Roth: Showtime in Big D; if Bills are for real, they won't need wishbones

ORCHARD PARK — The final verses of the Buffalo’s Bills celebratory Shout song had barely been sung at New Era Field when coach Sean McDermott was getting ready to hunker down for a long night.

With the Bills scheduled to travel to Dallas and a Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys, there would be little rest for the happily weary after Buffalo’s 20-3 victory over the Denver Broncos last Sunday.

“I’m going to try and grab something to eat and get back to work here,’’ McDermott said at his postgame news conference. “Not a whole lot of time. A good opponent, their place, a lot of tradition and it will be an opportunity for us to put our best foot forward.’’

Oh, is it ever.

In the NFL’s regular season, it doesn’t get bigger than playing America’s team on America’s day of giving thanks at Jerry World.

Last year’s Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Redskins drew a 12.5 TV rating with 30 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular season game of the season. Many playoff games don’t do as well.

And while it takes a tripleheader menu, Thanksgiving Thursday is second only to Super Bowl Sunday in popularity. Last year’s games drew 78.7 million viewers versus 98.2 million for the Super Bowl matchup between New England and the Los Angeles Rams.

Calling this a big stage for the Bills (8-3) is like calling Broadway community theater. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, even though the Cowboys (6-5) are starting to deflate like an overcooked bird.

Dallas hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record while Buffalo has beaten one.

The big difference is that the Cowboys have played a much tougher schedule and don’t have much luck, losing to division leaders Green Bay by 10, Minnesota by 4, New England by 4 and New Orleans by 2.

Owner Jerry Jones has a roster brimming with big-time hombres and not much to show for it, calling out coach Jason Garrett after last week’s painful 13-9 slog in the rain at New England and lamenting that with a roster this good “I shouldn’t be this frustrated.’’

In other words, if the Bills, 7 ½-point underdogs, pull off the upset on Turkey Day of all days, in this game of all games, Garrett (4-5 on Thanksgiving) will be asked to hand in his spurs and "No dessert for you.''

As for the Bills, their “Buffalo vs. Everybody’’ slogan that’s emblazoned on sweatshirts worn by coaches and players, it’s cute and appropriate for a team that finds motivation in being the eternal underdog.

They have flown below the radar nationally, but that will change dramatically with a big game in the Big D.

Not that you could get McDermott to admit that. Through eyes propped open by toothpicks after getting his team ready for a game on three fewer days, he called this just another game. Sort of.

“It’s a Thanksgiving Day game and we're honored to play in it, from that standpoint. A lot of tradition around that,’’ he said. “But I’d say it's an opportunity for us to take a step, another step this season as a football team and I think our players are aware of that.’’

This step, though, is far bigger than beating an 0-11 Bengals team or getting past Giants, Redskins and Dolphins clubs that are 2-9 each. It's far different than rolling over Denver (3-8) at home.

For many Bills players it’s their first national TV game.

It’s second-year quarterback Josh Allen, who is starting to get some run, facing the league’s No. 6-ranked defense. It’s young tackles Dion Dawkins and Cody Ford testing themselves against the likes of Robert Quinn (8.5 sacks) and DeMarcus Lawrence (4.5 sacks).

It’s linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano trying to shut down Zeke Elliott (919 yards rushing, 7 TDs). It’s cornerback Tre White facing Amari Cooper (56 catches, 886 yards) and quarterback Dak Prescott (league-best 3,433 yards passing) with Pro Bowl votes on the line. It’s rookie defensive tackle Ed Oliver, Buffalo’s first-round pick, returning to Texas to face the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense that has given up just 12 sacks.

“I remember growing up, waking up on Thursday Thanksgiving, going and eating and watching these games all day and that's all I did, stuffing my face with mashed potatoes,’’ said Allen, who will have 40 family and friends at the game from California. “I know there's people out there that are going to be doing the same thing and I'm going to have a good support group there from back home. There's a lot to be thankful for, I’m super blessed.’’

This is Buffalo’s ninth Thanksgiving Day game (3-4-1 record) but first in 25 years. (The Jeffersons, Rochester’s pioneering NFL franchise, played on Thanksgiving in 1920 and 1922).

Bills teams of the ‘60s used this day as a springboard for AFL championships.

Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson set the NFL’s single-game rushing record with 273 yards in a loss at Detroit in 1976.

The 1994 squad, the last Bills team to play on Thanksgiving, was a tired bunch from playing in four consecutive Super Bowls. It lost to the Lions 35-21 and finished 7-9.

What will these young Bills do with their day in the spotlight? After cracking the NFL’s power rankings this week at No. 10, how high can they go? What kind of story line will they write heading into next week’s home game against high-flying Baltimore (9-2) and Lamar Jackson?

If the Bills are for real, they won’t need to save any wishbones.