Bills survive mistakes, advance to play Bengals on Sunday

Summary

Buffalo Plus: Bills Survive Mistakes, Advance to Play Bengals on Sunday

Date: January 16, 2023
Hosts: Mike Catalana (A), Jenna Cottrell (B), Dan Fetes (C)

---

Episode Overview

This special playoff edition of Buffalo Plus recaps the Buffalo Bills' nail-biting 34-31 victory over the Miami Dolphins, dissecting the team's error-filled performance, key player moments, and what it means for their upcoming showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. The hosts deliver candid analysis, highlight areas of concern, and name their MVPs of the game.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bills’ Win—But at a Cost

• Main Takeaway: The Bills won, but “survived” is the operative word. The trio repeatedly expresses concern over the team’s inability to put away opponents and the volume of self-inflicted mistakes.
• Mike (A): “The positive is they won the game and that's the most important thing. But... at some point, it's gonna catch up to them.” (01:16)
• The hosts agree that while winning is paramount in the postseason, the Bills are skating on thin ice with their level of play.

2. Mistakes Galore: Offense, Defense, and Special Teams

• The Bills gave up a big lead via turnovers and poor execution:
  • Josh Allen’s Performance: "He can keep both teams in the game at the same time. I think Josh Allen did that today." (Mike, 01:26)
    • Allen had 3 turnovers (2 INTs, 1 fumble returned for TD).
  • Compounding Errors: Mistakes piled up across units—punt returns, missed tackles by standout players like Matt Milano, and end zone mishaps.
    • “How many mistakes, Dan, can you make in a second quarter to just give another team life?” (Mike, 04:53)

3. Team Identity: Imperfect, “Icky” Wins

• Jenna (B): “I'm not shocked by the way that this game went... This isn't anything that's that new to this team this season... but it works and that's all that matters.” (02:17)
• The hosts debate whether the team is truly elite or simply living dangerously.

4. Handling the Skylar Thompson-led Dolphins

• While Skylar Thompson's stats were poor, the Bills failed to capitalize:
  • Mike (A): “When that guy needed to make a throw, he hung in there. He put the ball where his guy could get it.” (06:42)
  • Good field position helped the Dolphins stay in the game.
• Dan’s Game Plan Critique: “I thought it was a poor game plan. I thought they poorly executed that game plan, and I thought they did exactly what they couldn't do.” (07:38)
  • Miami had no drives over 40 yards but scored thanks to short fields and Bills errors.

5. Offensive Frustrations: Allen Trusts Himself Too Much

• The conversation zeros in on Josh Allen's tendency to “press,” sometimes to the team’s detriment:
  • “Josh has taken this whole season upon himself... At some point, somebody needs to step up and say, there is 10 other guys on the field.” (Mike, 11:06)
• Diggs’ involvement is cited as crucial. The Bills' offense is visibly less potent when Allen doesn't focus on him.

6. Key Players Step Up

• Kair Elam (CB, Rookie) Gets His Due:
  • "I think we all agreed the turning point of this game felt like it was the Kair interception.” (Dan, 13:25)
  • Also made a crucial fourth-down break-up late in the game.
• Gabe Davis’ Return to Form: Over 100 yds and a TD—“He looked like the old Gabe today... he was good.” (Mike, 14:28)
• Cole Beasley’s Impact: Caught a TD and a critical third-down conversion, but also contributed to an interception.
• Rookie Khalil Shakir: Noted for his big third-down catch—“That was a great catch.” (Mike, 19:25)
• Tremaine Edmunds (LB): "He made impactful plays we haven’t seen enough... He looked like that guy today." (Mike, 22:08)

7. MVP Picks

• The group agrees Kair Elam was the stand-out MVP for his timely plays.
  • “I'll say Elam because he was really impactful...came up with a big play.” (Mike, 17:45)
  • Jenna also highlights Elam’s off-field moment with a young fan battling cancer (21:43).
• Other mentions: Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir, and defensive contributors Boogie Basham and Shaq Lawson.

