Josh Allen

Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott provided some unique advice to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen ahead of Saturday night's playoff game against the New England Patriots, which could feature wind-chill temperatures below zero.

"Take some Viagra before the game, baby," Scott said Thursday on ESPN's Get Up (via TMZ Sports). "That'll get that circulation going right."

The 2006 Pro Bowler, who played numerous cold-weather games during an 11-year career with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, insisted it was a genuine statement.

"Viagra was first a heart medicine, right? So, it builds up circulation, which makes sure it gets circulation to the feet," Scott said. "I swear, I'm not trying to be funny."

While players and fans must prepare for downright cold conditions, WGRZ meteorologist Elyse Smith noted neither the severe winds nor snow should factor into the game:

Here you go, #BillsMafia!

Conditions for this game are not just going to be "chilly." This is serious cold for Saturday night with temperatures in the single digits & wind chill values at or below zero.

Tip: overprepare for the cold. #StormTeam2 @WGRZ #nywx @ParkersTailgate pic.twitter.com/YuQM6gpnod

— Elyse Smith (@ElyseSmithWX) January 12, 2022

That's good news for the Bills.

When the AFC East rivals faced off at Buffalo's Highmark Stadium in Week 13, significant wind gusts severely limited the team's typically high-powered offense and allowed the Pats to score a 14-10 win with quarterback Mac Jones throwing just three passes.

Cold temperatures can still be an issue, but they shouldn't eliminate large portions of the playbook like wind or snow could.

Allen said Tuesday he's struggled with circulation issues in his feet, so keeping them warm will be his focus throughout the AFC Wild Card Round matchup.

"My toes get really cold and they go numb a little bit, so keeping those suckers as warm and as dry as possible as well as the hands, obviously, that's a big emphasis for quarterbacks," he told reporters. "You need your hands to throw so keeping those extremities as warm as possible."

It's unclear whether Allen, or any other player in Saturday's game, will take Scott up on his idea to increase blood flow, though.

For the third straight year, and the fourth time in Sean McDermott's five years as head coach, the Buffalo Bills are headed to the playoffs. 

Buffalo clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a 29-15 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. That win coupled with the Baltimore Ravens' 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams secured a spot for the Bills.

The McDermott era has largely coincided with the Josh Allen era at quarterback, and that partnership has been incredibly successful. Allen has had another elite season. Entering Sunday, he had thrown for 4,048 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 65 percent of his passes. 

He's also rushed for 619 yards and four scores, making him one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in football. 

But while Allen, Stefon Diggs and Devin Singletary lead one of the scarier offenses in football, Buffalo's defense was also giving up an NFL best 287.9 yards per game and just 17.6 points per game (third in the league) through Week 16.

While that unit has its weaknesses—a mediocre pass rush, for one, that has managed just 26 sacks—it's been one of the better defenses in football.

It shouldn't be a surprise this Buffalo team is again heading to the playoffs. Last year's group reached the AFC Championship Game, falling to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. While Andy Reid's charges once again look like the class of the AFC, the rest of the conference is wide-open. 

These Bills are a threat, in other words, and one that is coming on strong with three straight wins. Anything less than a title will be deemed a disappointment in Buffalo, even after an up-and-down regular season that saw them lose five of eight games between mid-October and early December.

The Bills are peaking at the right time. Allen and Co. are looking for a chip.

The Buffalo Bills control their own destiny in the AFC East. 

Josh Allen and the Bills picked up an enormous win in Foxborough on Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 33-21 behind three touchdown passes and 64 rushing yards from the star quarterback.

Thread it. 👀

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/849Iya2GNB

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 26, 2021

Allen to Diggs for the 9th time this season! #BillsMafia

📺: #BUFvsNE on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/wHLf6Q3fmd

— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021

JOSH. ALLEN.

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/oPL4Ei417E

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 26, 2021

Flick of the wrist.

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/wxaj9VBAjf

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 26, 2021

That spoiled a three-touchdown performance from Damien Harris, who did everything he could to drag New England's offense to a win.

.@DHx34 delivers the TD.

📺: @NFLonCBS / Patriots app pic.twitter.com/yXDeCGVO8I

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 26, 2021

Damien does it again.

📺: @NFLonCBS / Patriots app pic.twitter.com/dRZuOlxAZU

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 26, 2021

While both teams now sit at 9-6 and split their head-to-head matchups this season, the Bills have a better record in the division (4-1) than the Pats (3-2) with two games remaining. 

So if the Bills win out against the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets, two games in which they'll be the prohibitive favorites, the divisional title will be theirs for the second straight season. 

The Patriots, meanwhile, have now lost two straight games and gone from fighting for the top seed in the AFC to battling with a slew of teams for a wild-card berth. 

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Key Stats

Josh Allen, BUF: 30-of-47 for 314 yards and three touchdowns; 64 rushing yards

Stefon Diggs, BUF: Seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown

Isaiah McKenzie, BUF: 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown

Mac Jones, NE: 14-of-32 for 145 yards, two interceptions and a sack

Damien Harris, NE: 18 carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns

Jakobi Meyers, NE: Six catches for 59 yards

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Isaiah McKenzie, Unexpected Hero

Coming into Sunday, Isaiah McKenzie had rushed six times for 35 yards and caught seven passes for 38 yards this season. He was pretty far down the pecking order when it came to distribution of touches in Buffalo. So you'll be excused if you never saw his massive performance coming. 

Isaiah McKenzie joins Cole Beasley (two times) as the only Bills to surpass 10+ catches in a game this season.

— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) December 26, 2021

McKenzie led the Bills in receptions and receiving yards against the Patriots. He was one of four Bills to find the end zone. With Cole Beasley on the reserve/COVID-19 list and unavailable to play, it was McKenzie who served as Allen's preferred target on underneath routes. 

And boy did he step up.

i’ll tell you what, it’ll be difficult to relegate Isaiah McKenzie back to his old role after this game. Stepping up on his number is called

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) December 26, 2021

Isaiah McKenzie has been more impactful in this game than any #Bills wide receiver this season not named Stefon Diggs #BillsMafia

— Mike Catalana (@MikeCatalana) December 26, 2021

So, Isaiah McKenzie is this team's best slot receiver right?

— Tweets by Sneaky Joe (@SneakyJoeSports) December 26, 2021

McKenzie > Beasley

— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) December 26, 2021

Almost like utilizing Isaiah McKenzie’s speed is a smart move for the #Bills offense.

— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) December 26, 2021

Talk about a crucial moment to have a career game. 

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Mac Jones Had a Performance to Forget

For much of the 2021 season, the Patriots haven't needed Mac Jones to do much more than manage the game, allowing a solid run game and stout defense to lead the way. 

But on Sunday, the Pats needed Jones to come up big. The rookie couldn't deliver. 

Pro Bowl alternate makes the INT.

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/T5n7uqYlu1

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 26, 2021

Mac Jones looks bad today. He's missing guys. Inaccurate. That's not normally what his issue is.

— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) December 26, 2021

This is why you make Mac Jones beat you. He can't.

— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) December 26, 2021

Mac Jones was ragged today, put 🏈 in a lotta bad spots, missed a lot of open guys, too many misses & regrettable decisions. Just wasnt as sharp as we’ve seen, as ya need to be in a game like this. Future for him is bright & he did make some nice plays. Two different things, obvi

— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) December 26, 2021

To Jones' credit, he played better in the second half after a brutal start, guiding the Pats to two touchdown drives in the final 30 minutes. But his rough start left the Pats in a hole, and with the defense struggling to slow down Allen and the dangerous Bills offense, it was a hole that proved insurmountable.

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What's Next?

The Bills host the Falcons on Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. ET on Fox, while the Pats host the Jacksonville Jaguars that same date and time on CBS. 

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is expected to start Sunday against the Carolina Panthers despite nursing a foot injury, according to head coach Sean McDermott.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported later Friday that Allen was not on the Bills' injury report, which means the quarterback would play Sunday. 

The fourth-year signal-caller out of Wyoming has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 28 touchdowns (11 interceptions) and 3,524 passing yards for the 7-6 Bills, who are hanging on to the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC standings. He's added 87 carries for 531 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Allen was considered day-to-day with a foot sprain suffered during the Bills' 33-27 overtime loss to the Buccaneers, as McDermott told reporters Monday.

Allen missed four games during his 2018 rookie season because of a UCL injury in his right elbow. However, he hasn't missed time for anything otherwise during his career.

The No. 7 overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft broke out during his third NFL season, completing 69.2 percent of his passes for 37 touchdowns (10 interceptions) and 4,544 passing yards. He led the Bills to their first AFC East title in 25 years and their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1993.

The 2021 season has not gone as well for Allen and the Bills as they fight to make the playoffs, though the quarterback's dynamic talents have kept them in the mix.

His presence will go a long way for the Bills as they look to beat a struggling 5-8 Panthers team before a matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 16.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen suffered a sprained left foot in Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it sounds like he doesn't plan on missing any time.

Allen gave an update on how his injury is progressing when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

"Feeling good," Allen said. "We’ve got a few more days to rehab and obviously I’d love to play and I guess we’ll have to reevaluate some things in a couple of days, but as of right now it feels pretty good."

Allen's status for Buffalo's Week 15 game against the Carolina Panthers is uncertain. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that the team is taking things one day at a time with Allen and will not rush his recovery.

"He’s working through it; he’s a tough guy," McDermott said of his quarterback. "The soreness is still there. That’s to be expected. I love his attitude, and I think that’s key when you’re trying to come off any injury—the attitude and the mindset."

If Allen is unable to play against the Panthers, Buffalo would turn to backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The five-year veteran spent the first four seasons of his career as the starter for the Chicago Bears before signing with the Bills as a free agent this past offseason.

McDermott said Trubisky's experience makes him a reliable option and the team would feel comfortable if he were called upon to start.

"That’s why we brought Mitch in," McDermott said. "He’s more than capable. We have 100 percent confidence in Mitch to go out and execute at the level that we expect him to execute at for us to play good football and winning football. There’s no hesitation whatsoever there."

The Bills fell to 7-6 after the loss to the Buccaneers. After losing back-to-back games, a matchup against the 5-8 Panthers might be exactly what Buffalo needs to get back on track.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is day-to-day after suffering a foot sprain during Sunday's 33-27 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Sean McDermott said Monday.

Sean McDermott said Josh Allen had “a chance” to play Sunday as he’s dealing with a foot sprain. McDermott said he doesn’t know if Allen will practice Wednesday or not.

— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) December 13, 2021

The 25-year-old was seen wearing a walking boot following Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although he has been durable of late after appearing in all 16 games in each of the previous two seasons.

When healthy, Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

The Wyoming product completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 421 yards and eight scores on the ground in 2020. He has followed with 3,524 passing yards, 531 rushing yards, 32 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2021 as the Bills look to battle for a playoff berth in the AFC.

If Allen winds up being sidelined for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, look for Mitchell Trubisky to fill in under center.

While the 27-year-old is largely known for his inability to live up to expectations as a franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears after they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, he is someone who can hurt opposing defenses with his arm and legs and could keep the Bills afloat in the meantime.