Josh Allen wills Bills to win over Dolphins

Summary

Buffalo Plus Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Josh Allen wills Bills to win over Dolphins
Date: December 18, 2022
Hosts: Mike Catalana and Jenna Cottrell

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Episode Overview

This post-game episode recaps the Buffalo Bills' dramatic 32-29 victory over the Miami Dolphins, a win that clinched a playoff spot for Buffalo. Hosts Mike Catalana and Jenna Cottrell break down Josh Allen's standout performance, key plays and players, concerns for the team moving forward, and memorable moments both on and off the field. The episode balances in-depth football insight with light-hearted banter and personal stories from the game.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Josh Allen Experience

• Josh Allen’s Heroics: The hosts agree the game was quintessential "Josh Allen"—spectacular, chaotic, and ultimately decisive.
  • “Josh Allen Experience. It was crazy. He made some amazing plays. He didn’t do anything dumb other than the one really dumb play he made. He scored a touchdown on.” – Mike (01:16)
• Allen’s Mistakes and Brilliance: Despite some boneheaded near-mistakes (notably letting the last few seconds run out before the first-half TD toss), Allen willed his team to victory.

2. Early Offensive Diversity (02:06–03:28)

• More Playmakers Involved: Josh Allen distributed touchdowns to Quentin Morris, Nyheim Hines, and James Cook—not the usual suspects.
  • “Just to see the offense kind of have more unfamiliar names involved. How important do you think that is?” – Jenna (02:19)
  • Mike calls this a mix of game plan and Josh finding his guys in the moment.

3. Critical Game Moments

• Allen’s First-Half TD at the Buzzer:
  • “[Allen] goes, 'Yeah, I realized, like, I went to zero and he threw the ball and he fell to the ground.'” – Mike (03:28)
  • Both hosts agree it's a signature risky Allen play, dumb by design but brilliant in execution.
• 44-Yard Allen Run and Scuffle:
  • “I was ready to tweet. What do you think you’re gonna just move down the field with Josh Allen running and then he goes 44 yards, starts a fight.” – Mike (04:19)
  • Jenna describes feeling tiny amidst the ensuing player melee.

4. Playoff and Standings Implications (05:23–07:48)

• The Stakes: A loss would have put Buffalo’s #1 seed and division lead in peril. The Dolphins’ loss now puts their playoff hopes at risk, while the Bills are “in a great spot” (28:50).
• Standings Math: Multiple times, the hosts joke about the number crunching. “The math ain’t math,” Jenna repeatedly notes—a running lighthearted theme.

5. Miami Dolphins’ Performance (08:56–10:44)

• Improvements Noted: Despite losing, Miami impressed with resilience and physicality.
  • “They’re tough. They’re a matchup problem for the Bills.” – Mike (09:33)
• Future Playoff Matchup?: Mike suggests this could be a playoff preview, with various seeding possibilities.

6. Home Field and Weather Impact (10:44–13:10)

• Home-Field Advantage: The hosts stress locking up home field for the playoffs—though it was “balmy” at first, the 4th quarter brought heavy snow, impacting play.
  • “Fourth quarter, the weather obviously took a turn. Felt like we were in a snow globe for a little bit.” – Jenna (12:15)
• Cayenne Pepper Anecdote: Mike gave Jenna cayenne pepper to keep warm—a quirky sideline story.

7. Areas of Concern

• Tackling Issues on Defense:
  • “Obviously, the tackling defensively was not good.” – Mike (13:16)
  • Big chunk plays allowed, including a 67-yard Mostert run where several defenders missed tackles.
• Offensive Line Worries:
  • Mitch Morse’s concussion (his 6th), and general line struggles, are a major worry.
  • “It's really the only major issue, but it's a big one.” – Mike (14:29)
• Penalties and Mental Lapses:
  • Second-half offensive penalties and mental errors after Morse left the game were noted as a turning point.

8. Offensive Playmakers

• Dawson Knox:
  • A few drops but ultimately important. “Dawson Knox, the offense is better when he is involved.” – Jenna (19:11)
• Isaiah McKenzie:
  • “Made some big plays. Made a big third down play on that drive to tie the game.” – Mike (19:44)

9. Replay, Rules, and Rants (20:00–24:39)

• Mike rails against indecipherable NFL catch rules and clock management quirks. “Why, when you see like a great effort like that, the ball’s in his hands…Why are we looking? It’s almost like we’re trying to nitpick to find something.” (20:04)
• The hosts lament how complicated and arbitrary NFL rules appear—“The rules sometimes seem like they were made by, like, a drunk person.” – Jenna (23:03)

10. Defensive and Special Teams Play

• Secondary Adjustments:
  • Praise for Tre’Davious White and Kaiir Elam; concern for Micah Hyde’s absence.
• Critical Special Teams Penalty:
  • Cam Lewis flagged for roughing the punter, which “can’t happen” as it extended a Miami drive that led to points (26:00).

11. Atmosphere and Crowd Moments

• Snowball Fiasco:
  • Both hosts recount fans throwing snowballs onto the field, prompting warnings and threats of penalty from officials.
  • Mike: “You can’t throw snowballs on the field during the game at the players. That’s messed up, not cool.” (30:09)
  • Humorous commentary on how such events might be spun nationally, with Philly’s snowball-at-Santa forever as a point of comparison.

12. Touching Pre-game Moment (32:42–36:55)

• Josh Allen and Abby:
  • Josh meets Abby, a young cancer survivor, pre-game. “He just… went above and beyond to make her and her family feel really special. It’s peak Josh Allen; great quarterback, even better human.” – Jenna (33:20)
  • Mike: “Josh acts like a human being. Some guys need to be 1000% locked in. Josh is mature enough… to compartmentalize. He can see the little girl, talk to her, and then he goes out.” (34:46)
• Both hosts praise Allen’s capacity for authentic fan and community engagement.

13. Post-game and Personal Stories (38:15–39:54)

• Snacks in the press box and their tortilla chip and salsa road tradition.
• Press box cuisine critiques—clam and shrimp in December? “I’m not eating clams in the middle of the game,” Mike jokes (40:18).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Josh Allen’s Dramatic Style:
  • “Josh Allen, does a dumb thing, gets a touchdown.” – Mike (21:40)
• On Allen’s Impact Beyond Football:
  • “He connects with all of them…from little Abby at 5 years old to people that are 85 and love the Bills.” – Mike (35:57)
• Joking About the Bills’ Standings Math:
  • “Math ain’t math.” – Jenna (05:57, repeating throughout)
• On NFL Rule Confusion:
  • “The rules sometimes seem like they were made by, like, a drunk person.” – Jenna (23:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Josh Allen main performance highlights: 01:16–04:49
• Significance for playoff picture: 05:23–07:48, 28:14–28:50
• Dolphins’ improvement and future threats: 08:56–10:44
• Weather, sideline stories, and crowd impact: 10:44–13:10, 29:49–32:13
• Offensive line/Mitch Morse injury concern: 14:29–17:54
• Knox and McKenzie praise: 19:11–20:04
• NFL rule critique and philosophy: 20:00–24:39
• Defensive/special teams breakdown: 24:39–27:04
• Josh Allen’s community moment with Abby: 32:42–36:55

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Final Thoughts

• The Bills’ capacity to win close, messy games is encouraging, but offensive line health and defensive tackling are emerging as key concerns.
• Josh Allen’s fearless, sometimes reckless play is both a blessing and a danger, but his leadership and humanity are never in doubt.
• This win was memorable for both the drama on the field and the moments off it, reflecting both the grit and heart of the team.

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Listen to the Buffalo Plus Podcast and check out their YouTube for more coverage.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[B]

Hello and welcome to the Buffalo plus podcast. The post game podcast. Mike Catalana joining me. I'm Jenna Cottrell. Before we get started, please be sure to like as in rate the podcast as well as subscribe. We always appreciate it. And check us out on our Buffalo Plus YouTube channel as well. Be sure to subscribe there. All right, Mike. Big game. The Bills beat the dolphins 32, 29. Tyler Bass. A game winning field goal. The Bills struggled in this game at some points, but they were able to pull out a win. Buffalo clinching a playoff spot as well. What was your biggest takeaway from tonight's game?

[C]

Josh Allen Experience. It was crazy. It was crazy. He made some amazing plays. He didn't do anything dumb other than the one really dumb play he made. He scored a touchdown on. He threw a touchdown on the one before the half. I mean it was crazy. But some of his runs, I mean he did fumble. He got sacked. He fumbled again. They recovered it. Yeah, he tried to leap over the defense and scored two points.

[B]

That was crazy.

[C]

Never a doubt he willed his team to that win. They came through in the clutch and honestly, it was a, it ends up being, in hindsight, a great way to win that game against the Dolphins. Yeah, really was. But it's Josh Allen. So much of it was Josh Allen.

[B]

Let's pick apart some points in this game. The Bills have felt like they got out to kind of a faster start. We saw. What about the early touchdowns? Yeah, Quentin Morris, Nahim Hines, James Cook. James Cook. Just to see the offense kind of have more unfamiliar names involved. How important do you think that is? And you know, Sean McDermott was asked post game, like is that a part of the game plan or is that just what the game calls for? And I liked his answer. Where I think it was authentic, where it's like, it's kind of both.

[C]

Yeah, I think it was Josh looking around and he found those guys. Now the Quint Morris one was a rope and I thought Morris made a really nice catch. That was great. You know he dumped the one off to Hines. It was nice to see him get in the end zone. It was a good quick read by Josh. Boy, when he was decisive like that, they were efficient. He was getting the ball out of his hands. The one to Cook was what he's, you know, I mean, you guys watch the game. He made a boneheaded play. There's eight seconds left in the quarter. And they snapped the ball. And I'm waiting for quick look, quick look, Let it go, Go for it. Or kick the field goal on the last play. Oh, no. He's patting the ball, patting the ball, moving around. And then what did he say? He goes, yeah, I realized, like, I went to zero and he threw the ball and he fell to the ground.

[B]

And he, he was hoping, waiting for.

[C]

A celebration and he heard the cheering and so he knew he threw the touchdown. But it was a really. And I gotta say, like, there's a dumb play and it didn't cost them in this one because they scored a touchdown, but it could have. And he can't do that. You just can't do that. But if you can't do it. And then he got him the touchdown. It ended up being big.

[B]

Yeah. That is a part of the Josh Allen experience. You shouldn't be able to. It's so funny because, you know, I was on the field for the game and I'm like, all right, eight seconds left. And then Josh rolls out. And then I'm like, I'm not good at math, but I'm like, this feels like a long time. The math was not math. And I was like, I don't know how much longer. And then obviously James Cook there for the Cats.

[C]

I want to look at it again. I bet you it was to zero by the time he even threw the ball.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I would. I would imagine, right.

[C]

He just took it all the way down. It really is a boneheaded play because you are absolutely giving away points. But then he threw the touchdown. So Josh Allen, the run, the 44 yard run. 30. Phenomenal. I. I was ready to tweet. What do you think you're going to just move down the field with Josh Allen running and then he goes 44 yards, starts a fight. You got in the middle of the fight. Did you punch anybody in the middle of the fight?

[B]

Not punch anyone. I've never felt smaller.

[C]

Even when you're standing between Dan and I, it wasn't quite the same thing.

[B]

Not quite. There was some burly dudes, head on a swivel. No, I mean, I Think he's just. Josh Allen is just. Look, we've covered him for his entirety of his career, and from the moment.

[C]

The Bills drafted him.

[B]

Yeah. We were there in Dallas. Josh Allen almost fell down a flight of stairs.

[C]

That's it. You saved his life. That's the way I remember it.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. But to me, this is a memorable win. But not. I mean, it doesn't even crack, you know, the top. I mean, let's be.

[C]

No, but I. I think this is a really big Josh Allen win.

[B]

I. I agree. I don't want to downplay it, but.

[C]

So let's look at what would have happened if we were getting done this game and they lost. You would have been swept by the Dolphins.

[B]

Correct.

[C]

You could almost have. Now, I won't say written out the number one seed, but you. You would have needed Kansas City to lose. You would have had to beat Cincinnati. That's all still in play. The Dolphins are on your tail. They would have been what? Let's see. The Dolphins are now, what, 8 and 8 and 6. 8 and 6.

[B]

Math ain't math.

[C]

So they would have been 9 and 5. I mean, wait a minute. What am I saying? The Dolphins, they've lost three in a row, and the Bills are. Yeah, The Bills are five in a row. Yes. They won five in a row and are now 11 and three. So think about. The Bills would have been 10 and four, and they would have been nine and five and would have swept the Bills in the two games.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So the division would have been going to the end. Instead, you know, they. They get the ball back in the fourth quarter, and Allen gets hit and fumbles, but they hold him to a field goal. Taron Johnson made a huge play getting behind the line of scrimmage, getting the back down. And so they kick the field goal. Then the Bills get it back, and Allen figured out a way to get it done. They score the. They get the two. Crazy. Waiting for the review. So I asked him, josh, at what point? What did I say? I said, at what point did you think that that one was a good conversion?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And he said, what? As soon as I jumped in the end zone or however he phrased it. Yeah. And then he's smiling. Of course he's laughing. And then he's like, yeah, I stood there with my arms in the air, and then I saw him saying, like, I was in. And then they reviewed it, and it was close.

[B]

Oh, yeah, it was close.

[C]

But he got it. They got it back. Great drive down the field. Closed the game strong. So I'm telling you, when we look back on this season, in the regular season, the Chiefs game is obviously hugely impactful because of what it does for them in the standings. But I tell you what, this didn't fix some of their issues, but, man, it fixed them in the standings because that was a massive, massive win for him.

[B]

Well, when the Dolphins went up, I just could not stop thinking about, you know, Chiefs and Chiefs fans are just watching, waiting for this game to go final.

[C]

Like, they mean Nick Wright. I've been all over Nick. I just saw him tweet early about Josh. I like Nick Wright. I think he's talented. I think he knows how to troll.

[B]

But dude, does he know how to troll?

[C]

But dude, relax a little bit on getting on Josh, you know? Yeah, a little bit. Like, he threw two bad passes early in the game. The guy ended up with 80 yards rushing, four touchdown passes, a two point conversion. I mean, he's, I mean, he can.

[B]

Take over a game like, like he did tonight. Yeah. And you're just, you're, you have, you.

[C]

Sit back and I'm sorry I cut you off when you started to say Dolph or Chiefs fans, because you're right. They would have been all, yeah, that's the thing.

[B]

I mean, the standings are so close. Obviously, everything matters. We're now in late December. Like, everything is that much more amplified. And just getting the win tonight also just, I mean, where the Dolphins team is now after a loss in their third straight, like, now the playoffs are in jeopardy.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

If you could knock them out in terms of, you know, get them out of the playoffs. Because that is a very talented team. I mean, like we talked about, Tua played well. I mean, their receivers, Tyreek Hill, obviously, Jalen Waddle, even Raheem Mo Mostert, like, they are very talented.

[C]

I was impressed by them. I, I didn't think that highly of them coming in. They had not played well. I didn't think they had the toughness to them the last two games.

[B]

Okay. I mean, that's, that's fair.

[C]

They got smoked the last two. And I thought, okay, we've seen who the Dolphins are. You know, McDaniel hasn't, has not adjusted. Tua did not throw the ball well. The defense got pushed around. You know, Waddle wasn't making the plays. I mean, Hill still, even, he picked up fumbles and ran them in. But like, and then tonight in this Saturday night game, they came in pushed back against the Bills, had a huge third quarter, grabbed the lead and they, they're tough. They're a matchup problem for the Bills. Now the couple times Jenna got mentioned tonight, you could see these guys again and they could. But there's so many scenarios. I mean the Bills could end up as the one seed and that's the case. And the Dolphins get in the playoffs as a five or a six and win their first game. They may very well be playing the Bills, but they're also a team that's going to be sitting there going if say it was the bills as the 1 seed, well, Miami is going to open up against 2. Like the. Well it could be 5, but they could be 6, they could be 7. Like there's so many things. The Bills could lose the number one seed and be playing one of those teams in the first game. Like there's so many things that can happen between now and when they play in the playoffs. But they are going to be a tough matchup for somebody.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean again they have, they have guys that can make huge gameplay, game changing type of plays. I will say like the Bills, I think the biggest thing is for the Bills just like locking up that home field. Like what that means because obviously that did like, let's be real, that is a huge benefit. No one, no, none of the players like to play in the cold. But the Bills know how to operate.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

In those moments and the crowd and all that stuff plays it.

[C]

You just brought up the weather. So you're down on the field the whole game.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What was it like?

[B]

So, I mean early on I was just waiting for the snow. Like I. Oh my God. I told Eric Wood, former Bill Center. I was like, it's like the pre game. I was like, it's downright balmy. Like it was totally fine.

[C]

That's because you used the cayenne pepper. I gave.

[B]

I did not. My quick aside. Mike came into the station before we left for the game. He's like, I got you something. Usually it's food. So he pulled out.

[C]

Well, it was food.

[B]

That's what I'm saying. Usually it's food. So I was like, oh, okay. Then he pulled out a, a bottle of cayenne pepper and I was like, okay, that's not what I was expecting. But what was. What were you researching?

[C]

I had read that cayenne pepper, people put it in their gloves or in their socks and there it. It emanates heat of some sort.

[B]

I bet you it boosts circulation.

[C]

Could be the case.

[B]

Maybe there's like a chemical component.

[C]

I think you're right. I think that's Kind of the way it's described.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Better than Josh Allen with the Icy Hot. I don't think that works.

[B]

I didn't try it. Honestly. I didn't need hand warmers. Like, I didn't need any of that stuff because it wasn't bad. But fourth quarter, the weather obviously took a turn. Felt like we were in a snow globe for a little bit. Look, I was at that 2017 game in the. Which actually was a snow globe. Wasn't quite like that, but, I mean, it definitely made it hard to see. Things were slick. You could see that. And let's be real, it got colder.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Which as soon as I saw earlier this week Mike McDaniel wearing the shirt that said I wish it were colder, I was like, that's a clown move. Like, that's so easy to dunk on because it. Honestly, it was. To me, it's like you're not taking the weather seriously.

[C]

Well, they lucked out because the weather was not what they were expecting.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And it really didn't impact the game hardly at all.

[B]

But that fourth quarter, the weather gods were like, we. We're going to add a little help.

[C]

Yeah, they did. It was kind of crazy in there, but let's talk about some of the issues they had, too.

[B]

Was not perfect.

[C]

Obviously, the tackling defensively was not good.

[B]

That has been surprising to me. Yeah, that's fundamental stuff.

[C]

Raheem Mostert, touchdown. Daquan Jones missed him. I think it was Milano who missed him. Poyer missed him. And then. Oh, Demar Hamlin missed him. It was like, boom, boom, boom. I think it was Milano. I have to look at it again, but four different guys. Oh, Epanessa. It was Epanessa.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Got a hand on him and they didn't bring him down. And he. It was really. I mean, first of all, he's a tough runner, but it was kind of comical. He's like dragging guys and they ended up pulling him down with a. With a horse collar to get him down. After he went 67 yards, they gave up big chunk plays. The waddle touchdown pass again. Hamlin, I like him. I like a lot about him, but, you know, not that he should be, but he might.

[B]

Well, no, it's. It's hard to be.

[C]

I know. But I'm saying, as you missed that.

[B]

Glaring difference between those two. Yeah. No, I mean, I totally get it.

[C]

That was a problem.

[B]

I think, too.

[C]

Yeah. Third and longs again. But I will say this my biggest worry. It's been my biggest worry of this team all Year long. And it got worse on Saturday night. Is the offensive line. And it's really the only major issue, but it's a big one. Yeah. Mitch Morris, concussion. They listed it as concussion. It's the sixth one that has been officially, I guess we'd say, in his career. Mitch has been through it. You know, there's concern. There's concern for him just as a human being. Right. And so. And then on the football field, he leads the offensive line. What did Josh call him? He's the. I think he's. He didn't say the anchor. The anchor. He's. He's the guy. Like, he's the guy on that line when he's out of the game. You have Van Roten in there. They just. They struggled on the line. I thought that. I thought that Roger Saffold had a rough night. Yeah, I thought that was a problem. I mean, they were getting pressure. Josh took some pops in the game. He did penalties, stuff like that. And I'm worried going forward. I don't. I mean, David Questenberry had a holding call. Like, I don't think it's a strength of the team at all. And if Mitch Morris isn't on the field, it's a. You know, it's really tough. It's really tough. Now we'll see where he is. I know they have the Bears this week. Not a great defense. Doesn't mean, you know, but if they don't have them, they can probably survive for, you know, the week. But we don't know how long he'll be out. But, Jenna, I don't like the line. I don't. I haven't liked it now. I thought their pass protection actually was pretty good for a while, but when Mitch went out, things changed, you know.

[B]

And it was pretty evident when he was gone, the difference that he makes. I mean, I think I said this earlier on, maybe on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel, but like, he. Mitch Morris is that unsung kind of guy that really makes a huge impact. You don't realize it until he is gone. How disjointed. And just at certain moments, I mean, things looked not great.

[C]

Well, they had that one series where it was holding call.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

False star.

[B]

Third quarter. Yeah, I was gonna say third quarter.

[C]

Or it was right in the beginning of the fourth. Was it now? I'm trying to remember, but I know.

[B]

What you're talking about.

[C]

They were disjointed and they shot themselves.

[B]

In the foot a couple times. Things. Well, that's why, like, this game it really is win or panic if you lose. Because that, like that stretch for the offense, I was like, whoa. And even for the defense, really, I was just kind of like, things are going sideways now. It felt like everything was so challenging in every aspect. And, you know, I felt like Josh was running for his life at points, not connecting well with receivers and just where they were at in the game. I mean, it was obviously very concerning. But talking about moving forward, I mean, Mitch Morris, his importance can't be understated and what he means to the team. I mean, Josh Allen was asked about a post game and he talked about how much of a leader he is. He's a guy that calls out protections. Just what that does for Josh as well.

[C]

It's what he does for Josh and does for the other four guys on the line.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like it's a level of cohesiveness that the calls and everything. By the way, they've won five games in a row sneakily, I feel, because, well, they've been battles. They've all been battles.

[B]

They have. They have not been truly convincing.

[C]

The most convincing one was the one in Foxborough and they never really totally put them away. Of course Belichick helped by quitting in that game.

[B]

That was still unreal.

[C]

But the jets, you know, game was a battle even though they ended up winning it, obviously. The Lions, even the Browns game, those games were tough for a while.

[B]

Very tough.

[C]

But I tell you what, they have 11 wins, they're first in the conference. So if they can get some of this stuff straightened out, I think it'll be different. But you need to just keep finding ways to win. Hey, last year they had struggles going down the stretch.

[B]

I mean, yeah, they were not in.

[C]

The playoffs and the offense lit it up for two games.

[B]

So 7 and 6. At one point last year, I will.

[C]

Say tonight I. Dawson Knox had a couple drops, but he was mad at himself. Wide open, one boy. Then he made some plays. He was good.

[B]

You tweeted this out last game. But Dawson Knox, the offense is better when he is involved. Yeah. And it's truly the case. That is. You know, those drops were tough because you're like, ah, you know.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But the plays that he had and just what he can offer in terms of his pass catching ability.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

His physicality, all that stuff.

[C]

I mean, I think he. Yeah. And I think obviously Josh trusts him. The other guy, I think, I'll use your word sneakily. Had a good game. Thought Isaiah McKenzie had a good game.

[B]

I did too.

[C]

Made some big plays. Made a Big third down play on that drive to touch, tie the game.

[B]

That was a catch, right?

[C]

Oh, the one they didn't give him?

[B]

Yeah, I.

[C]

First of all, I know by the rule it's not going to be a catch because the ball slightly moved.

[B]

That's the thing when you slow it down.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

It's. It's like. Yeah. Oh, really? The ball moved when it hit.

[C]

This is what. First of all, for the first 150 years that I watched the NFL, those things were catches. I don't understand why the league. Why the league wants that play or the Poyer play. Now, I'm talking about two plays where the Bills didn't get the call, but it could be the other way. I'm just talking about the play. Why, when you see like a great effort like that, the ball's in his hands, he slides out of bounds. Why are we looking? It's almost like we're trying to nitpick to find something that makes it less than a perfect catch.

[B]

Yeah, but.

[C]

But yet Josh Allen. I know the rules for the end zone are different, but Josh Allen diving for the goal line, where the ball barely makes it to the line and the guy knocks it out of his hands counts. I mean, I know the end zone has different rules, but it's absurd to.

[B]

Me when you put it that way. It actually is compensable.

[C]

It slows the game down. Name me a fan. Now, look, in that moment, if you're a Dolphins fan, you want that to be an incomplete pass. But I'm not talking about that. I'm thinking if you just rando watching a game tomorrow and you're like, I'm watching this game and I see this guy and he makes a diving play.

[B]

You'Re like, wow, it's a hell of a spectacular catch.

[C]

And then you're like, they're going to take it away because the ball slightly moved in his arms.

[B]

That. To me, though, now that you say it like that, it's like, oh, yeah, no, of course the NFL.

[C]

And it's stupid because it slows the game down. And if you just ask fans without a rooting interest, they want that to be a catch. Why not? It's great.

[B]

So award the athleticism, all the things that go into that. But of course the NFL is not gonna do that. Yeah.

[C]

It's just weird. And I gotta tell you the other one. I'm gonna be on a rant on this. I hate when I see it. And it was right before the half, before Josh's boneheaded play that resulted in A touchdown. Cause he's. Josh Allen, does a dumb thing, gets a touchdown. But I hate the fact that at the end of a half or the end of a game, there's defensive penalties and the clock still goes down. Meaning, like, the Bills got a first down there. The play took, like, eight seconds, and it was a penalty on Miami. The Bills should be able to reset the clock. I think it's unfair to the offensive team that the defense gets a benefit on the clock because let's say that now, of course, it ended up being the last play of the quarter. So go with me here. Go into the mind of Josh Allen, who probably thought there was only three seconds. I didn't think he was, but, like, he played it like there was three seconds left in the half. But let's say that play would have taken the clock down to three seconds. So now the Bills. It's a penalty on the Dolphins. Yet the Bills lose a play. They get yardage, but they lose a play because the clock went down. I think you should be able to say, it's our choice. Set the clock back to 10 seconds or 12 seconds.

[B]

It's kind of comical to me because I feel like what I've heard of. Friends who are from other countries are like, I don't understand football. And it's like, yeah, the rules sometimes seem like they were made by, like, a drunk person.

[C]

So hold on. Aaron, our former producer, this is a little inside Baseball here, sends me a message during the game. I don't understand why that Josh Allen play counted for two points. Now. She's a baseball fan.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Not a football fan or not a big football fan. And I wasn't quite sure if she didn't understand that you could go for two on an extra point.

[B]

I think she knows that.

[C]

But I said, well, if she hears this, she's going to be mad at me. But if I say. I said because Josh Allen. The ball went over the plane of the goal line and it counts as two points.

[B]

And.

[C]

And then she responded to me. That's ridiculous. I'll never understand football. So that makes your point there, because it really is crazy. It's like that counts.

[B]

It's so. There's no cohesiveness whatsoever. It's. It's so.

[C]

But the rule on the clock, I. Which is why to bring up some bad 13 seconds in the Chiefs game. That's why I was saying they should have tackled Hill and Kelsey take the penalty moving down the play. But the rules should be different. But they're not now. But that's What? They were. So. Yes. I was started out by saying MacKenzie had a good game. I thought he did. I thought the wide receivers in general played well. Diggs made his plays. They. Oh, they missed on that one deep ball. He got sort of caught up with the defender and then broke free and didn't make the play. But I, like.

[B]

It seemed like they were taking more shots.

[C]

They did take a lot of shots.

[B]

I appreciated because I. You know, there's. I think that can do so much when you do connect on those.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And just the threat of it. Let's be real. Like, that opens things up so much more as well.

[C]

Defensively, Trae White defended some more passes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Which was good to see. He got beat by Tyreek. Demar Hamlin came over oddly late, and he didn't look up for the ball again. You can't be Micah Hyde. I miss my guide out there.

[B]

Yeah. I was gonna say it seems to be a recurring theme.

[C]

Yeah. But those are the guys that can really hurt you because Hill is a freak of nature. He just is.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, but, you know, Trey got beat on that one. I thought Elam played tough.

[B]

I did, too. I was. I was kind of.

[C]

He's had two good games against Miami.

[B]

Because I was like, all right, let's. We'll. We'll see how it goes.

[C]

But, yeah.

[B]

No, I thought he made some nice plays. You talked about Taron Johnson. I mean.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Huge plays down the stretch for the Bills.

[C]

Yeah. And they were running. I mean, that was smart play calling by Miami. I thought the Bills would try to get another linebacker on the field, but they're so concerned about Hill and Waddle.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And they were getting gashed by the running plays. Now it got better in the second half. I mean, Mostert had 100 yards in the first quarter, so that's a good start because.

[B]

Is it?

[C]

I think if he did that every quarter, it would be a record.

[B]

Do you think that would be bad for the Bills? That would be bad for 100 yards, yes.

[C]

In every quarter. But, I mean.

[B]

What makes you say that?

[C]

Yeah, it's just. I know numbers, but the math ain't math. But Taron Johnson made that huge play, and they did it, and they got the ball. Cam Lewis. Cam, we love you, UB guy. You know, the one against Jefferson. I mean. I mean, it's Justin Jefferson. I get it. He should have knocked it down. That's still somewhat physical and a little bit. I'm sorry, you cannot slam into the punter. And I had some people arguing whether he hit the plant leg and whether it should be. He hammered the guy. They gave him 15 yards and it gave him a first down and it led to a touchdown. Can't do that. That was a bad, bad play.

[B]

So the Bill's offense come off the field. Just the frustration on their faces. They were like, oh, my God. I mean, that could be.

[C]

And fourth and long.

[B]

Yeah, that could. I mean, that could have. That could have buried them.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Let's be real.

[C]

But it didn't. And they fought back. And I tell you, for Miami, you're. You're reeling. While again, like you said, Miami looks viable, they look tough. They played hard.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But they lost. And they've lost three in a row and they're going to be in a scramble. They've got it tough. They still have the jets, the Patriots and the packers, which. It's kind of funny, at the beginning you're like, oh, they got the Packers. Now people are like, oh, they have the Packers. But if they got anything to play for, and they might, you know, Rodgers, he's just miserable enough to want to win that game. And, you know, you just don't know against a team like that.

[B]

So it's hard when your team faces a tough stretch of adversity in December. Yeah, that is just. It shakes your confidence. It shakes everything about how you plan, how you prepare.

[C]

Yeah, but I thought. I give them credit. I thought they were well coached tonight.

[B]

I didn't know I. I did, too.

[C]

And I thought they were tough. This is where. If they had won those other games, this would have just looked like they went toe to toe with the Bills and lost. Close one. They needed the win badly.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It's three in a row and the division's over.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

We're calling it, essentially. You know, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, with 97% of the precincts in are calling it. And we don't dispute the elections here. The Bills are going to win the AFC East. I think it just takes one more win or a Dolphins loss, right?

[B]

Yeah, I believe it's.

[C]

Unless the Bills are going to lose out starting in Chicago, they're going to be the AFC's champs. Their goal now is to finish that off, but keep winning. To be the number one seed.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, the Bills have put themselves in a great. In a great spot.

[C]

Did you get hit by any snowballs?