8. Locker Room Tone and Press Box Antics

• The hosts mix serious breakdowns with light-hearted banter, including “Grandpop” jokes, a culinary review of the press box vs. field food options, and media suite etiquette lessons.
  • “Jenna thought 10 minutes to go in the second quarter was enough time to wait [to eat].” (Mike, 24:50)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the team’s dangerous habits:

  “It’s an old joke about quarterbacks. They’ll say he can keep both teams in the game at the same time. I think Josh Allen did that today.” — Mike (01:26)

• On ugly victories:

  “Icky, I think was one of the words we described it as.” — Jenna (12:07)

• On Kair Elam’s emergence:

  “Somebody's got to step up and make a play... and that's exactly what Elam did.” — Dan (13:25)

• On Allen’s play:

  “Josh has taken this whole season upon himself, and there are times he is spectacular.” — Mike (11:06)

• On team frustration:

  “Usually you see Josh, he'll go to the bench, he'll get his iPad... but he just kind of stood by himself... And that's where I got worried.” — Jenna (10:07)

• Touch of humanity:

  “Kair went over, picked her up, twirled her around, gave her a big hug...That was great. That looked so genuine and nice and sweet.” — Jenna & Mike (21:41)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:52 – Game recap and opening thoughts
• 03:10 – How a 17-0 lead disappeared
• 04:56 – Compounding mistakes across all three phases
• 07:38 – Debating the Bills' defensive game plan
• 11:06 – Allen’s mindset and need for supporting players
• 13:21 – Kair Elam’s interception and turning point
• 14:28 – Gabe Davis’s bounce-back performance
• 16:23 – Cole Beasley’s contributions (good and bad)
• 17:45 – MVP discussion; Elam consensus pick
• 19:16 – Big catch by Khalil Shakir
• 22:08 – Edmunds’s standout showing
• 24:25 – Humorous press box stories

---

Atmosphere & Tone

The hosts balance frustration with cautious optimism, laced with bills-fan candor and good-natured ribbing. The sum: The Bills survived a game they could have lost, red flags remain, but young contributors offer hope heading into the Bengals matchup.

---

Summary Takeaway

Buffalo Plus emphasizes that the Bills must clean up their mistakes to continue advancing. While key young players like Elam and Shakir showed up in the clutch, and veterans like Davis delivered, the team’s penchant for dangerous, error-prone stretches remains a major concern with the Bengals looming. As Mike succinctly put it: “At some point, it's gonna catch up to them.” (01:16)

For listeners seeking insight, accountability, and a dash of behind-the-scenes color, this episode delivers a real-time autopsy of a hair-raising playoff win.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Buffalo plus podcast. Coming up in just a moment. It's conversation between myself, Mike Catalana, along with Jenna Cottrell and Dan Fates. It happened right after the Bills victory over the Miami Dolphins. We talk about the game, we talk about the way the Bills played and what they need to change. Now. That's coming up. The Bengals hold on. On Sunday night they beat the Ravens. So that means it's Bills and Bengals. Orchard Park. The game will be played at 3pm afternoon game on Sunday. So Sunday at 3. Bills and Bengals. Now take a listen to this week's Buffalo Podcast.

[B]

Welcome back to the Buffalo Podcast presented by Connors and Fares. I'm here with a special playoff edition of the podcast and it is all three members of the Buffalo plus team.

[C]

Full house.

[B]

Dan Fates, Mike Catalana. I am John Okatra. The Bills beat the dolphins 34, 31 in a nail biter at Highmark Stadium as the Bills continue on to the divisional round. Mike, it looked like the Bills were going to just jump out in this game and then Buffalo made it very hard on themselves. Bills come away with a win. But what's your takeaway from today?

[A]

The positive is they won the game and that's the most important thing. But if you're listening to this, you're a Bills fan and you're saying to yourself, we gotta stop doing this. Like, at some point it's gonna catch up to them. And it's an old joke about quarterbacks. They'll say he can keep both teams in the game at the same time. I think Josh Allen did that today. Was he awful? No, but his mistakes were glaring. He didn't get a lot of help on some plays. I didn't like the way the offensive line played. I. But I didn't like the way the play calling went. But you cannot turn the ball over. You can't make that many mistakes. You can't be so casual with it. But somehow, Dan, they survived again and they'll play again next week.

