Archives for January 17, 2021

‘The much-hyped battle of first-rounders from the famed NFL quarterback draft class of 2018 offered little of the anticipated fireworks. This came down to a classic, old-school battle of defenses.’

‘With both kickers missing field goals and passes sailing in the icy wind, the Bills didn’t even bother to run the football for most of the game against the Ravens, deciding they were incapable of executing much in the way of a ground attack.’

‘Johnson, though, was there. He made an interception in the end zone, but instead of taking a knee for a touchback, he took off. At first, it looked like a shaky decision. But then Johnson kept going … and never stopped. He raced all the way to the other end zone – with fellow cornerback Tre’Davious White serving as the lead blocker – a 101-yard pick-six that sent Bills Mafia into hysterics.’

‘“It has to be up there certainly,” coach Sean McDermott told reporters. “To hold a team in the divisional playoffs to three points is tough to do, especially a team with the weapons they have. We had to be disciplined and they played hard the entire game.”’

‘“Fraz and all the coaches put together a game plan that we knew could work,” Hyde said, referring to defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. “Last time we played them, there were five or six plays we gave them. If we wouldn’t have it would have been a totally different outcome. We felt like we were close. I remember in the locker room last year I was talking to Po (Jordan Poyer) and said we’ve got to find a way. The great teams find a way to win those games. You saw today just a total team effort.”’

‘Crowd noise: There were only 6,727 fans in the stands, but the noise helped cause three straight false start penalties by the Ravens, deep in their own end. Lamar Jackson had to go to a silent count due to the noise.’

‘The Ravens put up 150 yards on the ground, but considering they had been averaging more than 250 yards recently, that’s a job well done.’

‘”We’ve been here over 20 years – it easily would have been our best season ever,” Ebeling said Saturday from the Abbott Road restaurant, where roughly 90% of the workers were forced onto unemployment.’

‘Beasley arrives – singing, not rapping, his voice slathered in Melodyne pitch manipulation, but earnest, emotional, committed. A laid-back trap hi-hat figure enters the mix, and the listener begins to submit to a pleasant, if anodyne, hip-hop/pop vibe.’