Bills 31, Steelers 17

Had I managed to email her directly – not her publicist, her manager or a web form on her site – but directly to her, I would have invited Taylor Swift to join me on Sunday night in section 111 with our group of long-tenured and civilized season ticket holders. Why does she always have to sit high above the field in a private box with Travis Kelce’s mother and Patrick Mahomes’ wife Brittany? Why not sit 23 rows above the Chiefs bench where she would be a short walk down to field level to hold hands with Kelce between quarters or during TV timeouts? Well, I think the reason may be tied to the inaccessibility of her personal email address. I was trying to imagine the security requirements for a celebrity of her level and I suppose that openly sitting in the crowd simply would not be feasible for her. I know it, you know it and the American people certainly know it. However, I also know that the MAGA crowd most definitely does not like Taylor Swift but it does seem like her arrival on the NFL scene this season has been yet another net benefit for the league. Her attendance at the game in Orchard Park on Sunday will be as much of a story in some circles as the Bills extensive injury report will be.

Crews consisting of heavy snow removal equipment in and around the stadium and legions of volunteers (who were paid $20 per hour) who partially shoveled the seating areas did as good a job as they could have given the limited time between the three-foot snowfall which carried on until Sunday morning and the 4.30pm kick-off. Plenty of snow remained in the seating areas and there was mention on the pre-game radio broadcast about the potential for one or more 15 yard penalties to be assessed to the Bills (as per league rules) for the throwing of snowballs by fans. Bills fans are notorious for throwing snowballs at the visitor bench and players on the field if given the opportunity. We have certainly seen it before but last night, it was considerably more muted than I had expected given the amount of ammunition available. Then I realized why. It was too cold to make snowballs unless you were able to moisten the snow or somehow warm it up. It would have taken some effort to make snowballs and there were a few but what we mostly saw in the stands was snow flung in the air which created snow showers and nothing more. Had the temperature been much closer to the freezing point and had the Bills been losing the game in the second half, I’d say that there was a solid chance that the game could have been forfeited (again, as per league rules) on account of fans continuing to throw snowballs after being ordered to stop. For a few reasons, I hope that all the snow will have been removed from the stadium by Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs come to Buffalo – finally – for a much-anticipated Divisional playoff game. This game will generate huge ratings for CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo (who were hotel room bound in Buffalo during the storm) return to Orchard Park for a second straight week. The NFL loves match-ups between marquis quarterbacks and this one will not disappoint in terms of hype as the week goes on. Add Taylor Swift to the mix and Roger Goodell (who attended yesterday’s game) just might ask for another raise. 

There must be a point at which the Bills defence can not withstand any more injuries. No less than four more were added to the list last night: cornerbacks Christian Benford and Taron Johnson as well as linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon (Arlon) Spector all left the game with injuries. Offensive lineman Connor (George) McGovern was also injured but only missed a snap or two which should keep the Bills season-long streak of starting the same five offensive linemen going into week 20. And punter (and place-kick holder) Sam Martin, who has been outstanding all season, pulled his hamstring running full-out in pursuit of the returner of a blocked kick. He returned to punt once more time and got it off admirably but his status is also uncertain this morning. But the defence is the main injury story. While the back-ups have played well beyond reasonable expectations, how many more competent players are there on the roster? As the short week goes on, the status of injured Bills defenders will be a major area of inquiry – maybe the most important questions there are. The Chiefs – whose offence looked pretty good against Miami – are looming on the short horizon and obviously present a bigger challenge than the Steelers did yesterday.  The Bills training and physiotherapy staff have a big week ahead of them.