[C]

Yeah, survived again because this is what this team is. I know we want to think of this team as this well oiled, fancy machine that just rolls in and, you know, picks up their. Was it seventh straight win, Mike?

[A]

Eighth straight.

[C]

And they're just not. They're just not that team. What?

[B]

I'm not Guy pal.

[C]

Yeah. I'm not shocked by the way that this game went. Once it was 17, nothing. I was like, oh, this game's over. But then again, this Bills team has let other teams back in before. Like, this isn't anything that's that new to this team this season. So ultimately, like Josh Allen said, it's survive in advance, it's a one week season. All those cliches, but it works and that's all that matters.

[B]

It's just so concerning because I feel like this is who this team is. Like they. Every team stays in the game against the Bills, essentially, because Buffalo really at some point feels like they refuse to kind of close teams out. But Mike, I mean, how much do you think that can bite them now as they move forward? Because, I mean, it's the playoffs. We know these games are going to be really close. But the Bills made a lot of mistakes in this one.

[A]

Okay, so Janet, they have the point. They're up 4, 14, nothing. And they drive. And the ball goes to Knox in the end zone. Looks like a touchdown. Looks like 21 to nothing. Okay. They called it an incompletion. It was very close. You know, the NFL's still not sure what a catch is, but it's fine. They kick the field goal, 17, nothing. And then what happens in order with plays in between? Bass kicks it out of bounds. Okay, not the end of the world. But you give it to a team with a rookie quarterback at the 40, they go down to get points. And Allen throws deep. Fine. They had some shots deep. It's picked off. Not only is it picked off, they run it back 50 yards.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Then they have them fourth and two. You got a chance right there. Miami played aggressively. They just went for it all the time.

[B]

They fought today.

[A]

They absolutely did. Matt Milano, the best player on their defense, misses a tackle in a wide open field that would have gotten the Bills the ball back. Then they get it back. Allen goes deep. Khalil Shakir, excellent catch, over the middle, gets up, starts to run. You think they're reviewing to see whether he got touched down. You see on the replay, he didn't hold on to the ball. So they lose the ball there, they punt the ball, they give up a long return. Then they throw one to Beasley off his chest, up in the air on the hit. Interception. Next thing you know, Dolphins score, it's a tie game. I mean, that is a plethora of mistakes. And that stretch. Jenna. Okay, Allen's deep ball, defender made a nice play. You're throwing it 45 yards down the field. The rest of it was spread out amongst players, wide receivers, defense, special teams. Like, how many mistakes, Dan, can you make in a second quarter to just give another team life? And that's what they did.

[B]

Today really quick Dan, before you jump in, I just feel like that was the biggest, biggest issue is those, those mistakes kept compounding because it was not just the offense, it wasn't just the defense, special teams too. It was like the whole team collectively at certain, certain points of this game was a letdown.

[C]

I think it felt like the Bills thought they were playing against a better quarterback and felt like they needed to take more shots and. And I just don't think they needed to. I know we disagreed with this on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. About Mike, you had said that in the. In our post game blog you talked about they were dumb mistakes. I thought the Bills played dumb at times. Whether it was overly aggressive when they didn't need to be. Dumb mistakes shooting themselves in the foot, dumb mistakes on special teams. They almost had a punt return ran back on them like it was some lackluster. And again, there was a time when that stadium was eerily quiet. Like preseason quiet. Like no energy in that building because like you said, those eight plays over, whatever it was an eight minute span. The second quarter pretty much couldn't gone worse. Jenna.

[B]

Yeah, no, it's true. That's something too. Like we talked so much about this matchup pregame and even before of just like it's Skyler Thompson, guys like 14 points. Seems insurmountable for this Dolphins team, Mike. I mean I thought Skyler Thompson played pretty well in this game and I feel like the Bills made him look like he was so much better than maybe he actually is.

