‘Since 1990, NFL teams that start the season 6-2 make the playoffs more than 80 percent of the time and win their division 53 percent of the time.’
Archives for November 2020
BIlls sign LB Darron Lee to the practice squad
‘Lee, 6-1 and 232 pounds, was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. The linebacker also played for the New York Jets from 2016 to 2018. In his four seasons, Lee has 266 total tackles, three interceptions, four sacks, 11 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.’
Eric Wood | 5 opinions on the Bills finally taking down the Patriots
‘After the game, they said that it was their plan all week, knowing that the weather could be an issue. The fact that the Patriots defense has been suspect against the run this year, they wanted to attack them on the ground. To be able to execute their game plan the way they did is excellent execution by the offense. It was great by the offensive line opening up holes, and the running backs showed great vision and the ability to break tackles. Devin and Zack both ran with toughness and were able to pick up extra yardage at the end of runs. Brian Daboll featured more of an under-center ground game this week. We’ve seen so much more shotgun by the Bills this year, and maybe that was part of the reason the run game has struggled at times. They weren’t under center as much, but the passing game was so dynamic that it wasn’t an issue. But in a day when you needed the run game, they went back to more under-center runs, and they were able to be effective.’
Bills Today | Sean McDermott’s review of his team at the midseason point
‘”Well there’s certainly things we’ve done well,” McDermott stated. “Winning six games doesn’t come easy so you’re doing a lot of things well, and there are some things, certainly we can improve on. I think overall, I like how we developed in terms of offensively with the passing game early, now the run game and I think that bodes well moving forward. Then defensively, I like how our defensive line is doing some things up front as of late with the quarterback and the rush element. Our special teams overall, I think they’ve continued to play fast and physical and fundamentally sound. There’s certainly a lot to work on and I know as a staff today we tried to outline those key points so that we can go to work on those for the next couple of days here.”‘
Analysis: Bills RBs, O-line bullied the Patriots’ dime run front
‘Last year, New England ranked No. 6 in the NFL against the run. But last year, the Patriots could play their dime defense with a monster at middle linebacker in Pro Bowler Dont’a Hightower. He’s sitting at home, having opted out due to the pandemic. His replacement, Ja’Whaun Bentley, is a third-year, former fifth-round draft pick and a big downgrade. The Pats also had a fierce edge-setter last year in Kyle Van Noy. He’s with the Dolphins.’
10 observations: Justin Zimmer’s forced fumble saves the day for Bills
‘“Zim came in at the end of the game and probably made the play of the year so far,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “We have the Patriots driving down the field looking like they’re going to either score or put the game into overtime. Our tackle comes up with the huge play and changes the entire game. Happy for him and happy for this team.”’
Column: Bills find their run game at the perfect time
‘”We just kept it personal that we were going to run the ball today,” Dawkins told reporters on a video call. “We wanted to set our running backs free. And I’m just happy to say that we’re blessed enough that we went out there and we did it.”’
Column: A toast to the Bills for finally beating the Patriots, despite a dry aftertaste
‘McDermott could only imagine what it might have been like with a packed stadium, a community catharsis for all those Patriots victories and times the Bills thought they were closing the gap between the franchises, only to lose again.’
Bills’ Dean Marlowe steps in for Micah Hyde, seals victory with fumble recovery
‘“Big credit to Justin Zim and the whole defensive line,” Marlowe said. “The whole unit with that play. Great work ethic. He made a great play at a great time and I happened to be there and see the ball come out and hopped on it. And that’s all she wrote right there.”‘
Quarter by quarter: Patriots open to second-guessing as Bills survive
‘It’s hard to second-guess Bill Belichick, but the Patriots coach again showed a glaring lack of confidence in his offense and his quarterback when he opted for an onsides-kick attempt after his team had tied the game, 14-14. The Bills recovered.’
Report card: Bills’ rushing attack earns an easy ‘A’ grade
‘It was on its way to an easy “F,” but Justin Zimmer forced Patriots quarterback Cam Newton to fumble with less than a minute to play and Dean Marlowe jumped on the loose ball to secure a victory, so that automatically raises it to a passing grade. The run defense was solid in the first half, limiting New England to 44 yards on 14 carries. Marlowe, in for the injured Micah Hyde, dropped running back James White for a loss of 2 yards in the second quarter on a third-and-2 play. Things got much worse in the second half. The Patriots converted a third-and-10 on the ground. Linebacker Matt Milano was in position, but couldn’t tackle Rex Burkhead. Given Milano’s lack of playing time, it’s fair to wonder just how much his pectoral injury is impacting him. The linebackers overall are a problem. Tremaine Edmunds (six tackles) and A.J. Klein (three tackles) did not have many – maybe any – impactful plays.’
Bills win 24-21 to snap home losing streak against Patriots; Newton fumbles game away
‘Yes, 2020 just keeps getting weirder and weirder by the day.’
Report card: Beating Patriots is nice for McDermott but a reason to celebrate for Bills fans
‘McDermott did allow himself one moment where he veered away from his standard cliché answers and acknowledged what this victory meant to a fan base that was starving for it. He’s only been here for a small portion of New England’s dominance, so while the win was nothing more than checking another box in a long season for him, he knew what it meant to western New York.’
There’s no way to criticize this win by Buffalo
‘The big issue, as it’s been all season, was Buffalo’s inability to stop the run.’
No 6-2 or-better Bills have ever missed playoffs
‘This is the 12th time in franchise history that the Bills got off to a 6-2 start, and they have made the playoffs the first 11 times. They did it in 1964 and ’65 en route to the American Football League championship, in 1974 and ’80, from 1988-’93 and finally, last season.’