BILLS vs BRONCOS instant PLAYOFF preview and the RIGHT WAY Buffalo handled the MONEY in week 18

Summary

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Buffalo Plus Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: BILLS vs BRONCOS Instant PLAYOFF Preview and the RIGHT WAY Buffalo Handled the MONEY in Week 18
Date: January 6, 2025
Hosts: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes
Podcast: Buffalo Plus

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Overview

The Buffalo Plus team delivers an instant playoff preview as the Buffalo Bills are set to host the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round. The team recaps Buffalo’s regular season finale, discusses initial reactions to the playoff matchup, and highlights how the Bills prioritized player incentives ("the money") in Week 18. Throughout, the crew maintains their signature mix of humor, behind-the-scenes insight, and honest, critical analysis.

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Main Topics & Insights

1. Instant Reaction: Bills vs. Broncos Playoff Matchup

Starts: 00:47

• Bills Are the Focus:
  Mike stresses that this playoff run is "about the Bills," not the opponent:

  "If the Bills play well, they win the game. They win it comfortably." — Mike (04:49)

• Broncos’ Mindset as Underdogs:
  Jenna is wary of the Broncos as a "free money" team playing with house money and little pressure:

  "No one expected them to have this season... the pressure is off" — Jenna (03:31)

• Importance of Playoff Experience:
  The team recalls Buffalo’s habit of making opening playoff games tougher than expected, regardless of matchup:

  “Games ended up being tough, close... It’s the playoffs, man. You just gotta win and advance.” — Mike (05:51)

• Bo Nix's Profile:
  The Broncos’ rookie QB, Bo Nix, impresses with his "swagger" and fearlessness, but the hosts feel the Bills’ experience gives them the edge:

  "He's got moxie... He plays the game like Baker [Mayfield], but he does have swagger." — Mike (08:48)

Key Quote:

“I like that this game is about the Bills. If the Bills play well, they win the game. They win it comfortably.”
— Mike Catalana (04:49)

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2. Breaking Down the Matchup

Starts: 10:00

• Broncos’ Strengths:

  • Pass rush and defensive talent (Nick Bonitto highlighted for an “incredible” year of pressure, 60 sacks in total).
  • Top CB Patrick Surtain, but hosts debate who he’ll be assigned to with Buffalo’s rotating receivers.

• Bills Matching Up:

  • Bills’ O-line and Josh Allen’s pocket presence are seen as strengths against Denver’s rush.
  • Flexibility in Buffalo’s passing attack if Surtain locks down one WR:

    "If I’m Josh and I’m Joe Brady, I’m looking, going, ‘Okay, where's Patrick Surtain? Not throwing to him. Totally fine. All the other guys are where I’m going to go.'" – Dan (11:36)

• Concerns: Keon Coleman’s Development

  • Dan and Jenna express concern over rookie WR Keon Coleman’s lack of separation and inconsistent play:

    “I can see that he’s not gaining any separation... all the concerns we had preseason when they drafted him, I haven’t really seen it.” — Dan (12:05)

  • Mike notes two things can be true: Coleman’s still developing, but excuses vanish in the playoffs.

    “You can’t get the excuse of being a rookie. He still is in his first year... Not a good day for him today.” — Mike (13:14)

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3. Week 18: Bills Prioritize Player Incentives

Starts: 25:10

• Celebrating Milestones:

  • Josh Allen’s one-play appearance (handoff then out) drew lighthearted analysis.
  • The locker room’s focus on helping teammates earn contract incentives—both performance and statistical—was applauded:

    “A lot of players won in the old bank account category here guys... The Bills lost, but a lot of players won in the old bank account category." — Dan (25:11)

• Specific Achievements:

  • Von Miller earned a $1.5 million bonus for reaching 6 sacks (1 snap, 1 sack).
  • Punter Sam Martin got $100k for his 25th punt inside the 20.
  • James Cook hit 1,000 rushing yards and tied O.J. Simpson's single-season TD record.

• Locker Room Unity:
  The players’ joy at helping each other reach goals is seen as a great locker room culture indicator:

  “It’s big... you see all the work they put in, and they deserve those accolades.” — Mike (29:28)

Key Quote:

“If guys are close, like, we want to help you get to that money because you deserve it.”
— Jenna Cottrell (30:17)

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4. Additional Notes and Locker Room Updates

Starts: 18:22

• Safety Play:
  Demar Hamlin played extended snaps to reacclimate him after missing several games; Sean McDermott explained this was deliberate to build communication for the playoffs.

• Rasul Douglas & Defensive Backs:
  Douglas suited up but played only early snaps; indicates which DBs will be relied upon in the playoffs.

• Kicker Woes:
  Tyler Bass missed an extra point, continuing a late-season hiccup with his accuracy. The hosts warn that lingering small issues can become big problems in the playoffs:

  “The little issues that crop up during the season can become big problems in the playoffs.” — Jenna (31:05)

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5. Around the AFC East: Patriots Coaching Drama

Starts: 20:39

• Jerod Mayo Fired Minutes After Win:
  The hosts are stunned by Mayo’s abrupt post-game firing, discussing how NFL teams handle coaching changes and implications for New England.