[A]

Well, I don't know. Defensively, if they thought he couldn't make those throws, I gotta say his numbers weren't great. He got let down by his own players on numerous occasions. And even when there were incompletions, the one big mistake he made was the pick. Like, and I blame some of that on McDaniels because it's. They've got the ball deep in their own territory. It was like third and 19.

[C]

How about the first play of the game they took the shot to waddle and it hits off his shoulder pad.

[A]

Yeah, but in that case, the third and 19, you're trying to make a play, but you, you gave the Bills, you know, and, and Elam made a play and the Bills got it back. But I thought the rest of the time when that guy needed to make a throw, he hung in there. He put the ball where his guy could get it. Yeah, he made some plays on third and long. I mean this is Skyler Thompson. He hasn't played. And I know we can say, well, you know, he's got Waddle and Hill. Honestly, it didn't feel like, wow, Waddle and Hill are just individually killing them. It felt like when he needed to get the ball to somebody, he found a way. And it was. It was glaring how I thought. I really thought they would be able to attack this guy. Now, Dan, they also put him in great field position for the majority of the game, and that helped him. And when they did get him deep, the Bills got a turnover.

[C]

So obviously, we had argued about this on the podcast on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel about, you know, making Skylar Thompson drive down the field. That's what I said. When in doubt, punt it. Pin them deep. Don't make mistakes to give them momentum. I thought it was a poor game plan. I thought they poorly executed that game plan, and I thought they did exactly what they couldn't do. Mike, the Dolphins didn't have a single drive over 40 yards.

[A]

Okay, but let me ask you this, though, okay? On those plays, like, you're right about some of that. But Allen's throwing the ball from midfield, deep down the field, and it gets picked off near the goal line, and he runs it back almost 50 yards. I'm saying is, you weren't.

[C]

But why do you need to take that shot?

[A]

Because it was single coverage, and he's throwing down the field. And there are times now, that wasn't the play I had the problem with. I had the problem. When you're deep in your own territory, you need a first down. It's a game now. And they just threw it deep and they kept trying to get Gabe deep, and they didn't hit it. That's where I had the problem with it. But what I'm saying to you is, in their own territory, Allen gets hit, fumbles it, coughs it up, they take it in for a touchdown. Like, they made those kind of mistakes, too. And it almost didn't matter where they were on the field, they made a mistake. I would say the only thing they didn't do today was turn it over when they were in the red zone. Right.

[C]

There's a ball positive, everybody.

[A]

They turned it over in numerous places. They fumbled a couple times in the near midfield and got it back, including a punt on their own side of the field. So, yes, I will agree on the idea of not looking over the middle of the field and, I don't know, forgetting where number 14 is for the second half.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is crazy because Miami doesn't have anybody that can stay with them. And if they are shifting that much defense to them, then other people should be wide open. So I didn't see what Dorsey called.

[C]

At all from my level. On one of the third downs, Josh, I think, tried to throw it to Khalil.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

And was Gabe wide open, like, deep. It would have been a far side away from the tunnel on the far. On the Dolphin sideline.

[A]

I know one time it was Diggs, and Diggs looked over with the hands in the air. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Okay. I saw that. That. Maybe that's what I'm talking about, because he was pointing. I. I don't know. It was just. That was when things were falling apart. Early third quarter.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And you're just like, what is going on?

[B]

Well, it was after. I'm trying to think. It was one of Allen's turnovers. Usually you see him and, like, you see Josh, he'll go to the bench, he'll get his iPad, he'll look. Excuse me. He'll look at things, like he'll have the team around him, but he just kind of stood by himself. And I saw him, like, decline, like, getting a jacket put on and all this stuff. You could tell. And that's where I got worried. And that was early third quarter, where I was like, ooh. Like, Josh. We've seen Josh when he needs to press, and sometimes that's when the worst Josh Allen comes out because he feels like he has to do too much, and then he puts the ball into precarious situations.

[A]

I think you're hitting something on the head there, Janet. I think they don't have enough trust in the other parts of the game. But at some point, somebody needs to step up and say, there is 10 other guys on the field. Like, I think Josh has taken this whole season upon himself, and there are times he is spectacular.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he had some great time out.

