When we learned moments before kick-off yesterday that the Carolina Panthers placekicker Zane Gonzales was injured in the warm-up and would not play, The FOX broadcast showed punter Lachlan Edwards nervously playing catch on the sidelines. He was probably the best of a few bad options as the Panthers held an emergency placekicking job fair minutes before kick-off with no one showing any game-worthy ability. To the great relief of Edwards, an Australian, the Panthers chose not to try a kick at all, going for a two-point convert on each of their two touchdowns and never lining up for a field goal even when well within in easy range. How much of a factor this was in the end? I'll say not as much as the FOX crew of Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma thought it was anyway. A healthy and competent kicker would have kept the Panthers a bit closer but the Bills were going to win this game one way or another.
On the FOX halftime show, Jimmy Johnson commented that the Buffalo Bills, a consensus Superbowl contender early in the season, are inconsistent in all three phases of the game and can not be trusted. I know what he means. I really was hoping for a more emphatic and dominant performance yesterday in Orchard Park, especially early in the game, but as Dick Jauron used to like to say, "It's hard to win in the NFL" and any win, any way is all you can hope for each week I guess. This season has felt like we are on a perpetual search for evidence to justify the lofty pre-season expectations and, as Jimmy Johnson said, sometimes we see glimpses of it but not often enough and not consistently.
Late in the season as we now are, big games usually lead to even bigger games. Sunday's week 16 game in Foxborough, MA is very big for both the Patriots and the Bills. A New England win would virtually guarantee them the division title and a Bills win would move them into the driver's seat, holding the tie-breaker with the Patriots. The tie-breaker for a division title between two division teams is: first, head-to-head games (where they would be tied at a game each if the Bills win on Sunday) then each team's record in games played within the division. If the Bills win Sunday then if both teams win their remaining two games, the Bills win the tie-breaker on this basis. This seems a likely scenario as the Patriots week 17 and week 18 games are against the Jaguars and at Miami while the Bills play at home against the Falcons and Jets. It all rests on next week's game. Yes, Boxing Day 2021 will probably decide who wins the AFC East and offer the Bills another perfect opportunity to re-establish themselves as a contender in the AFC. If the COVID Omicron variant doesn't derail them or derail the remainder of the NFL season.
With well over 100 players testing positive last week, the NFL found a way to re-schedule games to complete the week's schedule with two games tonight (Monday) and another two tomorrow. Thanks to COVID, Tuesday Night Football returns in 2021 with two games, both on FOX at 7pm Eastern. I can't help thinking that these won't be the last changes to the schedule over the next few weeks. The NBA and the NHL have similar problems with postponed games and some teams shut down for 10 or more days.
I was lucky to have procured my third vaccine dose last week and I have ditched my Bills-branded cloth mask and switched to wearing a KN95 mask at all times when I'm not home. With my third shot five days ago, a good well-fitting mask and a cottage to retreat to, I am cautiously optimistic about my own ability to avoid the virus but I fear that, with COVID weariness turning to COVID exhaustion - particularly in the US - this might get away from us in a hurry. Maybe I'm just feeling the effects of not eating for the last 36 hours as I have a colonoscopy set for noon today.
For those who want to have one, I'll wish them a Merry Christmas. And for Boxing Day, more than ever, I will say Go Bills!
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