1. Josh Allen: We get paid to play this game
Sean McDermott announced that the Bills starters will play a certain amount of snaps in Week 17 despite Buffalo's fate already set as the No. 5 seed in the AFC East playoffs. Buffalo wishes they didn't have to play any of them but as McDermott put "we don't have the numbers for that."
Josh Allen isn't as concerned with the injury risk in Week 17. The Bills have been the healthiest team in the NFL this season.
"There's risk in practice, there's risk in driving around especially up here in the snow, there's risk all over the place and we get paid to play this game. It's our job to go out there and play it so we aren't thinking of injuries or anything like that," Allen said. "We are just trying to get another win. We have a good opponent coming up and I'm sure they want to come in here and end their season on a good note too. We are preparing really hard. Our coaches have a good game plan in and it's one that we want for sure."
As for the Bills opponent, the Jets, they are looking for revenge from Week 1 when they blew a 16-point lead in the second half.
"Yeah, we coming after them. We hunting, man," Jets safety Jamal Adams said. "It's a playoff game for us. We hear they're going to start their starters. That's good. We're looking forward to the matchup, I can tell you that."
No matter the final score, the standings will remain the same. Buffalo will play at least one more game while the Jets will clean out their lockers on Monday.
2. Bills remain at No. 9 in ESPN's power rankings
For the second straight week the Bills remain at No. 9 in ESPN’s power rankings. The Bills are the fourth team in the AFC listed with Baltimore (1), Kansas City (4), New England (5) ahead of them.
ESPN also named Tre'Davious White as its choice for the team MVP.
On a Bills team that seems greater than the sum of its parts, White stands out as its clear-cut best player. Buffalo's lone Pro Bowler has established himself as a top-three cornerback in the league with a strong case for being the best player at the position. His six interceptions are tied for the league lead and he has yet to give up a touchdown despite lining up against the opposition's best receiver. White will likely reset the market when he signs his next contract, although he is eligible for a fifth-year option this offseason. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
The Bills had one of the largest climbs in power rankings this season compared to when they debuted at No. 25 in ESPN's preseason rankings.
3. Who is the X-factor for the Bills in the playoffs?
Things change when the playoffs begin as every mistake gets more pronounced. For Buffalo to have success this postseason it'll need this X-factor to come into play says Bleacher Report.
Maybe Josh Allen should normally slot in here, but he just took on the elite New England Patriots defense and emerged looking good, rushing for 40-plus yards and throwing for 208 yards and two scores with no picks.
At best, Allen can negotiate a meet with Bill Belichick and come out looking good, even if it didn't lead to a win._
In an AFC littered with eye-popping firepower, even Buffalo's defense permitting just 16.4 points per game on average could end up having problems.
This isn't the regular season where matchups with both teams from New York, Washington and Denver, to name a few, inflate the numbers. The defense, despite its 42 sacks and 13 interceptions, has played a role in coming up short against New England twice, as well as Baltimore, not to mention the odd loss to Cleveland.
For Buffalo, the defense has to make it happen.