[C]

Time out. Time out. That was just a showman.

[A]

Now, look, I got you about that, right? So that second time out when he threw the deep ball and he. And it was close, and the Dolphins, I'm not sure, was going deep there, and they didn't catch it. Everybody was mad because there was audible, you know, groaning after they said, you know, prior to the snap. Timeout. If the Dolphins would have caught that ball.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Everybody would have been like, thank you.

[C]

Hey, hindsight's 20 20, Mike.

[A]

Yeah. It is a funny thing sometimes when you see something and you don't know and you know what the truth is, whatever. Whatever Sean saw on that play, the guy got open deep.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And they just missed hitting a big Play, so. But the other one was on a nice play down near the goal line. It would have forced him in a longer set and they ended up converting, getting touchdown there. So it was, it was just bad all around.

[B]

It was gross.

[C]

Yeah. Icky, I think was one of the words we described it as.

[A]

You came up with icky?

[C]

I, I did. I thought that was an icky win. But I want to say one thing about the reference. I heard his voice so much and it wasn't because of penalties, like there weren't a whole lot of flags thrown in this one. It was just him constantly being like, we're gonna review this, we're gonna review that. Reset the game clock where it's this, that like, it was just like, what is this guy's constantly talking, you heard.

[B]

Him in the press box, him being like, reset the game clock to 4:07 every time.

[A]

Just like you guys with me, he just didn't listen. I try to tell you stuff. Oh my gosh, you just dismiss me. By the way, just a little update here. We're on the way, driving home and I just want you all to know that Dan and Jenna are in the front seat and I'm Grandpop in the back seat here.

[B]

You are a grandpa.

[A]

I know, but I'm not your grandpa.

[B]

Well, you're still a grandpa, huh?

[A]

Timeout.

[B]

That time out was brilliant. All right, let's touch on some of the good things. And I though, though I thought Kair Elam played really well today. I mean Dan, what did you see from him out there? Because he, I felt like he made some of those big time plays that we've kind of been waiting to see. Especially the interception, I think that really.

[C]

Yeah, interception was huge.

[B]

And then that play on fourth down in the fourth quarter, that was huge.

[C]

Yeah, I think we all agreed that the turning point of this game felt like it was the Kair interception. And that was one of those moments, we've joked around about it before where everybody talks about, do your 1:11. Like, well, sometimes somebody's got to do something more. Like somebody's got to step up and make a play. And Tremaine Edmonds had, who I thought also played extremely well. He got his hands on a ball and wasn't able to pick it. And I thought like, man, the offense is struggling right now, they're turning the ball over, they're frustrated, the defense has been playing well, but somebody needs to step up and make that, that play. That really kind of turns the momentum back and that's exactly what Elam did he went in? I don't think he was playing fully, but Dane went down with cramps or something with his knee and really kind of filled in nicely. I also. Kair played well in that last Bills Dolphins game towards the end.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Did some nice things against Tyreek Hill. So, yeah, it was good to see some encouraging signs again of, you know, young players stepping up in big moments when his teams needed it.

[B]

Yeah. No, I agree. And then Mike.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Gabe Davis.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Also had pretty. Pretty good game.

[A]

Yeah, I thought he looked like the old Gabe today, and I thought he made plays, and I thought he became a weapon for them. You know, he got a touchdown. I mean, he was. He was good. He went over 100 yards, which is good to see. You know, it was a year ago that he had the greatest game in playoff history for a wide receiver, which is something. And look, any of that would help. Now, I still want to see something where you're getting the ball to Gabe, but you got to figure out, you know, it's 13 and 14. Like, I think every moment when you're not looking at 14 is a plus for the defense. Like, they're just going. Because it's Diggs. He gets open, he catches everything. Like, he just makes plays. So it is good to see Gabe do that. It's good to put that on tape. It's good to have everybody more concerned about him, which they should be. But, man, Diggs's numbers will be good. But I think he was a little frustrated, and I would be frustrated if I was him. Dan says it all the time. If you're gonna force it, force it to 14.

