‘And, at 10-3, the Bills remain on top of not only the division, but also the entire American Football Conference. If form holds, with four to play and wins them all, Buffalo will host every playoff game as long as it’s alive in the postseason.’
Archives for December 12, 2022
Observations: Greg Rousseau, Bills’ defensive line puts in punishing performance in win over Jets
‘“We know we’ve got to step up,” Rousseau said. “Von is still with us. He’s still paying attention. He’s still in our meetings on the phone, Zoom, all that stuff. So I mean, we’re doing it for him. We’re doing it for us. I mean, we don’t see that as he’s out. We just see it as we’ve got to step up, do our 1/11th out there and make plays and get the job done.”’
Ryan O’Halloran: Drawing penalty fun, but Dawson Knox’s touchdown should force Bills to prioritize him more often
‘That we’re talking about a drawn penalty and a second-quarter touchdown sums up the Bills’ win. It was non-descript. It was closer than necessary thanks to shoddy fourth-quarter execution. It was maddening and frustrating and maybe even a little concerning. It was a football root canal minus the numbing agent.’
‘Game changer,’ ‘playmaker,’ ‘special dude’: Matt Milano again shows his importance to Bills defense
‘“He’s tough as nails, guys love him for it,” McDermott said. “We got a bunch of guys that have been out, guys playing hurt. Not just Matt, but Matt had a busy week in the training room and goes out there and plays his butt off for his teammates. So, I applaud him for it.”’
Three questions: Jets prove again their defense is a bad matchup for Bills
‘First, New York can get a decent amount of pressure against the Bills’ offensive line with four men. That means the Jets can mix zone-coverage looks with seven men in coverage. That helps keep Josh Allen from getting a lot of easy completions. New York has two outstanding outside cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. So the best place to attack them through the air is the middle of the field. But the Bills didn’t have enough success hitting their middle-of-the-field receivers. This is a matchup in which a more effective slot receiver than Isaiah McKenzie would be helpful.’
How It Happened: Key plays, standout players from Bills’ 20-12 win over the New York Jets
’29. The Bills’ first-quarter yardage total, second-lowest of the year (15 vs. Cleveland in Week 11) and only the fourth first-quarter under 100 yards.’
Plays that shaped the game: Empty-backfield sets gave Bills’ offense a little needed juice
‘Josh Allen was 9 of 11 passing for 77 yards out of empty, according to Buffalo News charting. His longest completion, a 32-yard pass to Stefon Diggs, came out of the empty set and set up the Bills’ third-quarter touchdown.’
Bills report card: Defense lifts sputtering offense in win over Jets
‘Sean McDermott lost a challenge that he never should have thrown the flag on. The bigger issue, though, is the team’s frustrating inability to close out games. The fourth quarter started with the Bills holding a 17-7 lead, but the offense couldn’t convert a third and 3 and had to settle for a 49-yard field goal by Bass that extended the lead to 20-7. After that, the offense went three and out on its final three possessions. Some of that can be attributed to execution, but part of it goes on play calling, too. “We’ve got to look at that and be objective, be very objective, about that and be truthful,” McDermott said. “Whether it’s the punt team in that situation or the offense and making sure we can put the game away. We had an opportunity there … so again, that starts with me, putting them in position and then just being fundamentally better in those situations. It’s important that we continue to grow in that area for sure.” Of the eight called penalties against the Bills, seven were on the offensive line.’
Bills offense trudges past pesky Jets, 20-12, in sloppy weather
‘Fortunately for the Bills, they found a little magic at the end of the first half – not coincidentally right after the Jets lost their most dominant defensive player, Quinnen Williams – and then did just enough in the second half to squeeze past a New York team that, without question, has been the toughest opponent the Bills have played all year.’
Bills Report Card: Greg Rousseau, defensive line bail out offense to put away Jets
‘Rousseau had a great day as he also batted down a pass and made two tackles, but he was not alone. Shaq Lawson and A.J. Epenesa had sacks and Epenesa also forced a fumble and batted down Mike White’s final pass of the game which secured the victory.’
Bills survive late comeback attempt vs. Jets, Greg Rousseau shines in 20-12 win (Report card)
‘Dion Dawkins was flagged three times with two penalties being accepted. Rodger Saffold was beaten by Quinnen Williams early in the game for a sack and was penalized for a false start on a play where Josh Allen was attempting to get the Jets to jump. Spencer Brown really struggled in the win and Mitch Morse was not able to hold his block late on Josh Allen’s run attempt. He was knocked into Allen on the play which forced Buffalo to punt.’
Bills’ Sean McDermott defends starting Dane Jackson over Xavier Rhodes, Kaiir Elam
‘“Just trying to put our best guys out there. Just looking at things and trying to put our best 11 out there so we can play our best football,” McDermott said. “I thought Tre had some good plays, I thought Dane made some good plays.”’
Jets’ Robert Saleh makes bold prediction following 20-12 loss to Bills
‘Following the team’s 20-12 loss to the Bills, Saleh spoke to the media at the podium. While talking about the loss, Saleh told the media, “We’re going to see these guys again.” When asked why he believed this, Saleh followed up stating, “I just think we are.”’
How bad did the Bills hurt Mike White? Robert Saleh gives injury update on Jets QB
‘Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters postgame that White was heading to the hospital. The Jets announced that White was dealing with two rib injuries and tests were going to be performed for potential internal injuries.’
‘You can see Mike White’s soul leaving his body:’ Fans, media react to Bills pummeling Jets QB
‘On Sunday, White showed that he was tougher than a two dollar steak after taking multiple shots from the Buffalo Bills’ defense. Clean and perfectly timed hits from Ed Oliver, Matt Milano and company had White seemingly down and out of the game twice, but he refused to stay out and returned to the game on two occasions.’