[B]

So two. I got hit by a snowball in the back of my neck. But first, I. One of the plays, I. I didn't tell you this, but the. One of the. A football hit my Camera lens.

[C]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. And ever we were in the end zone and Josh, it was. He kind of threw it away or I can't even remember, honestly.

[C]

But do we have good video of it?

[B]

I have not checked the video. I. I will have to check the tape check.

[C]

Most importantly, is the camera okay?

[B]

The camera's fine, but all the, all the people like that were in the end zone were like, are you okay? I was like, this is so embarrassing. Of course this is. This happens. But no, I was fine. The snowballs after the touchdown, the first touchdown, I like turned around to get a crowd shot and saw all the snowballs coming down on the field. I'm like, you know what? I'm not going to get hit. I'm just gonna hang out, get some other cutaways. But I got hit with a snowball in the back of my neck. I will say that snow was heavy.

[C]

It was icy.

[B]

I did throw a snowball post game at Mike Catalano. So, you know, I just, I did it so you could feel the experience of what it was like on the field.

[C]

I did. And I got hit with a snowball when I was getting video after the game in the end zone. And I gotta tell you, like, it.

[B]

Had weight behind it.

[C]

It had weight behind it. Yeah. And it's coming from, I don't know, 800ft. The guy's throwing it from the third level. By the way. I tweeted and I meant it. I loved it during the touchdown. It was cool, the snowballs coming down. You can't throw snowballs on the field during the game at the players. Yeah, that's messed up, not cool. And then you got scolded by the offic. And I love. Matt bovet from Channel 7 in Buffalo tweeted, the referee told the fans, if they do it again, the Bills could get a 15 yard penalty if they hit a player. And Matt said the referee wasn't mad at the fans. He was disappointed, which really was the way he said it. And then Josh was over there telling fans to cut it out. And then I think the PA announcer said, listen to Josh Allen. Don't throw snowballs on the field. But you know, the way things are perceived nationally, it's like, it's not a good look. And if this game was in Foxborough and they were throwing snowballs on the field at the Bills, I'm saying Foxborough, this is not gonna be in Miami. People would be flipping out, yelling about Patriot fans or whatever.

[B]

What if you threw stuff at Santa?

[C]

You know what? That anniversary just came up. By the way, that happened back like 68 years ago. And people don't forget, numbskulls still talk about them throwing snowballs at Santa in Philly. And always. I was joking with somebody on Twitter. I know some knucklehead because like an ESPN is gonna say, oh, it looks like this game was in Philadelphia. Like, it's such a knee jerk, stupid thing to stay.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And Bills fans are too good sometimes. They can be a little whatever.

[B]

Little snarky.

[C]

Yeah. But don't throw snowballs, because can you imagine, can you imagine if they would have called a penalty on the Bills? I actually think they should have called it after the touchdown at halftime. They could have called it right then on the fans. It would have gotten them to stop throwing the snowballs.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And they would have done it maybe on the kickoff. Did they kick off? No, the clock was at zero, so they didn't have to kick off. Would have been the second.

[B]

I was already inside, so I wasn't honestly sure.

[C]

Excuse me.

[B]

Well, no, I raced off the field because we only. Half time is 12 minutes. That is not enough time to cut video.

[C]

Your job is to be out there for the entire time.

[B]

Then you get out there.

[C]

All right, so, yeah, let's talk pre game. Pre game. Let's tell the story.

[B]

Yeah. So it's on my Twitter. It's on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. As a short but really cool moment pregame, Josh Allen meeting with a very young fan. Her name's Abby. She is a recent cancer survivor. She just went into remission.

[C]

How old would you say she is?

[B]

I don't know. Maybe, like. I would say like five.

[C]

Yeah. Super cute.

[B]

Super cute. And she, you know, Josh had met her before, and she had these two little dolls that she gave to Josh. She gave one to Josh, and Josh signed another one. Just that. That moment pregame, he came out to. To meet with her and hang out, and they took a picture and she got up out of her wheelchair, and it was just a really, really sweet moment. And I am a cancer survivor, for those of you that don't know. So it. It certainly hit home. But the video itself is just. It's really special. I. I recommend looking it up because it's just. It is peak. Josh Allen, great quarterback. Even better human because he just. Look, a lot of quarterbacks take the time to do stuff like that, and I. I just felt like Josh went above and beyond to make her and her family feel really special. And I said this on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. But, you know, after Abby first Of all, he asked Abby if he. If she could sign the doll that he was gonna get, and she gave her autograph. He called it so cute. Adorable. And then after that, you know, when Josh had to go back to warm ups, he. He ran. He very easily could have given the doll to someone to bring up to the locker room, but he personally brought it up there. And I just think it's like, little details like that that really are just really cool to see in. In. In a small community like Western New York, we know how important the bills are, how much they mean to everyone.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

And it's just a very genuine girl.

