The Buffalo Bills clinched a playoff berth last week and can wrap up the AFC East title if they win or tie during Saturday’s visit to the Chicago Bears.
A Miami loss or tie also would make the Bills (11-3) division champs.
At any rate, the Bills know they can worry merely about what they can control, and in Week 16, the top defensive objective is a doozy: contain Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
While Chicago (3-11) has lost seven in a row, the skid has seen Fields lead the team in rushing five times, helping the Bears stay close. Five losses during the stretch have come by nine points or fewer.
Fields rushed for 95 yards in Sunday’s 25-20 home loss to the NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles to reach 1,000 yards on the ground this season, becoming just the third quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
“He’s extremely dangerous,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said, “And he’s got a good arm as well. … He’s not just a one-dimensional quarterback.”
Since returning to the lineup after missing a game with a separated non-throwing shoulder, Fields has passed for 406 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the past two games.
“It’s kind of just like a feel to where you are just sitting back there and you are just comfortable with the game and with the offense and how the game is going,” Fields said.
Keeping Fields honest will be a top concern of the Bills’ defense, but stopping the running game in general looms large. The Bears, who could welcome Khalil Herbert back to the lineup as he returns from injured reserve, lead the NFL in rushing yards (2,616) and yards per carry (5.4) and are tied for fifth with 17 rushing touchdowns.
Buffalo edged visiting Miami 32-29 last week to stretch its winning streak to five despite allowing 188 yards on the ground.
Snow began falling at the start of the fourth quarter, and early forecasts indicate snow could play a factor at Soldier Field.
To Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the elements hardly are a concern for quarterback Josh Allen, nor will they dictate the versatility of the Buffalo attack.
“Whether it’s windy, rainy, snow — whatever it might be — I think that’s a big advantage for us to be able to do those different things that keep us balanced instead of forcing us into a one-dimensional game,” Dorsey said.
Allen passed for four touchdowns against Miami to vault into a tie with former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino for the most TDs in the first five seasons of a career with 171.
Bills center Mitch Morse, who sustained a head injury in the second half and did not return, didn’t practice for the Bills on Tuesday.
Chicago placed linebacker Jack Sanborn on injured reserve, the latest in a string of injuries for the defense. Bears coach Matt Eberflus has praised the unit’s resilience despite the hardships.
“I know we’re down some guys by injury and all those things, but I think the guys are playing together,” Eberflus said. “They’re playing together, they’re playing the right way. They’re hustling. The intensity is there.”
–Field Level Media