[C]

And also we talked about in the earlier the week, it feels different when Gabe gets involved compared to, like, when Diggs gets involved. When Digg gets involved, it's like he energizes the entire team in stadium.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

He gets up, he pounds his chest.

[B]

Like he's funny.

[C]

He was just animated whenever he makes those big plays. The one play was the. The ball over the middle that Khalil Shakir went up for, but it wasn't for him. Diggs caught it, fell down, and then threw him the football.

[B]

Yeah, here you go.

[C]

I got it. So, again, I think there is a point because of the fact that, look, three out of your five wide receivers aren't really doing much. Beasley caught a touchdown today. It's the first time he's really had any impact since he's been back.

[A]

He also caught a big third down over the middle for about 25 yards.

[B]

Yeah, that was a Big play. That was a big play.

[C]

Yep. But he also had a. Couldn't connect on a fourth and two on the opening drive and then had the ball bounce off him for an interception. Like he isn't.

[A]

Yeah, that was. That was the first path that was on Allen. It was a bad throw to him. Look, I. You know, Beasley is Beasley. I thought Allen has missed him twice. He missed him in Cincinnati and he missed him there.

[C]

I think he's Beasley. I don't think he's. I don't think he's the Beasley that we wish he could be. And I don't think that's his fault. He's been. Hasn't been playing.

[A]

That's tough to still can make some places.

[B]

It's too early to tell, honestly. I know that might sound silly, but I just feel like he's still getting. Maybe you're right. He's still getting into a rhythm. But I thought the. While the interception was poor and that first. The play in the first quarter was not great down the stretch, he made big plays that the Bills needed him to come through on, and he was able to come through on.

[C]

All right.

[B]

Not every player is going to be perfect all the time, but I'd rather have a guy playing better in that second half as opposed to the first.

[C]

That's fair.

[B]

That being said, I have a question for you guys. Who do you think was the MVP of. Of this game? Isn't that a good. I thought that was a good question, Michael. I feel like normally we'd say Josh, but I don't think it was Josh today.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, Josh is so involved in every play. Yeah, I think he. Like we said, he kept both teams in the game for a little while. Making some mistakes, putting it on the turf. You know, I thought the wide receivers. Like we said, Diggs in the first half. Gabe, with more plays later. I. I really like the way Elam played. I think it's hard to say mvp, but that was a massive play for them, and I think he gave them a big lift. They needed somebody to make a play. I'll say. I'll. I'll say Elam because he was really impactful on a play like that and came up with a big play. I mean, Allen just makes a lot of plays during a game, and so you can. You can almost always say him. Yeah. But I don't know if there's another one guy. And then I'm going to combine a couple guys on defense. I'm going to put a couple of, you Know draft picks. A firm former one and a two. Right. A two with Boogie and Shaq. Yeah, I thought they both played plays. Shaq got a couple plays behind the line of scrimmage, set the edge one time when he was like four guys on one. Again, these aren't winning the game. Yeah, but they were impactful plays.

[B]

I forgot Shaq was a draft pick. That was a little Rex Ryan pick. Rex Ryan, first rounder.

[C]

I don't know if I have the mvp, but, man, I understand he had that drop. But Khalil's third down catch over the middle back shoulder throw was huge.

[B]

Yeah, that's another rookie.

[C]

Yeah, that kind of seemed to get the offense.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Going again.

[A]

That was a great catch.

[C]

Stop the bleeding.

[A]

Smart throw.

[C]

No, no, no, no, no.

[A]

It was in coverage and you saw.

[C]

Allen's reaction was all kinds of fired up for a, you know, just a first down. Well, that was how important of a play it was.

[A]

You're right. Now there was a penalty, so they would have gotten a first down, but it would have been five yards and a first down. Yeah, this case it was. It was somewhere around 30 yards on that play. No, that was huge. And it's a shame he didn't hold that other one because it would have put them in a great spot because.

[C]

He had a nice catch on the opening drive too. Like I thought. Again, I'm all for more Shakir and less Beasley and Brown.

