News & notes from Monday's media availability with Buffalo's coaching staff
Injury update heading into Week 17
The Bills had only one injury of concern coming out of their 24-21 win over the Patriots. LB Baylon Spector is week-to-week with a calf injury.
Spector popped up on the injury report Thursday with a calf injury but was active for the game and started against the Patriots. The third-year LB left the game and missed the second half.
CB Rasul Douglas (knee), S Damar Hamlin (ribs), S Taylor Rapp (neck), LB Matt Milano (groin) and WR Curtis Samuel (ribs) all missed Sunday's game.
"A lot of these guys are getting better that were out yesterday," McDermott said. "We'll see how they do throughout the week."
Executing a late-game scenario to seal the win
It may have flown somewhat under the radar, but the Bills were excellent in the way they executed their final offensive drive to close out the win.
Leading 24-21 with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, Buffalo had the ball at the New England 48-yard line after recovering the onside kick. The Patriots still had all three timeouts, so the Bills knew they needed at least one first down to ice the game.
"When we go into a situation like that it's 'Hey, what would the clock read if we run the ball three times, and they use their timeouts?'," McDermott said. "So you're always trying to start there and then kind of work back from there."
RB Ty Johnson got a 12-yard rush on the first play of the series to move the chains and the Patriots called their first timeout with 1:04 to play. The Bills still needed one more first down to ensure the win.
"The first run Ty hit went for a first down, right there. So that then changes the script a little bit, and then we're back into a new script," McDermott said. "So things are moving fast."
Johnson ran the ball three more times and the Patriots exhausted all of their timeouts, leaving Buffalo with a 4th and 1 play from the NE 27 with 10 seconds remaining. Instead of attempting a field goal, the Bills went with their highest percentage success play, a QB sneak from Josh Allen to pick up the first down and run the clock out.
"I was really pleased with how the offense executed that situation," McDermott said.
Cleaning up pre-snap penalties
As the Bills march toward the postseason, one thing McDermott and the rest of the coaching staff is making sure the team cleans up are pre-snap penalties. Buffalo had six penalties before the snap (two defensive, three offensive and one special teams).
"Those are the areas that drive you crazy, quite honestly, when you're beating yourselves pre snap at home, in particular," McDermott said. "So the crowd, the crowd noise is not a factor. Should not be a factor for us at home, and isn't a factor. So to me, it's just sloppy football, and we can't have it."
Offensively, the Bills had a false start on a third down and Allen was intercepted on the following play. Later, an illegal formation penalty wiped away a 10-yard reception by Keon Coleman that would've picked up a first down.
we're going on some drives, and then we have a pre snap penalty and and we get pushed back.