• Potential Mike Vrabel Hire:
  Jenna voices concern that if the Patriots hire Mike Vrabel and pair him with a good quarterback, the rivalry will intensify:

  "It would scare me if they get Vrabel though. I don't like that, because they have a good quarterback... big culture guy." — Jenna (24:23)

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6. Playoff Seed, Game Time, and Bills' Mood

Starts: 24:51

• Speculating Game Time:
  Team expects a Saturday night slot, but time was unconfirmed during recording.

• Bills’ Atmosphere:
  Despite the Week 18 loss, locker room energy is high due to earned bonuses and playoff anticipation.

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7. Noteworthy Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bo Nix:

  “He’s Young Baker [Mayfield]. More mature than Young Baker. He plays the game like Baker, but he does have moxie.” — Mike (08:48)

• On player rewards:

  "Punters are football players, too, and they like money probably as much as the next football player." — Dan (28:19)

• On social media heat:

  "I can't tweet anything without somebody that's flock 1742 coming into my mentions, Dan, and calling me every name in the book." — Dan (32:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Preview of Bills-Broncos Matchup: 00:47 – 08:32
• Broncos Defensive Strengths/Bills Offense: 10:00 – 12:00
• Keon Coleman Critique: 12:05 – 18:00
• Safety Rotation / Defensive Backs: 18:22 – 20:07
• Patriots Coaching Change Discussion: 20:39 – 24:51
• Player Incentives and Locker Room Unity: 25:10 – 30:17
• Tyler Bass Concerns: 30:42 – 32:00
• Social Media/Ravens Fans Bit: 32:40 – 34:46

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Tone & Style

• Informal, humorous banter blended with insight.
• Honest, critical, but supportive of the team.
• Occasional playful interruptions and anticipation of heated fan reactions, especially around social media "takes."

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Conclusion

This episode serves as an immediate look ahead to the Bills/Broncos playoff game, blending tactical preview with analysis of team culture and regular season wrap-up. The Buffalo Plus crew sets the stage for a playoff run, balancing optimism with realism and drawing on their deep access and long-term view of the franchise.

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For more, catch future Buffalo Plus playoff content and the live show Thursday night at Thirsty Turtle in Victor, NY!

Transcript

[A]

In the time it takes you to.

[B]

Actually board a flight from Group 8.

[C]

Now boarding Premier Altitude Elite Club members.

[B]

You could have bought a Hyundai on Amazon. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Limited availability pickup through participating Hyundai dealer and select markets. Like it was. It was kind of rough, but okay.

[A]

I have to say this stunning what happened today. They finished the game.

[B]

Well, hang on one sec. I do want to. I do want to just finish real quickly. Last point on the Broncos.

[C]

Was Mike interrupting?

[A]

Yeah, I wasn't really interrupting. I was just gonna.

[B]

Have you ever had that happen, Jenna? Has he ever done that? Wait, I know. I would never. I know for a fact I would.

[A]

Never interrupt any one of my New Year's resolutions.

[C]

He won't even give me the microphone because.

[B]

And there's the open. This is the Buffalo plus podcast, brought to you by Connors and Ferris. Hey, everyone, and welcome Back to the Buffalo plus podcast here on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Presented by Connors and Ferris. Dan Fates holding down the fort in studio. Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell in beautiful, warm, sunny Foxborough. As we bring you the latest edition of the Buffalo plus podcast, please be sure to like, comment and subscribe. As always, really appreciate it. So this podcast, we're going to talk about the Bills playoff matchup. We know that the Denver Broncos will be coming to Orchard park next weekend. We're recording this at about 8 o' clock on Sunday nights. We don't know the time of the game just yet, but we'll give our instant and initial thoughts on the Broncos plus kind of recapping the regular season finale. And some players will be smiling, looking at their bank accounts tomorrow, guys. So, the Denver Broncos. Michael, your thoughts?

[A]

I like that this game is about the Bills.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because if it was the Denver Broncos or if it was the Cincinnati Bengals, it would be about Joe Burrow. They're red hot. They've won all these games. It's fine. All that is fine. I watched the Broncos and I watched the Bengals. When I watched the Bengals burrows really good. The rest of that team stinks. I know their defense played pretty well, but that's in part because the Steelers are awful on offense. But it still would be Burrow and Chase. And so for the Bills, not that the Broncos aren't a good team, well coached and Bo Nix is flying high. That's great. But I like it that this is about the Bills beginning their run less than about the opponent. Who would have been the team that quote, nobody Wanted to play.

[B]

Go ahead. Because I was wondering what your thoughts were on. On the matchup.

[C]

So it's interesting. I actually felt differently. Like, I felt like the Bengals, their defense is trash. So I was kind of like, I get it. It's Joe Burrow, it's Jamar Chase, it's T. Higgins. It's all of these guys. But I had way more confidence in the Bills offense going against a Bengals defense that I. I thought Josh Allen could walk all over. The difference with the Broncos is obviously the Bills are the more established team. All this stuff. My one concern about the Broncos is this is free money. They are ahead of schedule. They're coming out. No one expected them to have this season. You see what Bo Nicks has been able to do. The defense has been playing very well. I think the Bills. I think the Bills are more talented. I think they will have the win. But I'm a little concerned because it feels like this is just a part of the ride. Pressure is off in terms of this Broncos team as they head into Orchard Park.

