Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

Bills Hometown Buffalo Joe Reacts to Special Performance

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Colin Miller | Last updated Dec 31, 2024 7:42 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills will officially be the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs after dominating the New York Jets in Week 17.

With the Bills' playoff position officially locked in, the team will likely rest a lot of their starters to keep them fresh for the playoffs. That will give plenty of opportunities to some of Buffalo's younger players in their final regular-season matchup against the New England Patriots.

One of the players who will likely get more opportunities is undrafted rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen. Nicknamed "Buffalo Joe," Andreessen is a Western New York native and a lifelong Bills fan.

Although he hasn't seen much time on the field for most of the year, he did get his first big opportunity on defense against New York, as he was named a captain for the Bills' home finale.

After the game, Andreessen spoke about getting the huge opportunity.

“Definitely a cool experience. They announced it in the team meeting yesterday, and a lot of guys were happy for me, so it was a cool experience overall," said Andreessen.

Not only was Andreessen named a captain, but he also made the most of his opportunity on the field, as he led the team in tackles with eight.

“You can't simulate game reps," said Andreessen. "Feels like we haven't took some defensive reps in awhile, like a lot of defensive reps, so feels good just going out there making tackles and trying to fly around.”

Andreessen will likely see plenty more reps in Week 18 against a struggling Patriots team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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