[A]

It is kind of cool to see these guys who are rookies who've had up and down years make big plays in the. It's the biggest game. Every game now we can sound like them is the biggest game. It's the only one. And they both actually look like. They did not look like it was too big for him.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, they came up clutch in some big time moments. All right.

[C]

Boogie was all over the place. I also thought Tremaine was flying around too, off defense.

[A]

Tremaine.

[B]

You know, we talk a lot of smack.

[A]

That hit. Hit was awesome.

[B]

We talk a lot of smack about Tremaine coming into this season.

[C]

You know, he's young.

[B]

Stop it. All right, time out.

[A]

But let's. Let's talk about the smack. We talk about what we say.

[C]

Who's your mvp?

[B]

No, I would say Kair.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Because I think what he did, and I mean, he did shut down. I felt like Tyree Kill, like, sound like Tyree Kill had this phenomenal game. I feel like in general too, like the plays that he made and just, you know, you're kind of nervous him going in there, Dane going out. You're like, man, the Bills are thin at corner, all this stuff. But I thought he played really, really well. And I agree. I think, I think Elam's pick really put the Bills in the. In a good position. Obviously, offensively, they got the touchdown after that, and I felt like that gave them a chance to kind of take a. Take a breath, take a pause and regroup in which they obviously needed. Then that play on fourth down. I mean, that was the game and he was able to break up that pass. So, yeah, I think that was a huge play by him. And we'd give so much to Allen and all this stuff. I didn't think Allen had a great game, obviously. I. I think he had his moments where he really stepped up. But I'm gonna give it to the rookie. And did you see that video pregame of.

[A]

Yeah, Jenna showed me that.

[B]

Say, I don't. I don't know the. The child's name, but she's was diagnosed with cancer. Her cancer came back. Kair Elam's her favorite player. And pre game, Kair went over, picked her up, twirled her around, gave her a big hug. So that was a pretty cool moment. Yeah, really, really cool.

[A]

Yeah, that was. That was great. That looked so genuine and nice and sweet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then he went out and played like. Like a really good player.

[B]

So.

[A]

Yeah, that's good for him. Janet, when you were talking about Tremaine, we all know Tremaine is a really good football player. What has always frustrated everybody is him not making impactful plays that we maybe just. We don't see enough of them. Boy, he made them today. He covered people in the flat. He made that big hit to knock the ball loose. He looked like that guy today. And by the way, speaking of that, Skyler. Don't call me Tage Thompson here, he's 18 of 45. I thought it would. Have. Never thought that was what his numbers were. No, I thought the guy hung in there, took hits, threw the ball, put it on the money. A lot of times. I mean, sometimes he just chucked it away, which was probably the smart play.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But he ended up with a couple of picks in the game. But I thought he gave them a lot. I thought he made the Bills work. They scored 24 points on offense, albeit with some short fields, certainly. But they scored 24 and got the other one by the defense. Sorry. I'm sorry. Skyler made fun of the name, not his name, but as a quarterback and made fun of him being A seventh rounder. I thought he showed a lot of guts in this game.

[B]

I did, too.

[A]

Played it tough.

[B]

I mean, you look at the AFC east now moving forward, and you're like, wow, things are a lot different than they were even a couple years ago. All right. Yeah, we were gonna. We were gonna talk about something. Oh, the press box. So for this game, Mike was in the press box. I got to join him in the press box. Dan was down on the field. So I got to see how the other half lived for this. And they live pretty comfy, I'm not gonna lie. Sorry, Dan. I'm literally. Don't mean to smile, but there's so much food. It's really good. It's warm, it's comfy, it's cozy. They tell you all the stats. It's pretty sweet. So I. Now I'm mad at Mike for every game because.

[A]

So here's the deal for everybody to know. Jenna walks in the press box, and there's people all over. National, local, Miami, everybody. She walks in and say, I'm here. What's all the fuss about? And then she goes, where's my seat? She starts yelling at people, moving them around.

[B]

Yeah, if you know me, that is.

[A]

She just goes upstairs, she tells somebody to get her a plate. Like, just acted like a boss.