[B]

Yeah. A little bit too young and dumb to understand the magnitude a little bit. Yeah, Yeah, I hear you. I think that when we last video, or maybe it was one of our Yawas that we did the. The.

[C]

You ask, we answer.

[B]

Thank you. Yeah. Kind of ranking, who would you want the Bills to face? And I think we were all in a. I mean, I know I wanted to face the Dolphins, especially with the health of TUA and just the. The Miami. The Bill's dominance over Miami. I think there's. The Broncos have some dudes. I think the grand scheme of this. The Bills are seven and a half point favorites is what the lines open up as. And. And I think that's. I think that's fair. Like, I thought it was going to be at least six. Matt Beauvais of WKBW was texting me. He's like, do you think it'll be five? I go, I think it'll be at least six. Bo Nicks, rookie quarterback. I mean, he's. He's older than a lot of rookies and some established guys in the league. Mike, I kind of like that they kind of blew out the Chiefs. Oh, yeah. I kind of like that in a weird way. Does that make sense?

[A]

Oh, I love it. I love it that they're coming into the playoffs feeling great. And look, that's great for them. This is about the Bills. If the Bills play well, they win the game. They win it comfortably.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

The Broncos are a good team. They made the playoffs. In a division now, which is good. I mean, the Chiefs just had their second loss. The Broncos could have beaten the Chiefs both times. They obviously blew them out in the game without the starters, but they should have probably beaten them the first time they played them. And the Chargers are a good team that's in the playoffs. So that's a tough division. They've played against tough competition. They didn't back down from the Chiefs when they played them in Kansas City. All that is impressive, but this is the next step. This is the playoffs. And this. Bill's team has been through it. Now, Jenna and I were talking about it and I said, you know, they've had some tough opening games in the playoffs. Go all the way back to the Colts game, that first one, the Dolphins game.

[B]

Where are you talking about that? The games have been tough because the matchups really haven't been tough.

[A]

Right. But the games ended up being tough, close. I mean, they barely beat the Dolphins in that game. And then even last year, the Steelers, that game was still a game into the fourth quarter. So I guess I look at it and go, it's the playoffs, man. You just got to win and advance. But I, I like the. I like the rookie quarterback coming into Orchard Park. And while we're recording this, we don't know the time or the day, but I still have a feeling it's a night game. Yeah, I hope it's not Monday. You guys already know this. Maybe by the time you're watching it. I hope it's not Monday, but I like them coming in. Let's see if Denver's ready for playoff atmosphere in Orchard park.

[C]

And. And Sean McDermott today spoke about after the game, in terms of the ultimate goal for this season, for every season, is the Super Bowl. But I really liked his answer about, you can't put the, the cart before the horse and what that means. And, and I think it's important for the team and a reminder of the mindset going into the playoffs, but also almost for fans as well.

[A]

Well, I think the ultimate goal every year is to win the Super Bowl. So I don't think. I know. So we're taking it one day at a time. That's when I've been to the super bowl and I've been there twice. That's how you gotta do it. That's how you gotta, hey, one, one day at a time. Work your tails off to prepare. You can't shortchange it. You know, you wanna jump to, hey, you know, end of the week and playing the game. Nah, you wanna jump to week two? It's really right here. Focus on what's right here and right in front of us.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, McDermott has been to Super Bowls before, and I think it is. You have to take an attack each day, and I think that's something that. It's easy to forget about that because of what you expect from Josh Allen in this group.

[A]

I would also like to add that I thought Jenna and I had bad lighting here at the hotel, but Sean, it was like he was in witness protection there.

[B]

No, it was you guys in a closet.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So we are in the Xbox room of the Aloft Hotel in downtown Providence.

[A]

And by the way, a few people commented on the video wondering why we're in Providence. We could walk to the Bill's hotel. This is where the Bills stay. It's closer to Foxborough than Boston.

[B]

And why we walking in Foxborough?

[A]

Well, right. Why? And we have. We like the food. And Providence has got some food. This place has got some food. And. But while we were recording, somebody was like, why are you outside? I'm like, we're in Providence. Just like the Buffalo Bills. When we recorded our video, if it's.

[C]

Good enough for the Buffalo Bills, it is, in fact, good enough for us for Buffalo Plus.

[A]

Yes. How about that?

[B]

Yeah. And I know we'll get more into the. The matchup, breaking things down as the week goes on. But my initial reaction, first of all, guys, is like, yeah, Bo Nix is good. He's playing well. He's got. Jenna, you would say he's got moxie. He's kind of got that rookie, you know, he's rookie.

[A]

He's Baker.

[B]

Young Baker.

[A]

He's Young Baker. More. More mature than Young Baker. He plays the game like Baker, but he does have moxie. What else does he have? Swagger.

[C]

I was saying that about Mike White had swagger, but after today, Mike White does not have swagger. So, yes, we'll go with Bo Nix having swagger. He does. He has some swag.

[B]

Side note, I give Spiro, and I can't remember who the other guy was on the call. They were doing their best to try and make that football game on TV sound interesting.

[A]

So bad.

[B]

They. They were really. They were really trying to talk up some guys, and you're just listening to it like, these guys don't know any of these players out there, and they're just saying words like, it was. It was kind of rough.

[A]

But okay, I have to say this stunning. What happened today? They finished the game.

[B]

Well, hang on one sec. I do want to. I do want to just finish real quickly. Oh, last point on the Broncos.

[C]

Was Mike interrupting?

[A]

Yeah, I wasn't really interrupting. I was just gonna.

[B]

Have you ever had that happen, Jenna? Has he ever done that? Wait, I know. I would never. I know for a fact I would.

[A]

Never interrupt any one of my New Year's resolutions.

[C]

He won't even give me the microphone because.

[B]

And there's the open. It's funny how these just come up organically. Yeah, obviously. You know, Bo Nicks, Marvin Mims and Cortland Sutton are both good wide receivers that will give a good secondary when healthy. I think a little bit of problems. The defense is good, right? Like, I think they've got a couple of guys that you don't know of that are having really good seasons. I think Nick Benito is maybe the best. Yeah, I think he may be the best defensive player outside of your boy bond in Philly that, like, yeah, the casual football fan doesn't really know much about. But, like, Bonito is having a massive year. This Broncos team can get after the quarterback. Like, that's kind of how they bank on their. Their defense is their pressure. I think they. I think they said they had 60 sacks this year. Like, they had a ton. But if one of the Bill strengths is the Bill's offensive line and protecting Josh Allen and not taking sacks and Josh's ability to avoid sacks and handle pressure, I kind of like the way the Bills strength on strength. I like the Bills matchup. And I know we talked about it, I think, on the last podcast, like, yeah, Patrick Certain is probably one of the top three best corners in the league. Who does he take away? I really don't understand. Like, do you take away Cooper? Okay, fine. Then Shakir will eat and. And Sutton will move around. Like, Sutton just. They talked about it. I saw a tweet like, certain. Yeah, thank you. Check that. I know there are comments right now, but Certain doesn't just do one, like, go on one guy. They show that he rotates around, that he only covers the number one wide receiver about 44% of the time. So they all kind of shift around. So to me, if I'm Josh and I'm. I'm Joe Brady, I'm looking, going, okay, where's Patrick Certain? Not throwing to him. Totally fine. All the other guys are where I'm going to go.

[A]

Maybe Certain will be on Keon.

[B]

Do we want to get into that?

[C]

Well, you. Yeah, well, I got my.

[B]

My concern meter is going up. Mike. My concern meter is going up. He had 10 targets today and two catches. And I fully aware. I am fully aware that it was Mitch Trubisky and Mike White throwing to him. I'm also well aware that the Patriots secondary without Christian Gonzalez, I don't know who any of them are. And so it's a little bit of a concern. And yes, there were some bad passes thrown his way. Go back to last week, though, when we were sitting at Orchard park and I said, hey, man, I'm not really seeing it. Great catch against the Jets. He has the highlight reel moments. The consistency is not there. And this talk of like, oh, he's still developing, he's still a rookie. I'm kind of calling BS now because that's not my take. That's what coaches say. Like, we're at week 18 now. Keon is no longer a rookie, and to me, not an all 22 guy, but I can see that he's not gaining any separation. Like the. All the concerns that we had preseason and when they drafted him, and they're like, well, he'll develop these things. I haven't really seen it. Ten targets today, two catches. Guys, those are bad numbers. Those are Gabe numbers.

[A]

Yes. I will say this. A very wise person was once quoted as saying, two things can be true at once. He is developing and he is a rookie, but now you're in the playoffs, so you can't get the excuse of being a rookie. He still is in his first year. He can develop. Not a good day for him today.

[B]

I'm not throwing in the towel either. Like, I'm not sitting there saying, like, bust that. That. That's not what I'm saying.

[A]

I know, but it's.

[B]

But it's also not a good look. And if we're sitting there early in the season, like, through training camp, where we went, hey, man, he's showing some flashes. Like, this is good. It wasn't great for Curtis Samuel and Keon Coleman to be playing in the fourth quarter of a meaningless Week 18 game. Like, that's. That's like watching the third preseason game and going, who's out there in the fourth quarter?

[A]

Like, especially, like you said, they're playing with Mitch. It's not about. It's about being on the field. But it wasn't like. It's like they wanted the safeties out there because the safeties had not been on the field and they wanted them to get a lot of playing time. It wasn't about winning or losing the game.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But yeah, to your point, it's not like they're getting more reps with Josh.

[C]

I had a moment too where I was like, oh, I hope Mac Hollins doesn't keep playing. And I'm like, I didn't think that about Curtis Samuel or Keon. And to your point about Keon and the struggles he had today, it really felt like they just, he couldn't get out of it. Like, he really felt like he struggled to get any momentum, any separation. And especially I think of that drive where they went to him three consecutive times and it was like it just never came together. So I, I understand why you have that level of concern because you're right at this point in the season and coaches say it, and not just coaches in Buffalo, coaches across the NFL will say, these guys are no longer rookies.

[B]

And again, I'm sure some of the comments will be like, Dan, you're being too hard on him. Like, give him a break. Like all he had practice squad guys throwing to him, he did. Like, I'm not, I'm not diminishing that fact. Matt Collins and Curtis Samuel didn't have any problems catching passes from practice wing practice squad quarterbacks either. And I was watching a few weeks ago, Steve Smith did a breakdown of Keon Coleman. I don't know if you saw it on Twitter. And he broke down kind of like his footwork and why his releases weren't where they need to be. Things like that. And it was from week two of the NFL season. It was against the Miami game. And I went, all right, it's week two. Saw a lot of the same. I saw a lot of the same in week 18. So again, for his last 17 targets, he has five catches, by the way.

[A]

No, go ahead. Well, I was going to just say one of my favorite things is Dan anticipating the comments and then breaking down what's going to be said.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Trying to get it out there with some swords.

[B]

Jon Snow meme of just like everybody running at me because it's like so many. It's so funny. I, I tweeted out the, the, the targets to receptions and it was like 60, like you're an idiot. He had practice squad guys, there were terrible passes. And then a bunch of people were like, he just didn't seem into the game. He had no separation.

[A]

Like maybe he watched George Pickens last night. Yeah.

[C]

Well, again, to the two things can be true point, I think you can say that Keanu's made some amazing catches this season.

[B]

Absolutely.

[C]

So in some of the new. Not minutia, but in some of the everyday things you want to See him have that consistency. The highlight plays are amazing. But where.

[B]

Incredible.

[C]

Where can we meet? In the middle also a little bit.

[A]

And that's a great point. And it is fundamentals. And Sean always pushes back on fundamentals. And I know a lot of people roll their eyes, but you've seen it at practice. You've seen it at practice when things aren't going well, they get back to a lot of that stuff. And to your point about footwork, things like that, listen, Keon's got physical ability.

[B]

To play the game 100%.

[A]

Those kind of things may never make him a 4:3 speed guy, but they will make him a more effective route runner. Use what works for you to get those other things that make you good, like separation. Doesn't mean you're going to be a burner, but you're going to need to figure out ways to get open.

[B]

But Mike, when you say he's got the physical abilities right. You know who else does? The other 52 guys out there on the field. Like, this is where you can. You can't just use your physical abilities to be better at this level. It's how Amari Cooper wins. It's how Khalil Shakir wins. You win by doing those little things to gain separation and then make plays on the football. That's where. That's where we. I kept saying, and I still believe that Keon will add more things to his tool belt and we'll add more releases and all these things, but I saw just a lot of stutters and goes and like, there weren't a lot of slants. There weren't a lot of out routes that like, you're sitting there going. I would have liked him to have that in his route tree at this point in the season.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

That being said, and it's.

[A]

And it's all the little things like defensive linemen always talk about hand placement. They can get by in college with just being bigger and stronger. Doesn't work in the NFL. So that was a negative. But it really is hard to grab much from that game other than Demar was out there for a long time. Now. You said Sean talked about it.

[C]

Yeah, he. Sean was asked in terms of, you know, Demar was out there for quite a bit and he talked about why Demar was out there. Taylor wrapped. Demar had been out for the last couple of games. He wanted him to kind of get some feel being back in the line lineup and then the communication piece between him and Taylor Rapp, how important that is. So that is why he had an extended kind of stint out there. Probably more than expected, was just for him to get acclimated and get back up to speed and kind of feel like himself heading into the playoffs. So that, to me, made sense. There were a couple times where I was like, oh, I. I was kind of surprised to see Demar out there. But after the game, McDermott made it a point to say that was purposeful. That was because of him missing time, and that is. Was a part of the Bill's plan.

[A]

Yeah. And Cole Bishop had a lot of time out there, too. He didn't as much in the beginning, but then he was in there a lot. And they're going to all play because, I mean, Mike Hyde's not playing.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

I mean, you know, I just think that's. That's not the case. So this is the group they're going with is certainly in defensive backfield. And Russell Douglas was dressed. I never even saw him with a snap.

[B]

Yeah, he played early. He played the first two series.

[A]

Right. But he. Okay, you're right. In the beginning, I think he might have wanted to get out there and run a little bit because they could have worked around that if they wanted Kyrie and playing a ton of snaps and Christian Benford chilling on the sidelines because he's not playing in the game. Tells you the guy. Well, we know obviously he's the guy they're going to pay. This is when. When they show that these are the guys. So that was. That was really something when you think back to how they started their careers.

[B]

Yeah, I had a hard time kind of trying to watch this game and, like, tweet about it and how to, like, comprehend it, because it did feel so much like a preseason game.

[C]

Like, I thought Solomon way too.

[B]

Yeah, Like, Solomon popped. Like, I thought Solomon had some good stuff off the edge, but, like, I could have sat there and been more critical of, like, Kyrie. I'm like, really? Like, that's. That wasn't a great rep. And I'm sitting there. It's like, am I really gonna start calling guys out for, like. Like, this game is such. It was kind of like a. It was the lose off. Like, who could lose this game?

[A]

Like, okay, but now back to the point I was trying to make. Speaking of lose off, the guy wins the game and gets fired. Like, we weren't there for his press conference. Did they grab him and drag him in Kraft's office and fire him within seconds of his post game news conference ending? I've ne. I've seen the Bills Fire a lot of coaches. And I've never seen anything like that.

[B]

Did he shower? Was like, the best question was like, did he even have time to. Like, that had to be. I win, lose or draw. Like, he was getting canned. Like. And. And I think Giardi kind of talks about it. Like, was rock bottom the 40 to 7 loss to the Chargers the week before. But think about this, Stan.

[A]

Think about this. Were they mad? I mean, I'm saying this. Were they mad that he won the game today?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Because it's dangerous when you leave a coach out there. Like the Texans did. I BMW the number one. Look, you can say all you want about who's out there and who you want to take, but you do control the draft when you're number one. And I guess it's a little less money at three or four, wherever you end up in the thing. But, like, if that was the case, then fire him after the after game with the Chargers.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then he's gone. Then you can go talk to Rabel or whoever you want to talk to.

[B]

But then Kraft would be known as the guy who fired a coach in the middle of his first season. Didn't even give him 17 games.

[A]

You're right. But then he fired him.

[C]

Like, gave him 17 games and a cup of coffee.

[A]

So I can imagine media relations going, okay, one more question. Okay, thank you. All right, thanks, Coach. Boom, gone. Like, they just grab him and drag him out of the building, and he's one of their guys. Like the. The players had. Honestly, I gotta say, I don't know if he had two minutes with the players, then he went in, first press conference. I just tell you that they wanted to do that. Maybe it is about variable, because that organization's got a lot of problems, and they hope they have the quarterback, but, man, who.

[B]

That's something that doesn't make sense. Is that, like, if you want that first pick, like, that first pick is usually for a quarterback. Right. And, like, for everything we've seen, like, they got a dude.

[A]

Oh, they're not taking a quarterback.

[B]

That's what I'm saying. So, like that.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Are you. And I get it. One to four is still. It's still a drop. But are you that upset that you're like, we don't have the. I don't.

[A]

Okay. So let me ask you this, though. You know, the way it goes with these quarterbacks, it'll be a big cycle, and then all of a sudden, somebody's going to fall in love with Shador. Somebody's going to fall in love with what's Cam Ward. Cam Ward. And they're going to want to get up there and they're going to think even a team that's back a little bit is going to think we can jump up a lot of spots.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And I don't know, hey, whatever it is, that's on them, that's not on the Bills.

[C]

So yeah, I thought like halfway through this game when the Patriots, they were still obviously playing very hard, all this stuff, I was like, I wonder if they are going to fire Mayo. And this is kind of like the last fu out the door.

[A]

Honest.

[C]

Like that's. And maybe that's just me looking too much into it, but I was like, what is something that would be massively impactful for years to come? It could be kind of a parting shot. And to me, that was. That's winning the game and knocking you from the first overall draft pick to further down the board. So, I mean, I feel like you could feel the tea leaves even going into the game. It was reports were leaning towards Mayo being gone and you have to know when you're that guy, what the conversations are like, what the vibe is like, all those things.

[A]

So it's just wild though. Dan, he was their guy. Like, he's a Patriots player. He's a guy they say they groomed to be the coach and then you whack him before he gets out of the room.

[C]

Scare me if they have Rabel, though. I don't like that because they have a good quarterback.

[B]

Rabel is their roster is still a mess.

[C]

It their roster is a mess. But think about how big culture is and what that has meant to Buffalo. And you have a guy that can set the standard in New England, a place that has the roots of being able to do that. You got a quarterback you believe in. You have a leader that's done it before. I'm not saying it would be perfect the first year, but that does scare me of what that could be down the line.

[B]

Yeah. Finishing up kind of again this this game. And there'll be plenty of content throughout the week. Appreciate like Comment Subscribe Comment in with with Yen Share what you thought of this game and your initial reaction of facing the Broncos. I'll call my shot. I feel like it's a Saturday night game. I don't know about you guys.

[A]

I mean, that's where I am too.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I know we've heard a little bit of whispers about it, but it doesn't feel like it's fully a Monday game. It doesn't feel like it. It doesn't. Hasn't earned that. But Josh Allen isn't a one o' clock game guy at this point. So it's like, ooh, Bo Nicks shiny rookie. I think it plays well on Saturday night, which would be awesome for our jobs, but that's just, that's just us. The other thing from today, the Bills lost, but a lot of players, a lot of players won in the old bank account category here, guys. Really cool one. I thought Josh was phenomenal. We have to talk about Josh. I. I did want to make a note. I thought he was very sharp today. Yeah, did, did, did exactly what he was asked to do.

[A]

Yeah, the handoff was great. I thought his running off the field was just exactly the way you want to see a quarterback do it. You know, he ran off, you, thought the speed was pretty good.

[C]

Showed a good burst, good vision.

[A]

Yeah. He got to the sidelines. He's a team guy. He celebrated with his teammates. He's rooting on Mitch. I just think if you're going to play one play in a game and handoff, you cannot do it better than Josh Allen.

[B]

The best part too is it was on the TV broadcast and I thought to tweet it, but it just was kind of been. It would have been a little tacky. Fourth quarter, like five minutes left. The Bills are, you know, a preseason game and they're showing Josh and he just had the biggest yawn ever. Like, it was, it was a five second yawn. And I wanted to tweet it and just say same, like, that game was so preseason. But I was like, I can't believe it.

[A]

It got so loud in there. It was deafening for a while, wasn't it? Yeah, no, like you could.

[C]

Like, it was, it was absolutely not that. There are moments where I've never seen a stadium for a game be that empty.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, the Bells had that back in the day, like at the end.

[C]

Of the year though, like, recently speaking.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. There usually is, is good crowds and. But it was funny though. A lot of fans. There was some signs up, like number.

[C]

One pick, 86, the Mayo. I thought that was originally.

[B]

I was like, oh, that's really good fun.

[C]

I was like, that's a pretty good one.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. I think fans were for the Patriots were. They were booing them when they were winning, which I thought, yeah, that's what.

[B]

That'S what they were talking about because you couldn't hear anything. Like, it wasn't like there was any stadium on the, on the broadcast but they were kind of talking about that, obviously. So the incentives. Von Miller, a nice $1.5 million bonus for reaching six sacks on the season. One snap, one sack. Well done. Sam Martin got $100,000 for getting his 25th punt downed inside the one. I hope he gives Jamarcus Ingram some of that because that was a phenomenal play. Also a cool play by Sean to punt from your 35. Like, early on, it felt like. It's like, why. Why punt today, right? Like, hey, if you want to kick, to get Tyler Bassum work, who missed an extra point. But, like, that was cool to see. To see Sean kind of do that for. For Sam. Like, punters are football players, too, and they like money probably just as much as the next football player.

[A]

So they, like, my 100 grand to the punter is way more than 1.5 million. Devon Vaughn has 1.5 million in the cushions of his couch. Okay. And so we talked to Sam, and he was like, it was great. And then I said to him, you're gonna do something for jamarcus? And he was like, laughing. He's like, yeah, I thanked him on the field and whatever. Then he. He didn't. He didn't say if he was giving.

[B]

He didn't confirm nor denied.

[A]

I'm the punter, okay? I'm the punter here. And then the James Cook stuff was less about money.

[B]

Yeah, it's cool.

[A]

The thousand yards is cool. I mean, we know that's not, like, massive, but it's a nice round number. And then him tying Simpson for the most touchdowns in a year. Now, he did that in 14 games, you know, in those bad teams in the 70s, but this was 17. But good for James. And, you know, and. And. But the thing about the players is they all responded like it was very good vibes for the team to get those things done. Yeah, everybody was on board with getting like, let's, like, sort of do this. You got something you can get to. Let's see you get it done.

[B]

It's.

[A]

I think it's big because it's.

[B]

You want.

[A]

You want those for those guys, you know, like, they. You see all the work they put in, and they deserve those accolades. So for Jimbo to get another touchdown, reach a thousand yards, Vaughn to get a sack, I think Sam hit something with his puns. Like, you want all your teammates to do the very best and get everything deserved, and we've all put the work in. So for them to hit those milestones today, I think it was huge for us. I mean, that's big.

[B]

You know, once you got a group of guys that's behind you and supporting you and want you to get it.

[A]

It'S always big, big.

[B]

And I'm appreciative of them, you know, everybody, you know, teammates saying, just get one. Just get one. And, you know, I had to think about, like, damn, I just need, you know, one.

[A]

But it felt. It felt good to, you know, have all my teammates supportive of it and.

[B]

Want me to get it, but we got bigger fish to fry, and I.

[C]

Feel like that says something, you know, and that. That's a loud message for the entire locker room about, like, hey, if guys are close, like, we want to help you get to that money because you deserve it. And if it's within reach, like, let's not. Because I feel like for some other teams, it might be like, oh, you know, let's. Let's save a little bit of money. But it's like, no, let's. Let's get. Let's reward the players that are worth rewarding in that way.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Yeah. Agree.

[C]

You want to talk about Tyler Bass just real briefly? Because that, to me, was also another takeaway from today of just, like, missing the extra point. It was a little bit windy. I get it. But what do we say about the playoffs? The little issues that crop up during the season become big problems, can become big problems in the playoffs. We talked about it last year heading in with Tyler Bass and our confidence in him. Am I gonna blow up the entire thing and say, oh, my gosh, Tyler Bass is, you know, ruined? But it's just one of those things that hangs in the back of your mind.

