Style points? Who needs ’em. Weak schedule? So what. Streaky quarterback play? No argument here.
Say whatever you like, nitpick all you want; the Buffalo Bills are postseason bound. This team wins ugly, sure, but it wins.
Buffalo was on-brand Sunday night, outslugging the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10 in a defensive standoff at Heinz Field to punch their ticket to the postseason on Sunday Night Football.
Here’s a look at how they got there with six key stats from the win:
Five
It’s been a common theme throughout the season for the Bills: it starts and ends with defense.
Buffalo’s five takeaways established a new season high, after picking off Devlin Hodges four times and recovering a fumble off a botched wild cat rushing attempt. The Bills are now plus-five in turnover differential on the season and their 21 takeaways has them tied for ninth in the league. New England leads the league in both turnover differential (+24) and takeaways (36).
715
What would be prove to be Tyler Kroft’s game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday came 715 days after his last touchdown – on Dec. 31, 2017– against the Baltimore Ravens as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.
That game, as you likely recall, helped Buffalo end a 17-year playoff drought, as the Bengals stunned the Ravens 31-27 to end Baltimore’s season and send Buffalo to the postseason.
Sunday’s 14-yard score was Kroft’s first as a Bill and the ninth of his NFL career. It was his second score against the Steelers, both of which came at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
1,007
John Brown snapped a three-game streak of failing to reach 50 yards receiving in style Sunday night.
Brown hauled in seven passes for 99 yards – including a season-long 40-yard reception in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning score. Over his past three games combined, Brown had 91 total receiving yards.
Brown eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season in the victory, and now sits at 1,007 yards and five touchdowns on 71 receptions. He is the first Bills receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in a single season since Sammy Watkins had 1,047 yards in 2015.
Nine
It was a lukewarm performance in the passing game for Josh Allen Sunday, as he threw for a season-low 139 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 13-of-25 passing.
While Allen was relatively unproductive through the air, he kept pace on the ground, notching his ninth rushing touchdown on the year. His nine rushing touchdowns ranks 8th in the league among all players and first among quarterbacks. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Houston’s Deshaun Watson each have seven rushing touchdowns.
Four
Sitting at 10-4, the Bills have clinched a playoff berth. To date, Buffalo has shown itself to be steady and resilient, going 4-0 following a loss.
In the four games following a loss, the Bills have outscored opponents 92-46 and have held their opponents to 10 or fewer points three times.
+6.5
There isn’t a tougher game on Buffalo’s regular season schedule than a late-December date with New England at Gillette Stadium thi supcoming Sunday.
That’s exactly what the Bills are up against this week, as they take on the division-leading Patriots with Buffalo’s slim AFC East title hopes on the line.
The Bills opened up as a 6.5-point underdog against a Patriot team who has won the last six games in the match-up; Buffalo’s last win in New England came in 2016, when the Bills shut out the Jacoby Brissett-led Patriots 16-0 in Week 4.
The Bills (10-4) are 9-4-1 against the spread, while the Patriots (11-3) are just 8-6 against the number.
Buffalo is 6-0-1 ATS on the road; New England is 1-6 ATS at home.
The over/ under is set for 38.5.
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