👀1. AFC East crown in sight

Sunday night football just got a little more sweeter.

Fresh off Thanksgiving, the Bills have the opportunity to really add the cherry on top of what has been an eventful season. A victory against the San Francisco 49ers would mean that the Bills would win the AFC East for the fifth season in a row, and become the first team to clinch a division title with five weeks left to play since the 2009 Colts and would be only one of eight teams to ever accomplish this feat.

"It's, a beautiful thing," LT Dion Dawkins said. "We have that in our heads, but we really have it to the side of our heads because we don't want to make it bigger than what it is… It's a beautiful thing to solidify what we put in our goal sheet in camp to check that off. But besides that, we don't want to make it bigger than what it is."

As they have all season, while they understand the magnitude of the situation, the team is not going into the game with any other idea than going 1-0 with the opponent they have ahead of them.

"It feels good," QB Josh Allen said. "But we're sitting here and doing a lot of self-scouting. It feels like we still haven't put enough games of two halves together… Just trying to find ways where we can come out and put four quarters together each and every game. It's an ongoing process. I feel confident in the guys we have in this locker room to get that done."

That mentality starts from the head coach through the roser as McDermott had something similar to say before practice on Wednesday.

"We're mostly focused on our level of play this week against a good football team," McDermott said.

❄️2. Let it 'Shnow'

If you're paying attention to the weather, then you know that it is going to be a cold night in Orchard Park, NY on Sunday. On top of that the nearly two-three feet of snow in the weather forecast and you have a recipe for Buffalo Football.

No one is more excited for the snow, or should I say "shnow", than Dion Dawkins, the Shnowman.

"Football is fun whether, whether it's snowing, whether it's raining, it's cool, and I'm a shnowman," Dawkins said. "So, shnowman, like, shnow."

This is nothing new for the Bills as they have played in the snow plenty of times and have dealt with less than ideal weather conditions.

"We've been through it before, so we have some experience with it," McDermott said. "We can't control the weather… I think it's really just about how we respond to it. Our staff does a phenomenal job, the people that have shown up for the years that I've been here at a minimum and beyond my time here shoveling the stadium out. I think that'll happen again if need be and we'll get ready to play a football game."

Allen mentioned that it would be ideal to not have to play in the snow, but he is comfortable and confident to play in any kind of weather.

"If there's anybody that's done it enough, it's me," Allen said. "I feel like I'm very comfortable with whatever weather elements are thrown our way. And that's just kind of the nature of the beast of playing here in Buffalo, you have to deal with elements like this."

As the temperature drops, Allen also seems to play some of his best football. Since December/January of 2020, Allen leads all quarterbacks with 56 total touchdowns. The next closest are Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson, who are tied with 42.

📈3. Hot streak for the offense

The Bills offense has been humming ever since they got back in the win column with a week six victory over the New York Jets. Since that point where they scored 23 points as an offense, they have scored 30 or more points in five straight weeks in five straight victories.

"I feel like I'm seeing it well, understanding what Joe's calling and just understanding where outlets are," Allen said. "I think we're doing a good job of running the ball, especially in situational spots. Guys are just finding ways to get open, catch the ball, make plays for us. And when you throw that on with the defense, that's scored at a time or two, and playing smart football and taking care of the football. Those are typically the results you're going to get."

Allen may not have the gaudy numbers that fans have become used to, but the offense is finding ways to score the ball and be as efficient and effective as ever.

"It's very meaningful," Allen said. "It means we're doing it a lot of different ways."

Part of their success has come in the low red zone where they have made a living. Of RB James Cooks' 10 rushing touchdowns, all but one of them have come within the red zone.

"I feel like we communicate very well when you get in the red zone," RG O'Cyrus Torrence said on One Bills Live. "All our mindset's the same, once we close the 50-yard line, we're just thinking, 'score points.' And as we get closer, we just keep telling ourselves, we're not gonna beat ourselves. We're not gonna get negative plays."

In addition to their effectiveness in the red zone, the Bills have also been effective on fourth down conversions, as they are the best in the NFL with an 85.71% conversion rate.

McDermott said that 90% of the time, they already know if they will be going for it on fourth down and that their communication between coaches is what helps them decide on the best situation to go for it.

