Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It was a huge bounce-back win for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, taking down the No. 1 team in the NFC, the Detroit Lions, in an offensive shootout, 48-42, at Ford Field.
Josh Allen put up another performance that all but puts him in the driver's seat for league MVP honors. The Bills quarterback went 23-of-34 through the air for 362 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Allen also added 68 yards on the ground on 11 carries and another pair of scores.
Allen became the first quarterback to rush and pass for, at least, two touchdowns in back-to-back games. This after throwing and running for three touchdowns each last week against the Los Angeles Rams, becoming the first quarterback in the modern NFL to accomplish that feat.
Running back Ty Johnson became the first Bills running back to record over 100 yards receiving since Fred Jackson did so in 2010.
Meanwhile, running back James Cook led the way on the ground with another 100-yard game, and was able to find the end zone for two more touchdowns, including a 41-yard scamper in the third quarter.
As for the offense as a whole, Buffalo surpassed 40-plus points in back-to-back games for the third time in team history (1990 and 2021).
While the defense gave up 40-plus points for the second-straight game, the unit was able to hold down the Lions offense at the start of the game, allowing the offense to go to work and getting out to as much as a 35-14 lead in the third quarter.
After not getting any pressure on Matthew Stafford last week in Los Angeles, it was a total flip of the script, as the defensive line was able to make life uneasy for Lions quarterback Jared Goff, bringing him down for three sacks.
Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver had his best game of the season with a sack and three quarterback hits on Sunday, while also forcing a fumble.
With the win on Sunday, head coach Sean McDermott becomes the fifth head coach in NFL history to win 11 or more games in five-straight seasons. He joins an elite group of coaches in the NFL that includes Tom Landry, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick and his mentor Andy Reid.
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Just three games remain in the regular season for the Bills, with all three matchups coming against division rivals.
One team in the AFC East the Bills have yet to face this season is the New England Patriots. Buffalo will not only face New England this Sunday in Orchard Park, but also close out the regular season against the Patriots in Foxboro.
Sandwiched in-between the Bills-Patriots matchups is a meeting with the New York Jets in Week 17 at Highmark Stadium.
As for the Patriots, it has not been an ideal season in Jerod Mayo's first year as head coach. Under his tutelage, the Patriots currently sit at 3-11, though there is plenty of promise in the future with quarterback Drake Maye now taking command of the New England offense.
Howard Simon is quite fired up about the Bills heading into the final three games of the regular season, and also the upcoming playoff push.
Throughout the 2024 season, Howard has been feeling completely confident about the final three weeks of the regular season, picking the Bills to sweep the AFC East and end the year riding high into the playoffs. That trend continues, as Howard picks Buffalo to win out and finish the season with a franchise best 14-3 record.
Despite going 14-3, this scenario of "Howard Picks the Bills" sees Buffalo finishing as the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoff picture.
This means the Bills would begin their playoff run with an AFC Wild Card Round matchup against the Denver Broncos. It would be the first time since the 1991 AFC Championship Game that both teams would square off in the postseason. Despite the strong play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix on a resurgent Broncos team, Howard picks another Bills victory at Highmark Stadium.
The in the AFC Divisional Round, it's a rematch of Buffalo's Week 4 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, that saw the Bills getting throttled on the road, 35-10. This time in Western New York, Howard sees the Bills getting revenge and beating the Ravens to clinch a spot in the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2020.
While the Bills didn't capture the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoff picture, this scenario in "Howard Picks the Bills" has Buffalo remaining at home for the AFC Championship, hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers for the right to head to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. In their first playoff matchup since 1993, Howard foresees the Bills getting the victory in front of the hometown faithful to punch their ticket to "The Big Easy".
In the Super Bowl, it will be another matchup with an NFC East team, as Buffalo will do battle with the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
In the end, after picking the Bills to lose the Super Bowl last week, Howard is back on the wagon, picking Buffalo to get the franchise's first NFL title with a win over the Eagles at the Caesars Superdome.
Be sure to follow along on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on X: @BraytonJWilson.
You can listen to, as well as watch the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" below: