He did fumble, but Allen had 43 rushing yards and another score on the ground as well. But Allen, once again, did what he was asked to do and stepped up on the big stage. No sarcasm: You love to see that. Just like you loved that extra effort on his fumble-first-down conversion run.
Sep 15, 2019; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup (13) runs after a catch against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports For the first time since 1996, …
Sep 15, 2019; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup (13) runs after a catch against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time since 1996, the Buffalo Bills are 8-3, and for the first time since 1994, they are playing football on Thanksgiving. Dallas has been a regular host of the Thanksgiving Day series since 1966, and the Cowboys have a rich history against the Buffalo Bills. It is one of the most anticipated games of Thanksgiving this year.
Here is everything that you need to know about the history of the Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, including their respective Thanksgiving Day stats:
The Bills and Cowboys first met on September 17, 1971, in Buffalo. The Cowboys won that game 49-37.
They met in two Superbowls, 27 and 28, with Dallas winning both encounters.
Their most recent encounter took place on December 27, 2015, and the Bills won that encounter 16 – 6.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series, including the two Super Bowl games, 8 games to 4 and have outscored Buffalo 280-181 over those 12 encounters.
The Cowboys played their first Thanksgiving Day game on November 24, 1966, defeating the Cleveland Browns 26-14.
Dallas would hold that tradition annually, with the exception of 1975 and 1977, in an effort to help out the St. Louis (Arizona) Cardinals boost stadium ticket sales.
Dallas is 31-18-1 on Thanksgiving.
Buffalo started playing Thanksgiving Day games while in the AFL. They played their first against the New York Titans (Jets) in a 21-14 loss.
The modern iteration of the Buffalo Bills have never hosted a Thanksgiving Day game, but played in five during their AFL years when no team had that home game guaranteed.
The Bills are 3-4-1 on Thanksgiving.
2019 So Far
Coming off of a 10-6 season and winning the NFC East for the second time in three years, the Cowboys are having a interesting year to say the least. Dallas lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Rams, and there were very high expectations coming into this season.
The Cowboys are currently 6-5, narrowly sitting atop the NFC East with Philadelphia only one game back at 5-6. As close as the race for the NFC East has been, both Philadelphia and Dallas are not being viewed as very competitive amongst the entire NFL, and are currently the worst team by record in the NFC Playoffs. A rather disappointing year that has many of the Dallas fan base calling for Jason Garrett’s removal as head coach, again.
2019 has been rocky from the start, as star running back Ezekiel Elliott held out for a bigger contract, a few years short of the expiration of his rookie deal. Considering the workload that has been put on “Zeke” over his very young NFL career, it was relatively fair, considering the toll that running back’s endure. However, the hold out led to some awkward moments and uncomfortable statements between Owner Jerry Jones and Elliott.
Also, a looming question heading into 2019 was quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract situation. Prescott has played relatively well in his tenure, sporting a 38-21 record as a starter with 14,309 yards passing, 88 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He will most likely be extended with Dallas, as he’s given stability at his position that the Cowboys didn’t have during the latter years of Tony Romo’s career. Whether or not Dak has performed well in clutch moments, has been the question of his biggest detractors, and that is an area that he has lacked in.
Dallas began the season with three straight wins, defeating the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. A great start, and Dallas looked like a top tier team and a definite Super Bowl contender, granted the strength of schedule. Prescott was having some of his best numbers, and the team, as a unit, was a well oiled machine.
However, it was the three games after that win streak that gave the Cowboys a stigma for 2019 that they “couldn’t beat good teams”. Losing to the New Orleans Saints 10-12, Green Bay Packers 24-34, and even a massive upset by the New York Jets, left Dallas feeling like an average team that couldn’t compete against the class of the division.
Since then, they’ve defeated the Eagles 37-10, completed the sweep of the Giants by winning 37-18, lost to the Minnesota Vikings 24-28, beat Detroit 35-27 and fell to the New England Patriots 9-13.
Dallas currently ranks first in “Team Offense” earning 4,767 yards over their first 11 games. They are the number one passing offense as well, with 3,339 passing yards. They are the eighth ranked rushing offense with 1,428 rushing yards, nearly 1,000 yards behind the Baltimore Ravens who sit at first.
Dak is currently the number one passer in the NFL, with 3,433 yards passing, tied at fourth in passing touchdowns with Kirk Cousins at 21 and tied for fifth in interceptions at 10 with Jimmy Garoppolo, Matt Ryan, Sam Darnold and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
“Zeke” is ranked seventh in rushing with 919 yards on the ground and tied at seven rushing touchdowns with Nick Chubb, Josh Jacobs, Todd Gurley and Bills QB Josh Allen. Dak Prescott has 197 rushing yards to his credit, good enough for 60th in the NFL, as well as three rushing touchdowns of his own.
Amari Cooper comes in at sixth in receiving, amassing 886 yards and he’s tied for fifth with touchdown receptions, at seven. Michael Gallup is the next best receiver, sitting at 21st in the NFL with 733 receiving yards. Randall Cobb at 39th with 581 yards.
As a defense, Dallas sits sixth in the NFL, allowing 3,503 yards against them and the seventh most points scored against them at 210. They are sixth in passing defense, giving up 2,350 yards by air and 12 touchdowns. The weakest aspect of their defense is against the rush, with 1,153 yards ran against them, good enough for 15th in the NFL.
How they match up with Buffalo?
There is certainly some intrigue with this game. Both Dallas and Buffalo are teams with stigmas. They can beat who they are supposed to beat, but can’t get the job done against winning teams. It rings true, as Dallas has not yet defeated a team with a winning record as of Week 13. The only team that Buffalo has defeated with a winning record currently, is the Tennessee Titans.
The Bills rush defense is at great risk this week, although it has improved the last few weeks. Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in the game, and an excellent pass-catching back. We all watched the defense that New England brought forth on Dallas last week, limiting the best passing offense to no touchdowns. The Bills have a tough defense as well, and it will be interesting to see if the Bills can duplicate or come close to New England’s performance.
Offensively, the Bills moved the ball effectively against Denver, who is ranked in the Top 10. Smart, calculated football to keep moving the chains with more usage for Singletary and Gore. The Cowboys weak rush defense should be a target for Buffalo in this game. Also, Cole Beasley is making his big return to the team where he had spent many years at. Beasley was excellent in the short to mid-range passing game last week, and it would be a good idea to continue to build off of that.
The Cowboys obviously have home field advantage on their side, and that typically bodes well with teams on short weeks. Traveling teams are 5-7 on the year, which aren’t terrible odds for the Bills.
Enjoy this game, and the other two throughout the day, with family and friends, the best way to enjoy football. Happy Thanksgiving from myself and the rest of the Billswire staff to you and yours!
The Bills visit the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday for a Thanksgiving Day meeting. It’s the first time in about 25 seasons that the Bills have had the national spotlight on them while turkey was being served.
Short week, big week.
The Bills visit the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday for a Thanksgiving Day meeting. It’s the first time in about 25 seasons that the Bills have had the national spotlight on them while turkey is being served.
The winner will add to their win total against a winning team for the first time after the one, too. Something neither has done to this point in 2019, despite their winning ways.
With that, here are five storylines to follow during Thursday’s Bills meeting with the Cowboys:
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
How do Bills play under circumstances?
The Bills have a big test against the Cowboys. They’re a good team, yes. But it’s the festivities outside the game that are much, much different for Buffalo. The Bills haven’t played on Thanksgiving in a long, long time, as mentioned. That’s different for them. In this scenario, the Cowboys play each and every season on the holiday. They don’t answer questions in the locker room about playing during during it this week. Their locker room is used to it.
In addition, just… in general, the Bills don’t often play outside of 1 p.m. In fact, they haven’t done so since last season. The Cowboys on the other hand? This is America’s team, folks. They’ve played on Sunday Night Football three times, Monday Night Football once and had 4 p.m. kickoffs four times. In fact, playing at 1 p.m. is actually weird for them, they’ve only done that three times.
Thanksgiving Day is much bigger for the Bills. Sean McDermott has to get his team ready for it.
