Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - For a fourth-straight season, the Buffalo Bills are AFC East division champions following their win over the Miami Dolphins in the 2023 regular season finale.
Buffalo's offense, once again, faltered at times on Sunday night in South Florida, but came up big at the important moments. Bills quarterback led the way offensively, contributing 426 yards of total offense in the victory and found the end zone twice with his arm.
The defense, on the other hand, looked stellar again, forcing two turnovers and holding the high-powered Dolphins offense to just 47 total yards in the second half.
Even the special teams unit had a big impact on this game, as punt returner Deonte Harty ran back a 96-yard punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was Harty's first return touchdown with the Bills, and the second of his career.
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The win extended Buffalo's winning streak to five games to close out the regular season, helping the Bills finish with an 11-6 record. It also helped the Bills vault up the AFC standings and clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference heading into the playoffs.
With that said, Buffalo earned the right to host, at least, two playoff games, should they advance in the AFC Wild Card Round.
In the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend, the Bills will welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Orchard Park, who finished the 2023 season at 10-7 and in sole possession of the AFC's 7-seed come the end of the year.
While the Steelers used a three-game winning streak to punch their ticket to the postseason to close out the schedule, head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday that star pass rusher T.J. Watt will be out for the game after suffering a knee injury in their Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
In addition, it'll be quarterback Mason Rudolph leading the way under center once more for Pittsburgh, as he took over for former Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky after starter Kenny Pickett went down due to an ankle injury.
With the playoffs primed and ready to go, Howard Simon is still riding the high of Sunday night's AFC East clinching win in Miami.
Starting it all off, Howard picked the Bills to beat the Steelers in the Wild Card Round without a problem. Following that, the rest of the playoff matchups were dictated by Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase.
In the AFC Divisional Round, Howard, once again, picked the Bills to win, defeating a visiting Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park. Then in the AFC Championship Game, Howard had the confidence to pick the Bills to defeat the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
Then in the Big Game, as he has done in years past, Howard picked the Bills to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada, to claim Super Bowl LVIII.
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 and watch the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" available below: