ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen got his much-needed rest while still extending his starting streak to 135 consecutive games with an opening-play handoff. James Cook got his NFL rushing title, becoming Buffalo\u2019s first player to do so since O.J. Simpson in 1976.<\/p>\n
And the Bills produced a fitting send-off, playing what\u2019s likely their final game at the 53-year-old Highmark Stadium<\/a> on Sunday before moving into their new digs across the street next season.<\/p>\n Now comes the hard part: the playoffs.<\/p>\n Whatever warm feelings the Bills got by having fans serenade them off the field following a 35-8 thumping of the Jets<\/a> must be put aside with sixth-seeded Buffalo (12-5) traveling to play AFC South champion Jacksonville (13-4) in the wild-card round on Sunday.<\/p>\n The outing presents a new challenge for Allen and the Bills in opening the playoffs on the road for the first time since 2019. That\u2019s when Allen, in his second NFL season, made his playoff debut in a 22-19 overtime loss at Houston.<\/p>\n Though much has changed since for a player and team that would go on to win five straight AFC East titles, several familiar questions remain.<\/p>\n For all of Allen\u2019s remarkable exploits, the NFL’s reigning MVP is still missing one major career checkmark \u2014 a Super Bowl appearance.<\/p>\n The same goes for coach Sean McDermott.<\/p>\n In his ninth season at the helm, McDermott deserves plenty of credit for transforming the franchise into a perennial contender. After going 17 seasons without a playoff berth, Buffalo finally broke through in McDermott\u2019s first year, ending with a 10-3 loss in the 2017 wild-card round at Jacksonville.<\/p>\n And yet McDermott carries the stigma of a coach who can lead his team only so far \u2014 a criticism mentor Andy Reid faced in Philadelphia before finally winning three times in Kansas City.<\/p>\n In the Bills\u2019 favor is an AFC field that doesn\u2019t include familiar nemesis Kansas City, which has eliminated Buffalo in four of the previous five playoffs<\/a>. Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who eliminated the Bills three years ago, are out, too.<\/p>\n Buffalo has held its own in going 3-3 against this year\u2019s playoff teams, with the three losses decided by a combined eight points, including a 23-19 loss at Houston<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n At issue is having to hit the road, where the Bills are 0-4 in the postseason under McDermott. Including two Super Bowl appearances, Buffalo has lost its last nine playoff outings outside of Orchard Park, New York, since a 29-10 win at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game.<\/p>\n More daunting is the prospect of having to win three straight road playoff games to reach the Super Bowl. Only five teams have done so, beginning with New England in 1985 and ending with Tampa Bay in 2020.<\/p>\n Buffalo\u2019s only hope at playing one more home game features the long-shot scenario of the Bills hosting the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC championship game.<\/p>\n