It also helps to have Josh Allen when you're going for it.

"I think every coach in the NFL would love to have Josh Allen on fourth and short," McDermott said with a smile to reporters.

💤4. Post-Bye Week Success

Sean McDermott has seen many successes as a head coach and his record after a bye week is no different. Since taking over as head coach, McDermott is 7-0 in games following the bye week.

Players and coaches used the bye week to get away from football momentarily as they get ready for the home stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.

In McDermott's words, they don't necessarily have a formula when it comes to the week after a bye, it's much more of "getting back to the basics."

"Today we're going to practice and have a normal practice in pads and working on the fundamentals that we need to have for a good football team in San Francisco coming here," he said before Wednesday's practice.

When asked why this team has been successful after the bye, Allen credited McDermott and the rest of the coaching staff for their leadership in making sure they get back to the basics.

"Coach McDermott does a great job of making sure that when we get back, we're not necessarily picking up where we left off, It's more about like, let's get back to what we did preseason, what we did in training camp, get back to the basics, focus on fundamentals," Allen said. "The guys in this locker room have taken that in stride over the last, seven or eight years… And, it comes down to the guys on the field playing, but good leadership will do that."

👏5. Welcome back 'Lano

It's the moment that Bills fans have been waiting for. On Saturday, the Bills activated All-Pro LB Matt Milano off IR and he is expected to play his first home game at Highmark Stadium in 428 days.

Milano has been practicing since his IR practice window began and was seen without a red practice jersey at practice for the first time since the regular season started.

"He looks good out there again," QB Josh Allen said.

While there was some uncertainty as to whether he would play or not this week, all signs point to Milano seeing his first action of the 2024 campaign on Sunday night.

"It feels good just to be out there with the guys," Milano said. "Be competing again and playing ball."

Milano's teammates have expressed their excitement all week about seeing him on the field and their excitement about watching him go out on the field in the game.

"Anytime that we can get one of our juggernauts back with his juggernaut uniform on, it's a good deal," Dawkins said. "I'm glad that he's healthy. I'm glad that he's in his Lano swag bucket. But it's a cool deal that Lano is back where he should be, and that's on the field with us. And it obviously brings a lot of excitement, brings a lot of joy, and as a leader and a playmaker like that you know it gets everybody in there in their uppity spirits because when Lano is on the football field you can feel his presence so it's a presence that we feed off of."

With all of the excitement about Milano, it is also worth noting that heading into the game WR Keon Coleman is also listed as questionable to come back after missing several games with a wrist injury.

"Better each day," Coleman said. "Pretty much gonna see how it's feeling on Sunday, try to give everything a go."

It is worth noting that on Wednesday, head coach Sean McDermott did say that he would expect a pitch count for players that have missed significant time, but playing on Sunday night will be a great first step for both Milano and Coleman coming back from injury.

⚕️6. 49ers game status updates

The Bills have dealt with their fair share of injuries and the same can be said about the 49ers.

The 49ers will be without some key pieces including OL Aaron Banks, DL Nick Bosa, DL Jordan Elliott, DB Deommodore Lenoir, T Trent Williams and LB Dre Greenlaw and QB Brock Purdy is questionable.

Even earlier in the week, LB Fred Warner told reporters that he has been playing with a fractured ankle since week 4 and that he gets a pain-killing injection before games.

"It was a fracture when I 'sprained' it," Warner said. "Anytime you fracture a bone, if you continue to play on it, the bone's not going to be able to heal itself. So you've just got to be able to fight through."

Even with the litany of injuries across their team, the Bills are preparing for this 49ers team as if it were fully healthy.

"We have to prepare for them to be as healthy as they've ever been, really, just because we don't know," McDermott said.

Expect the 49ers to give it their all, despite their injuries because their playoff race in the NFC West is still open. Even though they have a 5-6 record, the Seahawks are currently in first place with a 6-5 record and the 49ers see an opportunity to capitalize.

"You're catching them at a unique time," Dan Orlovsky said on One Bills Live. "There's a desperation element to how they're going to play."

"It's something about somebody who's desperate and they are willing to do anything, and the 49ers, they are desperate," Cam Newton said on ESPN's First Take. "This is 'we need this game for so many different things.'"