Disclaimer: I am a full time OBGYN and am in no way, shape, or form, a sport analyst or journalist. These are simply my reactions and thoughts.
Somehow it is already January and Buffalo has officially played their last game in Highmark Stadium. Of course, I wish Buffalo was hosting a playoff game. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. But in the final game: Buffalo did win, Allen did take a snap, and Cook got enough yards to maintain the lead. James Cook now officially has the most rushing yards for the 2025 season! I am glad the Bills were able to figure out his contract preseason and come to an agreement.
Here are some of my thoughts as we enter the post-season:
The Jaguars have been hot recently, I do think out of the division winners, they are the team to beat. Part of me wishes we had the 5th or even 7th seed instead of the 6th. We know we can beat the Patriots and the Steelers, but we don't always play our best against Jacksonville. In the last 10 meetings, our record is 5-5. Specifically, against Trevor Lawrence, Buffalo is 1-2. The last time we played Jacksonville in the playoffs we did lose, but we did not have Josh Allen then. Lawrence may be on fire right now, but he doesn't have the experience Allen does. Also, Allen has a better postseason record than Lawrence.
On paper, both teams are very similar. So, let's break it down beginning with the offense. Both teams, on average, score about the same amount of points per game. Buffalo has been averaging slightly higher at 27.9 compared to 26.9 for Jacksonville. When breaking down the offenses further, Buffalo does have some advantages over Jacksonville. Overall, Buffalo is more efficient with passing and rushing yards per game, and ranks above average in both of these areas. Jacksonville, on the other hand, ranks more middle of the pack. Buffalo has slightly over 3,700 passing yards, and more than 2,500 rushing yards. Jacksonville has just under 3,500 passing yards, and under 1,500 rushing yards. So, these numbers do make me feel better about the match up. Buffalo is more productive at passing, and stronger at rushing than Jacksonville. These advantages could be evened out since Jacksonville has one of the top rushing defenses. However, they have not played James Cook yet. I think we can still be effective rushing and need to make sure he is utilized.
Another advantage I think Buffalo has, is that Jacksonville is weaker against the passing game. On average, Jacksonville's defense has allowed over 200 yards passing per game and a 62.5% completion rate per game for opposing teams. We have Josh Allen. I am sure Joe Brady knows these numbers too, so I am hoping his play calling will reflect it. Defensively, Buffalo does need to contain Jacksonville and get them off the field. We can't let them run all over us. Buffalo has struggled with rush defense, but they have improved here at the end of the season. Jacksonville is 11th in rushing yards, and averages 124 yards per game. Even though I think of Jacksonville as more of a passing team, they technically rank higher in rushing offense.
I could go around in circles all day talking about numbers and rankings. In my opinion, some keys for us to win Sunday are: offensively, allowing Josh Allen to be Josh Allen, having a deep threat to move the ball efficiently, and utilizing our running backs in both the passing and rushing game. Defensively, pressure Lawrence into making mistakes; and limiting their rushing offense. This is such an even match up, at the end of the day, the team who wants it more will win. We all know how much Allen wants this. Buffalo has come so close so many times, they are hungry for it.
I know that was a lot, but I did want to mention a few thoughts from our game against the Jets. I am glad to see Gabe Davis playing again and getting a touchdown. Keon Coleman also had a good game. It will be interesting to see who our starting wide receivers will be Sunday. I am hoping Davis is one of them. I was also glad to see Kincaid back on the field. Our offense has more life when he plays. I am hoping he will be able to play a majority of the snaps and stay healthy. Unfortunately, we did have some injuries Sunday, and both Hairston and Prater are questionable for playoffs. Hairston suffered an ankle injury and will not play Sunday. Prater had a quadriceps injury and is considered day to day. Buffalo did sign Matthew Wright to the practice squad. So, it does not look promising for Prater. However, Wright does have a surprisingly good record for someone who has bounced from team to team.
What a whirlwind of a season! I think this was one of the crazier NFL seasons in a while. So many upsets and ups and downs just in general. While McDermott hasn't won an away playoff game, I still think we can beat Jacksonville Sunday. Going to Jacksonville is not the same as going to Arrowhead. Let's hope the upsets continue and we make it to the Super Bowl as the 6th seed! Go Bills!
Last week, I talked about the importance of getting a pap smear. This week I am going to talk about what happens if your pap smear result comes back abnormal. Honestly, the guidelines are very complex, so I am going to try and simplify them. If the result is abnormal, but very low risk for cancer, then the recommendation would be to repeat a pap smear in a year. However, more commonly after an abnormal result, the next step will be a colposcopy. A colposcopy allows an OBGYN to look at the cervix more closely for any abnormal areas and biopsy them if necessary. Usually, these results are reported as CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) I-III. CIN III is the finding at highest risk of developing cervical cancer. If the biopsy result is abnormal and there is a high risk for developing CINIII, then treatment with an excisional procedure (LEEP or cold knife cone) is recommended. If the biopsy result is abnormal, and low risk for CINIII, then close follow up and repeat testing in a year is recommended. If the biopsy results are in the middle, then either option is reasonable depending on a patient's history and fertility desires. It can get really complicated, but the biggest takeaway is that care is now based on overall risk. Your provider looks at your current pap smear and/or HPV test along with your screening history to decide what the next step should be. This means that two people with the same result may be managed differently. Again, the goal is to identify and treat abnormal cells before cancer develops!
As always, and in the words of our MVP, be good, do good, God bless, and go Bills!
Rachel H. MD
{Image from ACCC-cancer.org and information summarized from ACOG Practice Advisory}
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