1. Bills fans prove they are playoff caliber as well
Tons of Bills fans gathered at Buffalo Niagara airport to greet the team after clinching a playoff berth. Monday, Sean McDermott, Brian Daboll, and Leslie Frazier commented on what makes this fan base so special.
"Where else does that happen at 2 am?" McDermott asked. "Basically, on the heels of a work day and I could understand a little bit New Year's Eve when it was a couple years ago, people being out there. But last night there's some little guys and gals out there too with their moms and dads, just awesome. Again, I think it's unique to the Buffalo area and our fan base which is very much appreciated."
"Great atmosphere last night, competitive game against a really good football team, really good defense, we knew there would be," said Daboll. "Credit the players. They did a good job of playing for 60 minutes, which we knew it would be. Good plane ride home, and then you get off the plane, and to no surprise to me, coming up from here, you expect that from this place."
"I was on teams that go 12-0, 13-0, 15-1. But I haven't been a part of any teams in the regular season that have received the amount of adoration that we get from our fans," Frazier said.
The Bills defeated the Steelers 17-10 in a primetime matchup on Sunday Night Football, earning a playoff berth in the process. Scroll through to see the top photos of the team celebrating after the Week 15 win!
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson (90) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
The Edmunds brothers Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown (15) and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Johnny Holton (80) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson (69) and Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Kameron Canaday (57) Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 15, 2019. Photo by Craig Melvin
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Terry Pegula Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Terry Pegula Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills linebacker Julian Stanford (51)and outside linebacker Matt Milano (58) Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) and head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 15, 2019 at Heinz Field. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
Fans greet the Buffalo Bills at the airport following their victory in Pittsburgh. December 16, 2019. Photo by Bill Wippert
2. Bills are preparing for the quick turnaround during Patriots-week
Buffalo can't celebrate clinching a playoff berth for too long, there is still a division title to win.
With wins the final two weeks, Buffalo can win the AFC East if New England loses both games of its games. Not to mention, the teams are on a short week with kickoff scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 pm.
"What's most important is that we play hard, play smart play fast every single Sunday," Leslie Frazier said. "Do the things that are necessary to help our team to win, and I think our guys take a lot of pride in their work and what they're trying to get accomplished and recognition will come as we continue to work as hard as we can to do things the right way."
Defensively the Bills are number two in points allowed and number three in yards allowed but New England is no easy test this weekend. Sean McDermott has pointed out that he has yet to beat them in his tenure as head coach.
"There is something on the line," McDermott said. "It's an opportunity to compete, number one, and that's what competitors do regardless of what's at stake. We've got a group of guys that love to compete and it's another chance for us to grow as a football team against a team that has been at a level that we would love to be at for years."
3. How Sean McDermott has established new expectations in Buffalo
Playoffs for the second time in three years. For Sean McDermott and his crew it's all about setting a new expectation for the franchise.
"Yeah, I think that's part of changing the mindset as we continue to establish a culture here in Buffalo," McDermott said. "Think that more of the norm is expecting for you to have success. If we do things right here in the week and respect the process leading up to the game that instead of hoping and wishing to win. We really respect them, and we certainly respect every opponent going into the game and our players give them a lot of credit."
McDermott hopes that a continued stream of success is what is coming for Buffalo.
"Well, I would hope it will come at some point, you know it's a true team effort," McDermott said. "Everyone in the building has their hand on this and in this. You know our fans have their hands in it and on this football team not one of us can survive without the other. So, it just takes a takes a village, as they say, and I think the players have done tremendous job of really embracing that and earning every inch."