[A]

His last two misses, if I'm not mistaken, are the short field goal in Detroit and an extra point. That worries me a little bit. It's like these you got to knock through. And I'll say this for Sean, he's been more aggressive. Keep that in mind, Sean. In the playoffs, when it's close, the decision should be let 17 go go. Unless you got. Unless it's about the points at the end of a game or something. Like, if it's close, I have more faith in them converting sometimes than I do in the kicker.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I hear you. All right.

[C]

Well, no, I was going to ask real quick, like, do you. How do you feel about that, Dan?

[B]

It was such a who cares game that it almost felt like it almost to me, felt like you're golfing and like, you've reached the part of, like, the course where you're like, I'm already. I'VE already stopped keeping score, and I just drove another ball into the water. Like, I don't really care.

[A]

Right. But with the kickers, though, they're almost in their own little thing where it's just about.

[B]

They are human, though. Josh is yawning.

[A]

You're gonna give. You're gonna give Keon that for dropping the ball.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, Keon's gotta prove something. Keon's trying to get snaps next week.

[A]

Oh, he'll get snaps. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. One last thing. It used to be. I'm sure we have a lot of new subscribers to the channel, or at least we're getting a lot more views because Ravens fans are big mad. They are. Ravens fans are on another level right now. Like, you talk about me, like, fighting off comments of, like, Jon Snow for, like, Keon takes and other stuff. I can't tweet anything without somebody that's flock 1742 coming into my mentions, Dan, and calling me every name in the book.

[A]

I. I was on the Patriots pregame show today, and they were asking me about Josh, and I said, I go, listen, if you vote. You said it in the Twitter. On your Twitter account. In the Twitter. I said, in the Twitter. In the X.

[B]

Such an old take, old man.

[C]

I was.

[A]

I was between. And never mind. Listen, if you vote for Lamar, there's nothing wrong with that vote.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

You believe he's a great player. Josh is a great player. Josh's circumstances were very different. The narrative is on him because the narrative was what this team was facing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they had 30 plus touchdowns receiving and rushing this year in a year where he wasn't supposed to have anything to go with him. And. And that's what he ended up doing. So that's all we're saying about it. It's no go ahead now.

[B]

Like, it's too much. That's too much perspective into it. Ravens fans tell me that Josh had a really bad game against Houston, so he's no longer qualified for the MVP because he had a bad game against Houston.

[A]

Well, they lost to the Browns at home, right?

[B]

No, no. Browns was on the road. Tough game. Right, Right. They lost to the three and 14 Raiders at home.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

But, hey, somebody.

[A]

The Browns were what? The Browns were 3 and 14.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And now you're doing the same thing that Ravens fans are. No, I'm not in the other way about Josh.

[A]

No, I'm not.

[B]

I'm just saying I go. I did want to acknowledge the Ravens fans that probably joined this video to tweet something insufferable and call us all out. So I just wanted to, again, as Mike likes to say, get ahead of that. Yes. For that.

[C]

How cool is it, though, that there's two players that are so awesome, deserving of it. Like, just to take a step back and be like, we're watching some really great NFL play from quarterbacks and we.

[A]

May see them in two weeks.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, there's also too, like Fox put up or cbs. Somebody put up the graphic of all the. The great players this year that could be in the MVP race. Saquon, Joe Burrow, obviously. And then they also threw in golf and Sam Darnold. And they all had, like, individual stats, like how many total touchdowns, yards, things like that. And then they had. It was golf, was his completion percentage, which was second. Second best in the league. And then Sam Darnold, it just said 142 record. And I went, they couldn't even throw a single stat. Like, they were just like, hey, this is a cool story. Like, I think Sam should 100% be a strong contender for comeback player of the year. But it was just funny where it's like, hey, put him in the MVP conversation. What stat do we use? The team's good. Got it. We'll roll with that, guys.

[A]

So by the way, I just checked. Comeback player of the year has already been Joe Flacco. He already won that again. Yes.

[B]

Okay. All right, appreciate it.

[A]

Real quick.

[B]

Oh, Michael. Thirsty Turtle.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Thursday, Thursday night. We'll be there from five to seven. Little meet and greet, and then we're doing our podcast live. Thirsty Turtle. Victor New York, if you want to come out and see us, the lighting will be better.

[C]

This is horrendous lighting.

[B]

You're doing great, sweetie.

[C]

It's horrendous.

[A]

I had a light. I brought a light with me, but we went with this in the Xbox room. It is called the Eloft Xbox.

[B]

No, Eloft did a. Was somebody playing pool? Was somebody.

[A]

You can hear the guys playing pool.

[C]

They're over there. They're over there. You know what? This podcast is complete because we pointed to something off screen that no one can see.

[B]

We got a double open. Really?

[C]

This is really special stuff.

[B]

All right, appreciate it. As always. Be sure to, like, comment and subscribe for Mike and share and for Mike and Jenna in Foxborough at the Xbox Room in Providence. This hosting thing ain't easy. It's not so much fun when the rabbit got the gun, Jenna. Yeah, that and producing the Thursday show. It's not fun. All right, appreciate it. As always. We'll catch you next time here on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel, presented by Connors and Ferris. It.