Bills coach Mularkey had game circled for months

Sunday's contest with Pittsburgh mean a lot more for Buffalo.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Mike Mularkey grins when he recalls skimming the newly released NFL schedule last spring to see when Buffalo played Pittsburgh.
The Bills' rookie coach never circled it, but allowed himself one thought in considering what it would be like to face his former team for the first time.
"It's funny, because you saw this game on the schedule and wondered what would be the implications," Mularkey, the Steelers' ex-offensive coordinator, said Wednesday.
He can stop wondering.
Buffalo's season finale at home on Sunday means everything for a Bills team whose playoff hopes hang in the balance.
What's at stake
Having overcome an 0-4 start, the Bills (9-6) have won six straight and nine of 11 to stay in contention for the AFC's two wild card berths. To clinch, Buffalo needs to beat Pittsburgh and hope either the New York Jets (10-5) or Denver (9-6) lose.
"I don't know if you could write a script for the way it's unfolding," Mularkey said. "It's interesting the way both teams have gotten to this point. It's a good story."
Mularkey plays down his role in helping write it and shrugs off questions about his Pittsburgh past.
"It's not about any of us. It never has been," Mularkey said. "This is another opponent, another must-win game."
The Bills have been playing must-win games ever since digging their early season hole, showing great resilience for a team accused of lacking mental toughness following last year's 6-10 finish.
They've registered their best streak since winning eight straight in 1990 and have guaranteed their first winning season since 1999, the last time they made the playoffs.
Buffalo also has an opportunity to match the 1992 Chargers, the only team that's made the playoffs after an 0-4 start.
Who gets the credit
Mularkey deserves much of the credit for inspiring the turnaround.
He didn't allow the Bills to unravel early on, protecting his players from outside criticism by urging them to believe in themselves. And he tinkered with his lineup, elevating running back Willis McGahee to starter -- a move that has coincided with Buffalo's surge.
In other words, Mularkey has acted nothing like a rookie.
"Mike has never seemed like a guy who was doing this for the first time," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said.
"Nobody saw that train coming down the tracks that hit us the first month of the season. But to his credit, he stuck to his guns. He's done a tremendous job, no question."