1. Bills break into top 10 in seven NFL power rankings lists
Ahead of Week 13's Thanksgiving game against Dallas, the Bills moved up in several power rankings lists. Buffalo cracked the top 10 in seven lists. NFL.com moved the Bills up four spots to No. 10.
"Eight and three? That feels good to me. I ain't never been 8-3 in the NFL." That was Shaq Lawson, after the defensive end finished with two sacks and three pressures in the Bills' 20-3 over the Broncos. Lawson is in his fourth season, but he could be wrapping up his 20th year in Buffalo and still be tasting 8-3 for the first time. (The 1996 Bills were the last team to start 8-3). Yes, these are optimistic days in Western New York, where the local team is in prime position for a second trip to the playoffs in three years. The D was dominant on Sunday, holding Denver to a piddly 134 yards. Brandon Allen did not lead the Broncos on a drive of more than 48 yards in a contest that never felt in doubt for the home team, even when it was 6-0 at the half. The Bills are good.
Here's how the Bills shakeout on other power rankings lists:
ESPN: 12 to 10
Bleacher Report: 14 to 11
SI.com: 12 to 9
Yahoo: 10 to 9
USA Today: 15 to 12
Washington Post: 11 to 9
The Big Lead: 10 to 8
CBS Sports: 8 to 8
2. John Brown: We just stay together
John Brown joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football to discuss his season as the Bills leading receiver. Brown says the team's chemistry is one reason why they have eight wins.
"The thing that's clicking with the team is we just stay together," Brown told Good Morning Football. "We just focus on us. We control what we can control. As far as me, I'm just coming in every day willing to get better. I took so much advice from Larry Fitzgerald when I left [Arizona Cardinals], I just keep that in mind."
With the opportunity to play on a national stage on Thursday, Brown wants the world to see the effort Buffalo has been playing with this season.
"Just see us play as a team, everybody coming together," Brown said. "Do what we've been doing, we're not going to make it seem that much bigger just because all eyes are on us. We just have to focus on us. When you try to do too much, that's when things fall apart. We are just going to keep playing our game."
Before Brown got to Buffalo many knew him as just a deep ball threat, but since being a Bill, he has grown into a versatile receiver.
"This season also taught me that I can run the whole route tree," Brown explained. "I've always been able to run the route tree but coaches love me for going for the deep ball all the time. But being here, they move me in different spots and they let me run every route and they let me do everything that I'm comfortable with. Me just running the whole route tree is what I love to do."
3. This former Bill is a Class of 2020 semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 25 semifinalists of modern-era players for their Class of 2020. Former Bills player Steve Tasker made the list. Tasker played for the Bills from 1986 to 1997. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and has been a semi-finalist for the award seven times. The list of 25 will be cut down to 15 in January.
The Modern-Era players list will be reduced to 15 Finalists that will be announced on Jan. 2, 2020. The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on "Selection Saturday," on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV. The Selection Committee will elect five Modern-Era players for the Class of 2020.
The Class of 2020 will be revealed on the eve of the Super Bowl.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will be introduced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on the eve of Super Bowl LIV at 9 p.m. (ET and PT) on FOX. NFL Honors will be taped earlier that evening at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami when the Hall of Fame's Centennial Class of 2020 will be brought together for the first time. In addition, the NFL and The Associated Press will announce their annual accolades in this awards show with the winners on hand to accept their awards.
