Archives for October 8, 2018

‘The result in Minnesota — a shocking 27-6 upset win on the road — was a direct result of how the Bills started the game. On Sunday, the defense forced a turnover on the first Tennessee drive and set up the Bills offense in ideal field position. Bills rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds forced a fumble by Titans receiver Taywan Taylor after a short completion and Bills linebacker Matt Milano recovered. Bills veterans Jerry Hughes and Kyle Williams both have stressed the importance of making plays and getting the opposing offense off the field to set up their own offense. The Bills defense did a great job of setting the tone Sunday.’

‘Buffalo’s defense has been very good since the second half of the team’s Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles. That said, the defensive line hasn’t been playing as well as the linebacker position or secondary. On Sunday, the defensive line did their part.’

‘”They told me they were going to get me the ball this game,” McCoy said. “That was the main focus — get the offensive line going, running the ball, throwing the ball to me, using Chris (Ivory) in there in different packages. Making the game a lot easier for Josh (Allen) — easy reads, running the ball, maybe doing some play-actions, game on the perimeter because he can run. That was kind of the game plan. Let the defense do their thing.”‘

‘Everything in between those two drives, however, was shaky at best. Allen was erratic and struggled to make the simplest throws. He put two balls at the shoes of tight end Charles Clay and Kelvin Benjamin and both players had to make a nice catch to make the play.’

‘”They just attack the football,” Mariota said about a Buffalo Bills defense that allowed just 221 yards of total offense at home on Sunday in a 13-12 victory that was a defensive struggle. “We can’t turn the ball over as an offense.”‘

‘”I made an inside move and I’m underneath the quarterback at that point in time. When I go to wrap you up I’m naturally low so I’m naturally underneath you,” Hughes said. “If I pick him up and finish him, it’s a 15-yard penalty and they might score (a touchdown) on that drive. It’s a tough situation to be in, and I’m very thankful that our secondary played lights out all day and got us off the field.”‘

‘”Yeah, [it was] just miscommunication,” the head coach said. When a follow-up question was asked, McDermott added, “Yeah, we’ve just got to execute overall right there.”‘

‘Miami built a 17-0 lead against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, but the team collapsed and allowed 27 unanswered points. Following their second consecutive loss, Phillips posted an Instagram story that simply said, “Who is the scapegoat now?”‘

‘Josh Allen displayed his athleticism early in the game with a touchdown run of 14 yards. That was one of his only bright spots on Sunday. Allen struggled with his accuracy throughout the Week 5 game and finished 10-of-19 for 82 yards and one interception. It should be noted that the interception was not Allen’s fault, but today’s game was one to forget for Allen.’

‘”I go out before practice about 30 minutes and I’m throwing with Shady and just working on spiral and a little bit of accuracy things. Today I felt for the most part I was on. There were a couple of throws I wish I could have back that would’ve made it a lot easier. The one to (Kelvin Benjamin), the in cut, I put it at his feet, and there were a couple more, but I felt like the decision making — I trusted my gut and my instinct. I got the ball out a little quicker today, and our offense did a great job of protecting.”‘

‘Bills coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane are familiar with Anderson from their time in Carolina. Mortensen said that the Bills worked out several quarterbacks including Paxton Lynch and Landry Jones, but Anderson won out because of the experience with Beane and McDermott.’

‘In 2007, Anderson and the Browns defeated Buffalo 8-0. Anderson completed just 9-of-24 passes for 137 yards in the game. He was even worse when the teams faced off again in 2009. In a 6-3 Browns win, Anderson completed 2-of-17 passes for 23 yards and one interception.’

‘Jones, 29, was selected by the Steelers in the fourth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft. During his five seasons with Pittsburgh, Jones made five starts and appeared in 18 total games. During his career, Jones completed 108-of-169 passes (63.9 percent) for 1,310 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.’

‘The bookmakers weren’t overly impressed as the Bills open as a 8.5-point underdog on the road next Sunday against the Houston Texans. The line quickly moved to 10 points.’