ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Will Buffalo get to see Josh Allen and the other Pro Bowl players one more time in the regular season? Sean McDermott isn't showing his hand, heading into Sunday's Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins.
"We're going keep our plans internal," McDermott said. "There's a lot of thought that's gone into this and we're gonna do what's best for our football team. All of the variables that go into it have been evaluated."
The Bills already won the AFC East title this season — the first time in 25 years — and are battling solely for playoff seeding. A win will keep the Bills ahead of Pittsburgh for the second seed in the AFC, which — this postseason — does not include a bye.
For Miami, this game is a "win and you're in" situation. The Bills will face Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. The rookie out of Alabama was benched in the fourth quarter last week against the Raiders. Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick came in to pull off a wild, 26-25 win, to keep the Dolphins playoff hopes alive.
Tagovailoa likely won't get pulled this week — as Fitzpatrick was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the game.
Bills tight end Tyler Kroft is the latest player to be added to the COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus, as the team learned on Saturday.
The league's protocol for positive tests requires a minimum of ten days in isolation, which could make Kroft unavailable for the Bills opening round of the playoffs. The Bills have only mentioned Sunday's game against Miami, so far.
Meanwhile, the Bills will get receiver John Brown back from the COVID-19 list.
Brown, who led the Bills in yards receiving last year, missed one game on the COVID-19 list and the previous four on injured reserve with a knee issue. He’s been limited to playing eight games after also hurting his ankle earlier this season.
Brown’s return coincides with wideout Cole Beasley's status being uncertain due to a knee injury sustained in the fourth quarter against New England on Monday night.
Kickoff in Orchard Park is set for 1 p.m.