Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills

In the NFL, a short week—when a team plays on Thursday after a Sunday game—tests every aspect of a franchise’s operation: players must recover faster, coaches must simplify game plans, and support staff must streamline logistics to avoid missteps. For the Buffalo Bills, who face a Thursday Night Football matchup against the [Opponent, e.g., “New York Jets”] this week, short week preparation is already in full swing, with the team adjusting every detail to ensure they’re ready to compete on just three full days of practice. Unlike a normal week, which includes four days of structured workouts, film study, and walkthroughs, a short week demands efficiency—cutting out unnecessary drills, focusing on high-impact plays, and prioritizing player health above all else. For Bills Mafia, the success of this preparation will be evident on Thursday night: a well-rested, focused team will likely compete for a win, while a team caught off-guard by the condensed schedule could stumble. Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills isn’t just about practice—it’s about how a team turns chaos into control, even when time is working against them.

Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills gains depth by breaking down the adjusted practice schedule that forms the backbone of the team’s plan. On a normal week, the Bills hold two full-pad practices, one light-pad walkthrough, and a final “game-plan review” session on Friday. For this short week, however, head coach Sean McDermott has scaled back: Monday’s practice was a non-pad walkthrough focused on film study and play installation, Tuesday’s session was the only full-pad practice (shortened by 30 minutes to reduce fatigue), and Wednesday will be a quick walkthrough to refine key plays and confirm assignments. “The biggest mistake you can make on a short week is trying to do too much,” McDermott said in a Monday press conference. “We’re not going to install 20 new plays—we’re going to focus on the 10 plays we do best, the ones we know our players can execute in their sleep. That’s how you win when time is tight.” The team has also shifted practice times to align with Thursday’s 8:15 PM kickoff, holding evening sessions to help players adjust their circadian rhythms. Even meal times are coordinated: the Bills’ nutrition staff is serving dinner earlier on Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure players get enough sleep, a critical factor in recovery.

A critical component of Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills is the player recovery protocols that keep the team healthy amid condensed time. Short weeks are brutal on players’ bodies—especially linemen and running backs, who absorb constant physical contact. To combat fatigue, the Bills’ training staff has ramped up recovery efforts: every player meets with a massage therapist or physical therapist for 30 minutes after practice, and the team’s recovery room is open until 10 PM each night, offering cryotherapy, hot tubs, and compression boots. Quarterback Josh Allen, who takes more hits than most due to his mobility, has added an extra yoga session to his daily routine to loosen tight muscles. “Recovery isn’t optional this week—it’s mandatory,” said Rick Burkholder, the Bills’ head athletic trainer. “We’re tracking players’ sleep, heart rate, and muscle soreness with apps, and if anyone shows signs of fatigue, we pull them from drills. We’d rather have a player miss 15 minutes of practice than risk an injury that keeps them out of the game.” The team has also adjusted travel plans: instead of flying to New York on Wednesday afternoon, the Bills will depart early Thursday morning, giving players one more night of rest in their own beds. These small adjustments add up, ensuring the Bills are as fresh as possible when they take the field.

Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills is particularly significant for the Buffalo Bills’ offensive strategy, which relies on precision and timing between Josh Allen and his receivers. On a normal week, Allen and the wideouts spend hours practicing route timing, adjusting to each other’s speed and tendencies. With limited time, the Bills are leaning on “automatic” plays—routes that don’t require last-second adjustments, like quick slants, screen passes, and deep posts that Allen has run hundreds of times with Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has also simplified the playbook, cutting out complex formations that require multiple pre-snap reads. “Josh doesn’t need to memorize 50 different formations this week—he needs to know 15, and he needs to know them perfectly,” Dorsey explained. The strategy is already paying off: during Tuesday’s practice, Allen connected with Diggs on 8 of 10 targets, including a 25-yard touchdown pass that required no pre-snap adjustments—just pure timing. For the Buffalo Bills, this simplicity is key: it reduces mental fatigue, letting players focus on execution rather than remembering complex assignments. “When you’re tired, your brain shuts down first,” Allen said after practice. “By keeping things simple, we’re making sure everyone is on the same page, even when their legs are heavy.”

Another vital aspect of Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills is the coaching staff’s coordination to avoid miscommunication. On a normal week, position coaches meet for two hours each morning to align on game plans; this week, those meetings are condensed to 45 minutes, with coaches using shared digital playbooks to update each other in real time. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has assigned each assistant coach a specific “focus area”—one coach is responsible for studying the Jets’ running game, another for their passing attack, and a third for special teams—to ensure no detail is missed. “We’re dividing and conquering,” Frazier said. “No one person can study everything in three days, so we’re splitting the work and sharing notes hourly. That’s how we make sure we’re not surprised by anything the Jets do.” The coaching staff is also communicating more directly with players: instead of holding large group meetings, McDermott and his assistants are meeting with position groups in small huddles, answering questions and clarifying assignments one-on-one. This personalized approach helps players retain information faster, a critical advantage on a short week. For the Buffalo Bills, the coaching staff’s ability to work efficiently could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Finally, Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills highlights the mental toughness that defines the Bills’ culture—a trait that shines brightest when circumstances are tough. Bills Mafia knows this team thrives on adversity: they’ve won three of their past four short-week games, including a memorable 2023 victory over the Patriots where Allen threw for 300 yards despite playing with a mild shoulder injury. That mental edge comes from McDermott’s focus on “controlling the controllable”—a mantra he repeats in every practice. “We can’t control that we have three days to prepare, but we can control how hard we work, how well we recover, and how focused we are,” McDermott said. “That’s the mindset we’re building here.” Players have embraced that mindset too: Diggs stayed late after Tuesday’s practice to work on handoffs with running back James Cook, and linebacker Matt Milano led an impromptu film study session with the defensive unit on Monday night. These small acts of leadership show the Bills aren’t just preparing for a game—they’re preparing to overcome a challenge. Short Week Preparation Underway for the Buffalo Bills wraps up with a simple truth: in the NFL, everyone faces short weeks, but the teams that win are the ones that turn pressure into purpose. The Bills have done it before, and with their efficient preparation, recovery, and focus, they’re ready to do it again on Thursday night.