Following their week 16 victory over the New England Patriots and Christmas, the Buffalo Bills returned to practice ahead of their week 17 matchup against the New York Jets.
Sunday's divisional game will prove to be a big one for the Bills, as not only will it be their last home game of the regular season, it will also be CB Taron Johnson's 100th regular season game of his career.
"It's kind of gone fast. It's special, and I'm so thankful to be with an organization for this long," Johnson said.
Johnson was drafted with the 121st pick in the fourth round of the 2018 draft and since then has become a staple of the Buffalo Bills defense.
"He's been awesome," QB Josh Allen said. "What he's done for this football team, and the rock that he is. I wouldn't say he's the most vocal guy, but he is a leader on this team. And guys look up to him, the way that he works, the way that he carries himself each and every day in this building, it's infectious. He's a great teammate, a great friend… He's definitely one that helps set the tone when people get here of how to be a Buffalo Bill and got a lot of love and respect for Taron."
Head coach Sean McDermott shared that he remembered his time around Johnson while at the Senior Bowl and how he got a feel for his tenacity and toughness.
"Time certainly does fly, right? I still remember Taron at the Senior Bowl when I went to watch him," McDermott said. "He came over to the sideline, lined up close to where I was standing on the sideline… really watching him and get a feel for his tenacity. He's not the biggest, but he certainly plays bigger than he is… I think he really gives our defense an identity. It's just been a joy to watch him grow on the field, off the field. Super happy for him and his career to this point."
Johnson's 100th game will be against the Jets. The last time Buffalo faced New York, Johnson ended the game by catching an interception thrown by QB Aaron Rodgers with just under two-minutes remaining.
Even though the Jets are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and the Bills have an opportunity to lock up the No. 2 spot in the playoffs, the team is still approaching this game with the same intensity that they would any game.
"It's an in-conference game and like I mentioned before, in-conference games are the hardest, I don't care what the records are," LT Dion Dawkins said. "I don't care if not none of us have a win. These are some of the hardest games of the season, the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, no matter when it is, no matter what order it is… It's always great in competition, the rivalry is great. The intensity is up."
"I look at every game the same," Johnson said. "I'm not saying it's really motivation, but if we lock up the two seed, I feel like that's huge. And just making sure that we come out and play hard and I treat this game like every other week."
AFC East games for the Bills have been tough, as three of their four division wins already played have all come within three points, including the Patriots in Week 16.
"These division games, they're always going to add a little bit more flair to it," Allen said. "They're a physical team. They got a really good defense… Just making sure I'm being smart with the football and being decisive with my decisions and where it's going, and just allowing our guys to make plays."
Adding to the difficulty of facing Rodgers, last time they played WR Davante Adams was still in a Las Vegas Raiders uniform. This time he will be lined up for the Jets.
"They gave it to both Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams and just making sure they get those guys the ball," Johnson said.
McDermott emphasized setting short term goals as the regular season comes to a close and the playoffs approach in a few short weeks.
"We have things that we want to continue to work on and improve on and that work is put in between now and the time we really get going here in the playoffs," McDermott said. "You've got to be at your best come from that first week in the playoffs for sure. So there's no mulligans in the playoffs, some of these areas that we're trying to get better at, we've got to be intentional about week to week here."
