ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five thoughts on the Buffalo Bills’ regular-season finale against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Highmark Stadium:
1. I can’t even imagine how incredible the atmosphere will be for this game.
What will unfold on the field and in the stands already feels so much bigger than not only a regular-season game, but even a playoff encounter. The stadium will be awash in an emotional tidal wave, providing a level of energy and electricity that transcends football or sports of any kind.
The “LOVE FOR 3 DAMAR” shirts players and coaches from the NFL teams that played Saturday provided an initial glimpse of the league-wide impact of what took place Monday night in Cincinnati.
You know the fans at Highmark, regardless of their rooting interest, are going to embrace the chance to deliver a massive outpouring of love and support for Damar Hamlin, as he continues to recover in a Cincinnati hospital bed. They’ll also be letting Bills players, coaches and staff know that they are there for them, just as they’ve been there for each other since witnessing the horrifying scene of Hamlin collapsing on his back and going into cardiac arrest Monday night.
The encouraging updates on Hamlin create an opportunity to make it a day of celebration, no matter the outcome. Above all, this game is about #3strong.
2. Of course, the game’s outcome does impact postseason positioning.
The Kansas City Chiefs secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs by beating the Las Vegas Raiders Saturday. The Bills can lock up the No. 2 spot, and be assured of at least two home playoff games, by beating the Patriots. If the Bills win and face the Chiefs for the conference championship, the game would be at a neutral site.
If the Bills lose against New England and the Bengals beat Baltimore, the Bills will have the No. 3 seed by virtue of Cincinnati’s edge in the strength of victory tiebreaker. A Chiefs-Bengals AFC title game would be at Arrowhead Stadium.
3. How will the Bills’ players handle this game emotionally? That’s the largest question hovering over the team Sunday and could very well linger through the final gun of the final game it plays in the 2022-23 season.
Hamlin’s amazing progress no doubt has helped calm the nerves of everyone connected with the team. Still, it’s hard to believe those disturbing images of club medical staff working to get Hamlin’s heart restarted in the middle of the field won’t be floating through the thoughts of players.
Josh Allen and some of his teammates acknowledged they could very well still be thinking about the traumatic events that unfolded Monday night the next time they take the field. Who could blame them for pondering whether what happened to Hamlin, something that hadn’t been prominently on their risk radar before the Bengals’ game, could happen to them?
It’s a fact that, after Hamlin’s injury, no one on the Bills felt like playing more football Monday night. Buffalo’s players also opposed the idea of resuming the game at the point of stoppage (something the Bengals obviously preferred), which contributed to the NFL choosing to scrap the game altogether rather than trying to complete it.
Will there be any sense of trepidation on the part of the Bills or Patriots, for that matter?
4. The Patriots can gain a wild-card spot with a win.
That should serve as strong motivation for them to play their best. But the Pats haven’t played their best for most of the season.
This is a bad team that the Bills, if they’re at their best, should have little problem beating, especially with support unlike any the franchise has felt in its history.
5. In a matter of days, Sean McDermott has put himself in the thick of the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year.
The leadership he displayed in the face of the most chilling circumstances a team could experience is beyond remarkable. McDermott showed compassion, empathy and vulnerability. If his players didn’t already know it, they have a coach who sincerely has their best interests at heart. McDermott is all about knocking down the walls that tend to form around players as a means of guarding their true feelings against the forces of an outside world that can bring as much cruelty as support.
At the same time, he has led the Bills to 12 victories, overcoming injuries to key players as well as a blizzard that forced them to move a home game to Detroit on short notice before a quick turnaround to return to Detroit to face the Lions on Thanksgiving.
There are other viable candidates for coach of the year honors, including former Bills offensive coordinator and current New York Giants coach Brian Daboll. Nevertheless, a compelling case can be made for McDermott.