Lots of former Buffalo Bills will be taking the field this weekend even if the current Buffalo Bills are eliminated. Let’s take a look at the teams remaining.
Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
The Bills didn’t play either of these teams this year, as the only NFC playoff squad Buffalo played was the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly lost last week.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings signed Bills practice squad defensive end Eddie Yarbrough to their active roster a couple weeks ago. He was inactive for their Wild Card game last week. Injured Minnesota receiver Chad Beebe was born in Buffalo in 1994, the son of Bills receiver Don Beebe.
On the Vikings’ coaching staff is former Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, who was fired after the 2017 season. He is Minnesota’s offensive line coach and run-game coordinator. Their defensive coordinator is George Edwards, who was Buffalo’s DC under former coach Chan Gailey in the 2000s. Jerry Gray is defensive-backs coach and he’s another former Bills DC from earlier in the 2000s.
San Francisco 49ers
Wide receiver Jordan Matthews is on the 49ers roster but has no stats for the year after signing in December. Another former Bills receiver, Marquise Goodwin, is on injured reserve.
Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans
Buffalo defeated the Titans in Nashville early in 2019 before they made the switch from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. The Bills lost to the Ravens in a hard-fought contest in early December.
Baltimore Ravens
Former Bills defensive back Denzel Rice is on their practice squad injured reserve. Rice played four games for the Bills in 2018 while the cornerback position was shaking out following the sudden retirement of Vontae Davis.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman held the same job in Buffalo before heading to Baltimore. He was OC under Rex Ryan. Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach David Culley held the title of quarterbacks coach in Buffalo for 2017 and 2018 before leaving to go to Baltimore. Offensive-line coach Joe D’Alessandris was Buffalo’s o-line coach from 2010 to 2012.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans have no former Bills players on their roster that I could see.
On the coaching staff, Todd Downing is their tight-ends coach. He served as Buffalo’s QBs coach in 2014. Rob Moore is the wide-receivers coach for Tennessee and he served the same role in Buffalo from 2013-2014.