‘Buffalo had its regular season finale in Miami flexed to 4:25 pm. The other games that matter to the Bills playoff picture (Baltimore vs Cincinnati, Oakland at L.A, Jacksonville at Tennessee) were also flexed to 4:25.’
Archives for December 2017
Bills Suffer Predictable 37-16 Loss In New England
‘The Bills came to play and fought the Patriots hard but you can’t win against the mighty Patriots when the have the league office in their pockets. They have now had very controversial touchdowns called back against the Bills, Steelers, Texans, and Jets this year. Would they have won if the Benjamin touchdown counted? Maybe not but it would have been nice to see how it turned out. Nothing has come easy in this playoff drought so getting there won’t be either. They need to win next week and get some help. Can they do it? History tells me it won’t happen even if they take care of their own business next week.’
Week 16: Defense Played Well Early But Faltered Late
‘Rick Dennison couldn’t get his offense moving. Why throw the ball so often when Shady is running well and is the man the offense should be revolving around? Throwing a low percentage deep sideline pass on a big 3rd and 4 late in the first half was idiotic. Throwing twice in a row on the goal line was wrong as well.’
Patriots second-half surge sinks Bills
‘New England scored the last 24 points of the game in route to a 37-16 win over Buffalo.’
What they’re saying: Bills react to missed opportunities in loss to New England
‘“I guess they had good schemes. We definitely have to do better when we get down into the red zone punching it in. It’s just something we have to work on, moving forward as a team.”’
Bills need a win and some help in Week 17
‘It’s not impossible, but after Buffalo’s loss to the Patriots to fall to 8-7 on the season, the Bills must beat the Dolphins in Miami next week and get some help to nail down one of the two AFC Wild Card playoff berths.’
Bills Today: Tre’Davious shares why you should be confident in Buffalo
‘“You guys should be confident in us because of the way we’re preparing. We’ve seen the Patriots before,” said White. “We know they’re going to give us something different. They’re going to be themselves also, and we’re going to be ourselves.”’
E.J. Gaines tops Bills inactive list
‘He was able to practice on a limited basis this week, but it was clear he was not moving at top speed through the course of the week.’
The Retribution Game: Does Gronkowski have one coming from the Bills? Maybe
‘”When you do dumb stuff like he did, you open the door. The referees are a little more lenient because they know you got it coming. You’ve just got to be prepared to take it.”‘
Mike Gillislee’s grudge game more about Belichick than Bills
‘Tom Brady has targeted Gillislee zero times, and other backs excel on special teams. Those two phases are how he became marginalized. Depth back Brandon Bolden has two carries all year, but he has forced two fumbles on kickoff coverage and has blocked a punt.’
Punter Colton Schmidt coming up clutch for field position-minded Bills
‘”When we’ve had to put the ball with great location, when we’ve had to get hang time, when we’ve had to deal with elements, none of that stuff has fazed him,” special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said. “He’s executed at a level that we’re looking for.”‘
Jerry Sullivan: Hobbled, Kelvin Benjamin fights to have an impact
‘Benjamin is expected to tough it out. But if this game meant nothing, he would probably be sitting. After Sunday’s win, he said he plans to have surgery on the knee after the season. He missed two games after hurting the knee in LA and left in the second half of the Colts win after aggravating the injury. He had two catches for 20 yards last week.’
Jay Skurski’s Bills-Patriots Scouting Report: Rob Gronkowski a riddle no defense has been able to solve
‘Patriots 27, Bills 17.’
Mark Gaughan’s Matchup Watch: Will Pats spy again?
‘Tyrod Taylor vs. Jordan Richards: The Pats used Richards as a spy on the Bills quarterback a bunch in the first meeting. He played 25 snaps in that game, his most in the past two months. Will Bill Belichick repeat the tactic or will Richards be an afterthought in the Pats’ game plan?’
Mark Gaughan’s Play to Watch: Patriots screen game
‘The Pats ran screens twice in Buffalo for 11 and 5 yards. This was a 23-yarder to Rex Burkhead (34) in Miami two weeks ago. The Pats created open field with their receivers running a post-wheel route combination. Brandin Cooks (14) took the free safety out of play by going deep. Chris Hogan (15) ran a wheel route up the sideline to run off the cornerback. Center David Andrews (60) and guard Joe Thuney (62) led the blocking. Look for the Pats to keep trying to get the screen game going before the playoffs.’