[B]

I'm not gonna lie. At one point, you were talking to someone, and I was just sitting by myself, and I was like, dang, I don't got any friends up here.

[A]

Oh, please, no. Everybody was a little surprised to see you coming upstairs. In the high rent district, they were. I know, but Dan, normally the normal protocol, as you'll see, because Dan will be in the press box next week, the normal protocol is to go eat lunch at halftime.

[C]

Correct.

[A]

Jenna thought 10 minutes to go in the second quarter was enough time to wait.

[B]

First of all, the game was so long.

[C]

It was longest game ever.

[B]

I was hungry. I was like, I'm fast when the food is fresh before the line and have time.

[C]

Went up before the line. Oh, yeah, that's a little.

[A]

Was it grass?

[C]

A little tacky?

[A]

Is that tacky?

[B]

You smart.

[C]

First one.

[B]

I wasn't the first one. I was not the first one.

[A]

Was it Vic?

[B]

No.

[A]

Who did we see? Did Vic go up?

[B]

I don't remember.

[A]

Somebody went up first.

[B]

I wasn't the first. I was not the first.

[A]

It was. It was a bit.

[B]

There was actually a bunch of people up. Not a bunch, but.

[A]

So, Dan. They had multiple salads. They had a beautiful tomato. They had mulberry restaurant meatballs chicken wings, assorted wings and all this stuff. Dan, what'd they have down on the field?

[C]

Ham and cheese sandwich on a croissant. But I got. I got a good lunchbox this time around. Two mayonnaises and two mustards. And they both opened. They both opened.

[A]

So you were.

[B]

The cookie.

[C]

It's not. The cookie isn't what it used to be.

[A]

Do they. If you open a cookie, does it have rings in it, like how you tell how old of a treat?

[B]

No, actually, the cookie is usually the best part. The cookie.

[C]

But I will say this. This is the first time, too, that the sandwich wasn't in a plastic bag. It was actually in, like, a to go container.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[C]

So they stepped it up for the playoffs.

[B]

Okay, maybe it's that or maybe they just hear and they listen to the Buffalo plus podcast.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I'm glad, Jenna. You got to experience that.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Well, and Dan, next week, so. And then we'll see for. We'll see what Atlanta's got in store if that's where we're heading for the championship.

[B]

That's my birthday, and I'd really like to be working on my birthday.

[C]

I'd like to be working on your birthday, too.

[B]

Yeah, I don't know what just fell, but that doesn't sound good. All right. It was good. Press box is good, Dan. I know it'll treat you well this upcoming week. Bills continue on their season moves once again now to the divisional round. Anything else, gentlemen?

[A]

Yeah, you can tell everybody about the merch.

[B]

Oh, yeah, we have merchandise. Be sure to check it out. We've had a lot of fun. Somewhat some pain setting up the website. Oh, my gosh.

[C]

We've been pain, painless.

[B]

Popped off on Mike and Dan earlier this week because they were of no help. So if you support me, go to the Buffalo Plus.

[A]

Well, I'm waiting for Dan to pop off because Jenna popped off at us and I popped off at Dan's dad trying to help me on the field.

[B]

Dan was just trying to help Mike get on his jacket.

[A]

I was trying. I was trying to get my IFB on for television, and Dan was like, here, grandpop, I'll help you. And I was like, leave me alone, you young whipper snapper. I got it.

[C]

Very rarely does Mike snap it at anyone.

[A]

And, yeah, next week, Dan is going to snap at somebody.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I hope it's not.

[A]

I don't know who it's going to be.

[B]

Yo, I'm scared now.

[A]

It might be Ken Dorsey.

[B]

That's true. Hopefully not, though. All right, we're gonna wrap up here. Please be sure to listen to the podcast comment. Like it? I forget what they download. Download it. Subscribe.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Also subscribe to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. If you have not done that. We always appreciate it. And if you like our stuff, buy some merchandise. Show it off to your friends. Tell everyone about it. We've had some fun designing some shirts and stuff, so be sure to check everything out. For Mike and Dan, I'm Jenna. We'll catch you next time here on Buffalo Plus.