Archives for September 2017

'Following the contest, multiple players on the Bills used the words unity, equality, and love to describe their decision to protest. The team also had a meeting on Saturday evening to discuss how they would react. ESPN first reported the meeting and the Batavia Daily News later confirmed it.'

'Running game still stale: For all that was well in the passing game, it wasn’t really at all in the running game. LeSean McCoy was held under 50 yards and Mike Tolbert was the team’s leading rusher on the day. McCoy had nine yards on 12 carries a week ago. But interestingly enough, it appeared Denver employed the same plan they did against the Dallas Cowboys last week, shutting down the run game and daring the Bills to beat them through the air. They did.'

'The offense was adapting around Taylor’s mobility as rollouts, bootlegs and play actions became vital to the team’s mix of run and pass.'

'“If you could see the eyes and the smiles on those children, it is just awesome,” Mikula said of the giving effort.'

'Tyrod Taylor bounced back from last week's performance to have a solid outing against a tough Broncos defense. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He added 13 rushing yards in the win. He was efficient. He didn't make any mistakes and didn't commit any turnovers. The best throw of the day was when he rolled out to his left and connected with tight end Nick O'Leary for a 31-yard gain. That's a difficult throw for any quarterback to make, but Taylor delivered.'

'“Tyrod responded in a major way today,” said Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who was limited to 21 yards on 14 carries by a Broncos defense that focused its attention on stopping him and taking its chances with Taylor.'

'“It felt great, and the ball was flying well,” said Hauschka, who made four field goals and, with kicks of 55 and 53 yards, became the first kicker in Bills history to hit twice from outside 53 yards in a game. “It was about 80 degrees, which it’s like that a lot in Buffalo, right? It’s like this in December, right?”'

'In falling to 2-1, the Broncos turned the ball over on each of their final four possessions, with Siemian being intercepted by E.J. Gaines and Tre'Davious White.'

'"I wouldn't say they were picking on me," said White, Buffalo's first round pick out of LSU. "Every pass, I was pretty much there. I tried to have a good day."'

'Hauschka's 53-yard field goal extended Buffalo's lead to 23-16 after Denver failed on a fake punt from its own 31 early in the fourth quarter. Hauschka hit from 27 yards to make it a nine-point game with 3:14 left after rookie Tre'Davious White made his first career interception and the Bills ran 7:30 off the clock with a 16-play drive.'

'Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly — the former Buffalo star — raised his left fist. After the anthem finished, Kelly sought out Dareus, who is inactive for today's game, and had a brief conversation that ended with a hug.'

'Kelly's comments came after Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who stood during the national anthem Sunday, said after the game that there must be consistent protests in order to enact change in the country.'

'The Broncos were given one last chance to get within a score late in the fourth quarter, but only got as far as the Buffalo 42-yard line. On 4th down and 2, Siemian underthrows Sanders at the Bills' 20-yard line to give the ball back to Buffalo.'

'Tyrod Taylor had a good day. He only threw for 213 yards but he had some important pass completions to keep drives going and used his legs and escape ability to keep some plays alive. The touchdown pass to Charles Clay came in part due to the threat of Taylor running. When he rolled out it sucked up two defenders leaving the end zone open for Clay. Give credit to Rick Dennison and the offensive coaches on the play design. Clay is lined up to the right as part of a two tight end look over there and blocks down as the line goes left. But he released and was uncovered in the end zone after the aforementioned Taylor roll out.'

'White made great plays on Emmanuel Sanders on two of the three plays. On 3rd-and-5, Sanders caught the ball, but White made a sure tackle after a three yard gain. Denver went into punt formation on 4th-and-2. They tried a fake snapping the ball to De’Angelo Henderson. White teamed with Deon Lacey to stop Henderson after a one yard gain. That gave Buffalo the ball at the Denver 31.'