The Buffalo Bills reintroduced them as a legitimate contender in the AFC Sunday with a dominant, statement victory over the Dallas Cowboys, 31-10.
The three-touchdown victory saw the quarterback Josh Allen held under 100 yards passing but the run game accumulated 266 total yards, led by James Cook's 179 yards and 7.2 average.
The Bills bullied the Cowboys, beat them up, and overwhelmed them en route to a second playoff-saving win.
With the victory, Allen and Co. move into a virtual four-way tie for the final Wildcard spot in the AFC, along with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis.
In a conference where every win already mattered, the Bills are facing a three-game stretch in which they face the very beatable Chargers and Patriots before finishing the season against Miami in a game where the Dolphins may not have much to play for.
The Bills are in as good a position to cash their ticket to the playoffs as any and certainly hope they can make a deeper dive into the postseason than last year when they lost to the Bengals in a snowy Divisional Round game.
The Cowboys' loss dropped them out of the NFC East lead and into the fifth seed as the top-ranked Wildcard. They could retake the No. 2 seed if the Eagles falter against Seattle, but that does not erase the humbling loss they endured Sunday.
The team had the ability, fresh off a victory over those same Eagles, to announce to the world that they were not the same old Cowboys.
Instead, they lost ugly and will now face the same questions they have after every big-time loss of the Dak Prescott era.
They have clinched a postseason appearance, but will have a tough time retaking the division lead as they play the AFC East-leading Dolphins in Week 16, the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions in Week 17, and finish up against a pesky Washington Commanders team that battled the Los Angeles Rams for four quarters Sunday.
