Bills thank 'special' Buffalo community after win

DETROIT -- A small implicit 48 hours earlier the Buffalo Bills were expected to beryllium kicking disconnected a shot crippled successful Detroit, manager Sean McDermott talked to the media from his location with feet of snowfall piling up outside.

With signifier canceled for that day, McDermott spoke astir the uncertainties successful the Bills' question docket and the chartless conditions players, coaches and unit were facing owed to the snowfall tempest that went done Western New York.

Just aft that quality conference, McDermott and his wife, Jamie, received messages from neighbors and friends offering to assistance successful immoderate mode they could.

"Our plow feline couldn't marque it, truthful our neighbour called successful a beforehand loader successful bid to instrumentality the snowfall retired and past our mean plow feline did travel once," McDermott said. "It was beauteous chill conscionable talking about, not definite what's going to happen, not definite if we're gonna beryllium capable to get out, and get five, six substance messages to my woman and myself of neighbors and friends saying, 'Hey, immoderate you need, we'll beryllium determination to assistance you.' That's beauteous special."

Despite implicit 77 inches of snowfall falling successful Orchard Park, New York, the Bills made it to Detroit and came distant with a 31-23 win implicit the Cleveland Browns. But it took a monumental effort from the Bills unit and the greater Buffalo assemblage to marque it happen.

The crippled was moved to Detroit connected Thursday evening truthful that resources successful the country could beryllium prioritized for different purposes, but for the squad to get to the game, everyone had to marque their mode to the installation and past onto squad buses to the airport. Much of the enactment came from the Bills staff. But McDermott wasn't unsocial successful receiving a manus from the community.

"Everyone backmost successful Buffalo who helped america get here, however overmuch we admit them and [are] thankful for them," McDermott said. "And everyone backmost successful Buffalo who's presently digging retired again, we're reasoning of you guys and that was for you."

Players passim the locker country postgame shared stories of however neighbors and fans came to shovel retired driveways oregon shared their snowblowers, including backmost Josh Allen, who had radical with a large tractor travel to excavation him out. Tight extremity Dawson Knox said helium looked retired his model Saturday and astir 10 neighbors were shoveling his agelong driveway. Wide receiver Gabe Davis past arrived to prime up him and choky extremity Tommy Sweeney.

"They conscionable showed up without maine asking oregon saying anything," Knox said of his neighbors. "And I got a agelong driveway, too, truthful they were moving hard."

McDermott picked up linebacker Von Miller and punter Sam Martin connected his mode to the facility.

"I went retired of my location to spell to the installation and picked up Von and Sam, and down the roadworthy came the large plow," McDermott said. "And I deliberation helium stopped, and we got out, we took a speedy picture, and helium did a large occupation clearing the roadworthy truthful we could get retired of the improvement there."

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was inactive for the crippled due to the fact that of groin and bottommost injuries, got retired of his location via tractor, per antiaircraft tackle Jordan Phillips. Safety Jordan Poyer said helium was retired shoveling for astir 2 hours with the full vicinity coming retired to help. Teammates spoke astir videos of linebacker Tyrel Dodson, with his container implicit his head, and moving backmost Devin Singletary making their mode down snow-covered streets due to the fact that their homes were not reachable by vehicle.

A assortment of squad unit members organized efforts and came to assistance players retired of their homes. Ron Raccuia, the Bills' enforcement vice president/chief operating officer, walked to near tackle Dion Dawkins' location to marque definite helium got retired OK, with Raccuia and VP of communications Derek Boyko incapable to get their car adjacent capable to his home.

"I was acrophobic until that past infinitesimal until I [saw] Ron and the guys' faces astatine the street," Dawkins said. "I said, 'Well, there's my ride. I'm connected the way.'"

On apical of the logistics of getting to the game, the squad held lone 1 mean time of signifier due to the fact that of the upwind and a assortment of illnesses passim the week. Phillips inactive had the flu but played 27 antiaircraft snaps. Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was retired of signifier connected Thursday with a "real bad" tummy virus.

But each the efforts paid off. Despite a dilatory start, particularly from the discourtesy and Allen, the Bills broke distant successful the 2nd fractional and constricted Browns moving backmost Nick Chubb to 19 rushing yards connected 14 attempts, the fewest rushing yards helium has had successful his vocation with astatine slightest 10 rushing attempts.

The Bills' moving crippled besides got going with moving backs Singletary and James Cook each finishing with 86 rushing yards. Outside of the kneel that ended the game, the discourtesy scored connected 7 consecutive possessions to adjacent things out, with kicker Tyler Bass making each six of his tract extremity attempts. It was Bass' 2nd vocation crippled with six tract goals made, tying 4 others for the astir specified games successful NFL history.

The triumph snapped a two-game losing skid, but present a precise abbreviated week begins, with galore players unsure of what their paths location would look similar upon their accomplishment backmost astatine the facility. Phillips said, "I person nary idea," erstwhile asked what helium expects things to look similar erstwhile they return.

"I mean, virtually it'll beryllium the nonstop aforesaid happening [from erstwhile the squad left]," Dawkins said. "[Fans mightiness assistance retired again but] if they didn't, we're gonna beryllium location shoveling and getting that 'Shnow' to our near and to our right."

The Bills volition past caput backmost to Detroit connected Wednesday to play the Lions connected Thanksgiving. In mentation for the speedy turnaround, portion the graphics and songs remained the aforesaid arsenic they would person been astatine Highmark Stadium successful Orchard Park, the squad utilized the visitors broadside of everything astatine Ford Field.

"I deliberation what coaches and [general manager Brandon] Beane and the enactment did arsenic acold arsenic getting america here, getting america successful the locker country that we're gonna beryllium successful connected Thursday, I think, connected the aforesaid sideline, truthful we're capable to visualize and benignant of spot arsenic we permission retired present what it's going to beryllium similar erstwhile we travel backmost successful a mates of days," Poyer said. "So, similar I said, we'll larn from this, from this victory, and determination connected and travel backmost acceptable to play connected Thursday."