ORCHARD PARK, New York | The mood in the Bills’ locker room was more relieved than elated after the win over the Dolphins.
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The Bills are on a mission to win the first Super Bowl in their history, and no one hid after the game.
All three turnovers could have been fatal and several other mistakes made her life difficult.
An offline kickoff allowed the Dolphins to start an offensive series at their 40-line, which then led to their first points of the game.
A long eviction return was granted. Protection failed and Josh Allen suffered seven quarterback sacks.
difficult position
The turnovers put the Bills’ defense in a difficult position.
In fact, the Dolphins scored all of their points at short runs of 38, 18, 8, and 18 yards in the first half.
“Turnarounds in such tight games make all the difference. I can’t thank our guys in defense enough for the way they played. I didn’t put her in a good situation today. They know it, I know it and I have to play better to help them. At least we found a way to win,” sighed quarterback Josh Allen.
It’s a position that veteran center Mitch Morse fully shared.
“We often shot each other in the knee and our defense was put in awkward situations.
“We’re not going to win that often in the playoffs. It will be necessary to limit the mistakes, but I’m glad nobody started pointing fingers at him,” he underlined.
Head coach Sean McDermott didn’t overdo it either, echoing the rest of his dressing room.
“We were in control at 17-0. When you start giving the ball to the opponent, death usually occurs pretty quickly! It wasn’t very clean football on our side,” he admitted.
Beautiful moment for Ankou
This week the Journal brought you the inspirational journey of French Ontarian tackle Eli Ankou. He spent the season on the training team but was included in the regular squad on Friday and attended the game yesterday.
It was his first career playoff game, he who had been out of uniform with the Jaguars in 2017 and with the Bills last year.
“Right now I could almost cry,” he confided in his locker. This game means a lot to me. I got injured earlier this year and again in the middle of the season. It’s mentally exhausting. To be able to come back and help my team win a playoff game and come out of it strong is fantastic.”
Ankou finished the game with two tackles and was happy to see the Bills advance to the second round.
“Football is never as simple as saying: okay, we’re going to win. Anything can happen and we could see in this game that happened. Our responsibility at this time is to find our sanity and move on to the next step.
Mitch Morse has a thought for his friend Laurent
Bills center Mitch Morse was Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s neighbor on the Chiefs’ line of scrimmage for four seasons. The veteran won’t bet on this being the end for his good friend.
In Kansas City, the two teammates had forged bonds that went far beyond just being teammates. Duvernay-Tardif was even invited to Morse’s wedding in 2018.
Duvernay-Tardif has been linked with the Jets since last season and the two friends have become divisional rivals. This new situation hasn’t changed the mutual respect that the two offensive linemen have for each other.
Morse met up after practice this week and immediately smiled when the Journal rep asked him if he thought football was over for his good friend.
“It has to be at least four times that I tell myself this is the end for Larry. Never bet against this man on his chances of coming back,” he said.
A successful family
Apparently, Morse is aware of Duvernay-Tardif’s career plans in medicine. Since he has already visited him in Montreal, he also knows about the successes that the whole family experiences.
“No matter what he chooses, I know he will succeed. He’s like his parents who knew how to open a bakery and make it one of the best in Montreal and Canada. Success is in his blood. He always knew how to recover and I’m really happy for him no matter what.
“It’s a family that thrives in everything they do. I would never bet a dollar against Larry or any other member of the Duvernay-Tardif family,” Morse said.
Mission: Super Bowl
The two athletes parted ways in 2019 when Morse signed with the Bills in the free-agent market.
That season, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl and the center never enjoyed the ultimate triumph.
Although Duvernay-Tardif is not granting an interview on his future at the moment, he did text his ex-team-mate the best of luck in his quest, particularly after Damar Hamlin’s ordeal.
“Mitch is one of the first teammates I became friends with. He’s passionate about football, but he can do it too