[C]

Who'S gone through hell. Yeah, absolutely. You know what? I will say this. Not every player can do what Josh does.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Josh acts like a human being. He talks to people. Some guys need to be 1000% locked in. They can't allow that in. And I get it. They're on the field. That's their moment to do their job. If he was that way for the games and was lighter other times or maybe after the game, be different. I think he's mature enough person and just his way, he conducts himself to compartmentalize for a moment. He can see the little girl. It's not going to take away his focus of the game. He sees her, talks to her, and then he goes out. The fact that he does all these handshakes with his teammates, I mean, I get it. A lot of guys are just zoned in. They got to stay in a certain way, which is fair, and that's what works for them. I think what works for Josh is to be Josh and then go play. And I think that's why he plays the game the way he does. But it really is nice to see him just act like a person, a very nice person, and he embraces that. People look to him that way. From little Abby at 5 years old to people that are 85 and love the Bills.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, he connects with all of them, and he gets that. They all. Yeah, people sort of want something sometimes. I don't mean Abby. I'm just talking about in general, who wants an autograph, who wants this, who wants that. But he. I watch him. We watch him at camp with the kids. Like, he connects with them. He high fives and he does this. He moves along. The only people he pisses off are the weird autograph collector guys who want to cut in front of the kids and he just blows them off. Or. Yeah. Odd questions in news conferences where people try to trip him up and he just says, okay, you know, that's the people. And he even does that. He even dismisses that in a little smirky way.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So he's awesome.

[B]

It's. It's always impressed me just how he handles himself, how he carries himself, and how he's always willing to make time because he doesn't have to, frankly. He. He doesn't need to do the things that he does.

[C]

So he makes time. He talks to everybody. See him and his teammates.

[B]

I mean, fantastic ambassador for what?

[C]

Well, you're used to it. It's the way I am with you and Dan. I make time for you guys. I have moments for you. I sign autographs for you.

[B]

I gave you that cayenne pepper.

[C]

I brought cayenne pepper. Well, I got it at the dollar store, so it was literally a dollar. But it was well spent. We may need it in Chicago. Oh, my God, we're going to Chicago. High of 6, low of 3.

[B]

Yeah, I know. It's not great, Bob. That's not. I'm not looking forward to that, if I'm being honest.

[C]

Man, that walk up to the press box is going to be brutal.

[B]

I love how you were in the press box settled with like two hours before game time. You're like, all right, you got it. Well, I didn't track up, you know.

[C]

It'S that I. I would like to spend more time on the field, but the Bills have so many people on the field and the NFL Network people were there that they don't like us worthless microphone stands known as reporters. Journalist that I am. They want to dismiss us. Storyteller. They want to dismiss us from the field as quickly as possible. And so they do. So I did my part by going up and having snacks after the game. They used to have candy, like, stuff easy for to grab. No, none of that.

[B]

I was so. So I didn't eat anything at the game. We went to a restaurant before. I can't remember. Something Saigon. Yeah, it was really good. I think it was in Hamburg. But post game. So post game, we went to a Sunoco gas station on the way to 90 or 90, if you live not in Buffalo. And we got a big bag of chips, of tortilla chips and restaurant style salsa tostitos.

[C]

Restaurant style salsa elite. Elite.

[B]

I know way too much about you. I literally was looking for my daughter.

[C]

Carly and I are number one fans of restaurant style Tostitos. And when they stopped making it for a while, did they. It was panic. Oh, my God.

[B]

We were panicked.

[C]

And we tried to find something to replace it. I wrote A letter to Tostitos, an email. I said, what's the deal? I thought maybe I could buy a case of it somewhere. And they sent me a coupon for some other lame when they were making. I'm like. And I tried these other ones. And then one day I'm in the store, I'm calling my daughter. She was away. She lives in another city. And she's like. I said, it's back. She's like, why'd I go restaurant style? She's like, where? And I told her. So I got her some, brought it to her. So we had it. That is. You talk about the. Just living the life.

[B]

I didn't know you wrote an email.

[C]

It was an email. And they responded with like. They responded with like 450 cent coupons to try some other lame thing that they had. But I don't care. It's a well made product.

[B]

Wow. How could you not love the Buffalo plus podcast? So much inside information.

[C]

Well, you didn't have anything to eat in the press box. They had the normal chicken wings and stuff, which was great. They do a nice job. And then they had this dish that was like, like steamed clams and shrimp over something. Now look, if I'm at my favorite Italian restaurant or somewhere. Yeah.

[B]

Linguini.

[C]

I'm in the press box in Orchard Park. I'm not eating clams in the middle of the game. Okay. I'm not. I mean, I thought, nice effort. I'm walking right by it. I'll do wings.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And a little bit of something. Let's keep it simple. It's like being in the airport. In the airplane.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

No, in a plane. Keep it simple. I don't need.

[B]

You know, it's also a very fragrant dish.

[C]

Way.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It's like, why are we having that?

[B]

Yeah, no, that's.

[C]

Yeah, they went out on a limb.

[B]

Yeah, that's.

[C]

But hey, we did have the chips and salsa on the way home, so.

[B]

That worked for us. All right. It's 3:38 in the morning.

[C]

Oh my God.

[B]

He's Night games. I'm gonna have no idea what day it is. The bills not playing on Sundays has absolutely.

[C]

Sunday now.

[B]

Well, yeah, I guess you're right. But absolutely. I'm gonna think it's Monday all day tomorrow.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

And then every day I'm going to think it's wrong. All right, we're going to wrap up here for Mike Catalana. I am Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure to rate as well as subscribe to the podcast here on Buffalo Plus. Nope. I messed that up, I think. Please be sure to subscribe to the Buffalo plus podcast wherever you listen to your podcast.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

But also subscribe to the Buffalo plus channel on YouTube. We have much more original content there as well. Thank you. Always. As always. It's. It's late.

[C]

It's late.

[B]

We'll see you later. Good talk. See you out there.