Joe Sargent/Getty Images
Josh Allen gave a game ball to offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The Buffalo Bills gave themselves a narrow path to winning the AFC East with last week’s win over the New England Patriots, but they’re facing a significant setback as they start that journey.
The Bills were staring at elimination from AFC East contention with last week’s game, but instead came back from a 21-0 deficit to earn a chance at their sixth straight division title. The Bills must now win one more game than the Patriots over the final three games of the season, while the Patriots must lose to either the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins for the Bills to win the AFC East.
The Bills face the bottom-dwelling Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but may need to do so without their top offensive lineman.
Dion Dawkins Misses Practice on Thursday
The Bills announced on Thursday that left tackle Dion Dawkins had missed practice due to an undisclosed illness. It’s not clear yet if his status for Sunday’s game could be in jeopardy, but SI.com’s Alex Brasky suggested the Bills could face big trouble without Dawkins.
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett is on pace for a record-smashing season, going into Sunday’s game just 1.5 sacks away from setting the all-time NFL record. Brasky suggested he would be lined up opposite Dawkins for much of Sunday’s game.
“While Garrett has dispatched opposing offensive linemen no matter where he has lined up this season, he has been particularly effective in a specific alignment,” Brasky wrote.
“According to Next Gen Stats, Garrett has aligned on the right edge on 81.5% of his snaps this season, which pits him against opponents’ left tackles far more often than not. While generating a 17.3% quarterback pressure rate from that alignment, he has produced 17.5 of his 21.5 sacks.”
Brasky noted that Dawkins has allowed a 7.7% quarterback pressure rate, his best season since 2020 though still among the bottom for his position.
“Still, that’s 10th-lowest among NFL left tackles,” Brasky wrote. “His presence will be increasingly critical this week as Garrett goes for the single-season sack record, needing just one sack to tie the all-time mark and 1.5 sacks to surpass it.”
Bills Face Critical Game
Though the Bills won’t be able to make up any ground on the Patriots this week, they will likely need to win to keep pace. The Patriots face their division foes in Week 17 and Week 18, when the Bills face the Philadelphia Eagles and close out the season against the New York Jets.
Allen knows that this week will be a difficult task, facing a strong defense in Cleveland even despite their down season. The Bills quarterback has been on a tear recently, scoring 15 touchdowns in his last five games and leading the Bills to fourth-quarter comebacks over the Cincinnati Bengals and Patriots.
The Bills will need another strong offensive performance to win on Sunday, Allen said.
“I think the main part there is us winning. This is a really, really good defense that we’re about to face. And it’s going to be all hands on deck,” Allen said.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
More Heavy on Bills
Loading more stories
