Certain Bills still have a lot to play for Sunday.
It’s Week 18 of the regular season, and the Buffalo Bills don’t have a lot to play for after clinching the two seed in the AFC playoff race. We already know that quarterback Josh Allen will play “briefly” before taking the afternoon off to get some rest before the playoffs begin.
Buffalo’s final regular-season game may be against a division rival in the New England Patriots, but the main thing is to exit Week 18 healthy as possible. Now, that doesn’t mean players will lack motivation.
There will be plenty of opportunity for Buffalo’s backups to show that they provide pivotal depth, or even a tryout of sorts to show other NFL teams that they have starter qualities. Then there are the group of players who have their incentive bonuses that would activate should they hit certain totals. The Bills have four key starters who are trying to put some extra cash in their pockets.
Edge rusher Von Miller needs just one sack for a nice $1.5 million bonus. Miller has looked good the last two game and perhaps he’s ramping up at the right time for one last postseason run.
Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson needs one interception to earn a $250,000 bonus. Johnson already two interceptions on the season, so he’s hoping to end things with a trifecta.
Tight end Dawson Knox will need a career day of sorts if he wants to hit his $200,000 bonus. Knox must grab at least eight receptions and 89 receiving yards. With some of the main offensive weapons probably sitting out Week 18, perhaps Knox finds extra targets coming his way.
Finally we have a big man up front in defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who needs just half a sack to earn $250,000. Jones had a sack last week, so claiming another one would let him celebrate the new year in a great way.