Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - Following their first win against an AFC East opponent, as well as a 10-day break between games, the Buffalo Bills return home for another key divisional matchup on Sunday against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium.
After three-straight weeks of having to play away from home - two weeks playing in Detroit followed by Thursday's win over the New England Patriots - this will be the first game in Orchard Park since a Week 10 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Sunday will mark the second meeting of the season between the Bills and Jets, with the first matchup going in favor of New York at MetLife Stadium. Josh Allen had, arguably, one of his worst games in recent memory in a 20-17 loss in Week 9, as he went 18-of-34 for 205 yards, no passing touchdowns and two interceptions, one of them coming in the red zone.
Related
As the Bills return to the friendly confines of Highmark Stadium, they now get ready to prepare for life without veteran pass rusher Von Miller, who was declared out for the season on Wednesday after undergoing repairs to his ACL on Tuesday.
Although the Bills will be without Miller for the final stretch of the season, head coach Sean McDermott remains confident in the rest of his relatively young defensive line group.
"It's an opportunity for them, each in a little bit of a different way for each of the guys that are expected to do that. I'm excited for those guys at the same time," said McDermott on Friday during his weekly appearance on WGR during the "Extra Point Show".
Elsewhere on the injury front, McDermott ruled just two players as out for Sunday's contest with the Jets: defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and fullback Reggie Gilliam.
Meanwhile McDermott did not rule out linebacker Matt Milano, who has not practiced this week and is dealing with a knee injury. McDermott says the team is taking it one day at a time with the veteran linebacker.
In this rematch against the Jets, the Bills will be going up against Mike White at quarterback, compared to when they faced Zach Wilson in Week 9. McDermott says he has gotten the chance to see a lot more of them throwing the football over the past couple of weeks with White as the starter.
“He’s a very capable quarterback, in terms of moving the team down the field. They racked up 900-plus yards in two games,” he said with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase.
Even though this is the second time the Bills will be playing the Jets this year, a number of players will be playing in this game that were not in the lineup more than a month ago. Among the notable players the Bills were without that game included cornerback Tre’Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, and Milano.
McDermott knows that they have to make some adjustments, and that they are still learning from the loss.
"Well, you always try to learn right from the first interaction and make the adjustments that you feel like you need to make, and they won the game. So clearly, we have to make some adjustments and do a better job there," McDermott said.
During the week, two members of the Bills were recognized with high honors for their roles in football.
First, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame as an inductee for the Class of 2023. McDermott says he has learned a lot from Frazier since hiring him back in 2017, and has had the pleasure of being around him.
In addition, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins was named the Bills' nominee this season for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. McDermott is extremely proud of how Dawkins has used his platform to help the community.
Hear more from McDermott's appearance during the "Extra Point Show" available in the player below:
