The Bills opened an early Christmas present last weekend by earning a playoff berth with a win over the Dolphins.
Next up is another AFC East crown, which will be placed on their heads again with a win over the Bears or Dolphins loss to the Packers.
And of course there's the bigger picture of trying to stay above the Chiefs and even Bengals for the top seed in the conference and first-round playoff bye.
Standing in the way of that this Saturday are the Bears... and once again, Mother Nature.
Let's dive into this holiday match-up.
The Weather Outside is Frightful
It sure would be nice to go a week without needing to dive into the world of meteorology.
Yet here we are again, with this incredible winter storm impacting the country far and wide.
The forecast is calling for temperatures potentially in the single digits with sustained winds around 20 miles per hour and gusting upwards of 30 mph, dropping the wind chill well below zero.
The Bills left a day early just to make sure they could get to Chicago for the game, flying out Thursday evening.
So did our three-person crew covering the game, jetting out first thing yesterday morning.
Interestingly enough, the Bills have recent history playing in incredibly windy conditions as well as sub-zero temperatures.
They lost at home to the Patriots last season while playing through 27-35 mph winds with gusts around 40 mph.
While the results didn't go the Bills way, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said this week that they learned as a unit as the game rolled along that they didn't have to just abandon the passing game.
Josh Allen ended the night 15/30 for 145 yards and a touchdown. Not great numbers by any means, but considering the circumstances, the Bills QB showed that the offense can maintain some sort of balance even in those extreme conditions to keep defenses off balance.
Then there's the wild card win over New England last season, with temperatures at kick-off 7 degrees with a -5 wind chill.
We know how the Bills offense handled those elements -- a punt-less performance led by Allen throwing more TDs (5) than incompletions (4) in a 47-17 route.
Saturday might be a bit of a combination of the elements of those two games.
And yes, it's going to be less than ideal, I think the Bills are set up as well as can be to play through them.
Frolicking Fields
Weather or not, the Bears offense is a run-centric attack.
They rank tops in the NFL by averaging 186.9 rushing yards per game.
Justin Fields is the big reason why.
The second-year QB has been unlocked this season, becoming just the third QB in NFL history to *run* for 1,000 yards in a single season.
It was a slow start for Fields, but over the last eight games he's ripped off 806 rushing yards and seven TDs, gaining 80+ rushing yards in six of those last eight.
A natural comparison to Fields running ability is Lamar Jackson, one of those other two QBs to eclipse 1,000+ rushing yards in a season.
The Bills' defense has had solid success containing Jackson on the ground, holding him to 186 yards on 4.9 yards per attempt in four games.
Only once has Jackson run for more than 40 yards in a game against the Bills.
Leslie Frazier and others don't like to compare players and made it clear there's no clear carry over for game plans to defend both Jackson and Fields, but I'd guess there's some similar things that will be on display Saturday in trying to contain the former Ohio State signal caller.
Staying on the Ground
The Bills' run defense overall has had its highs and lows this season, with last game against Miami one where they were gouged for 188 yards on the ground, second most this season.
Missed tackles popped up as a major problem yet again.
That'll need to be cleaned up to not only keep Fields in check, but the rest of the Bears run game.
David Montgomery is second on the team with 694 rushing yards and five TDs, but he's only run for over 70 yards twice this season.
Khalil Herbert is returning from missing four games while on IR.
His success mirrors his usage. Herbert's only seen double digit carries in five of the 10 games he's played in. However, 452 of his 643 rushing yards on the season have come in this five games.
Both Montgomery and Herbert really benefit from the RPO action with Fields, as defenses have to key so much on the QB keeping and taking off.
Saturday will be a good test for the Bills fundamental improvements from a week ago.
Wrapping Up the QB
The Bills pass rush has been pretty good since losing Von Miller for the season with a torn ACL.
They've produced nine sacks in the three+ games he's been out.
While the conditions might ground the Bears even more than normal, unless they pull out the playbook from the Patriots wind game (Mac Jones three pass attempts), there will be some drop backs where the Bills can try to get after Fields.
The Bears QB has been sacked 46 times, the most in the NFL.
He's been taken down four+ times in seven of the 13 games he's played and two+ in all but one game this season.
The Bills have blitzed more as the season has rolled along, but with Fields ability to break free, I think it's more likely Frazier relies once again on the front four to produce the pressure.
On the Line
BUF (-8)
O/U 40.5
Josh Allen O/U Passing Yards: 220.5
Josh Allen O/U Rushing Yards: 48.5
Justin Fields O/U Rushing Yards: 73.5
Injury Report
BILLS
OUT: C Mitch Morse (concussion), DE Boogie Basham (calf)
QUESTIONABLE: DT Ed Oliver (calf), DT Jordan Phillips (shoulder)
BEARS
OUT: WR Equanimeous St. Brown (concussion), DB Kindle Vildor (ankle), TE Trevon Wesco (calf)
DOUBTFUL: WR Chase Claypool (knee), OL Teven Jenkins (neck), OL Cody Whitehair (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: DB Jaylon Johnson (finger/ribs)
Bills and Bears set to kick things off from Solider Field in Chicago Saturday at 1 p.m. EST.
**Make sure to tune into Spectrum News 1 right after the game for "Buffalo End Zone." Our LIVE postgame show brings you instant reaction from the team in Chicago. Join host Kevin Carroll, our Bills beat reporter Jon Scott, and former Bills running back Fred Jackson as they give their thoughts on what happened in the game. That's "Buffalo End Zone" only on Spectrum News 1.**