Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - Three-straight wins in the AFC East have helped put the Buffalo Bills back in the driver seat for the division with three games remaining in the regular season. A win on Saturday afternoon over the Chicago Bears will help Buffalo officially clinch the division for a third-straight season.
The Bills have already clinched a playoff berth thanks to their 32-29 win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night at Highmark Stadium. It is the fifth time in six years where Buffalo will return to the postseason following their long playoff drought.
Heading into Week 16, the Bills are slated to have two tough opponents as they head into Chicago: The Bears and the weather.
Starting with the weather, the National Weather Service is forecasting partly sunny skies with a chance of flurries for Saturday with a high near 11 degrees. However, conditions will be windy with sustained winds as high as 25-to-30 miles-per-hour. Not only could that create areas of blowing snow, but wind chill values could drop to as low as minus-25 degrees.
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Meanwhile in Buffalo, the forecasted blizzard for Friday has forced the team to leave Western New York a day earlier than scheduled to make it to Chicago ahead of the storm.
During his weekly appearance on the “Extra Point Show”, Bills head coach Sean McDermott made mention there were only a few windows to be able to fly out to Chicago safely.
As for the Bears, while they may be only 3-11 on the 2022 season, the Buffalo defense will have their hands full with second-year quarterback Justin Fields. While the 23-year-old is talented with his arm, he may be more potent on the ground, as he became the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, joining Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick as the others in that exclusive group.
McDermott says he has been impressed with Fields' growth as a leader in his second year in the league.
“He spearheads that leadership position for them. As he goes, they go. He has had a fantastic second season,” said McDermott on Thursday with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase.
As for the injury report, McDermott only ruled out center Mitch Morse with a concussion, and defensive end Boogie Basham with a calf injury.
McDermott also mentioned that safety Jordan Poyer will be practicing after missing the last two days with a knee injury, paired with a veteran rest day.
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With Morse being ruled out for Saturday, the depth of the offensive line will be crucial to be able to win the battles up front at the line of scrimmage. However, the Bears are one of the least potent defensive units in the NFL, lacking an efficient pass rush, a sustainable run defense, and average the third-worst points per-game (25.6) in the league.
Buffalo did get some good news this week on the offensive line, as veteran Ike Boettger was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after suffering a torn Achilles tendon late last season in a win over the New England Patriots.
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McDermott has been very impressed with his work ethic to get him back on the field and working with the rest of his teammates.
“It’s good to have Ike, who has worked his tail off to get back, now given the green light," McDermott said. "We’ll see where it goes this week and the weeks moving ahead.”
Pro Bowl honors also came out this week on Wednesday with four Bills players being selected: Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Poyer, and Morse. In addition, 12 other players were selected as alternates.
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McDermott has looked at it as a team effort being able to get these guys to the honors of being named to the Pro Bowl.
“Happy for those guys," McDermott said. "Whether you’re an alternate or the first team, I think it’s an honor to be mentioned, but also it’s more of a team recognition.”
Hear more of McDermott's appearance during the "Extra Point Show" available in the player below:
