Archives for September 29, 2025

‘“The will to win. You know, at halftime, I could tell he was, he just had that look in his eye, and he’s just got an incredible will to win and spirit about him,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said of Allen. “I love it. Absolutely love it. … When he raises his level of play, it’s like, ‘ok, boys,’ they raise their level of play and they knew what time it was.”’

‘A catch would have given the winless underdog a one-point lead over a Super Bowl contender who was favored by more than two touchdowns. An incompletion would force the Saints to settle for a field goal and give the NFL’s reigning MVP a chance to build an insurmountable lead.’

‘The Saints finished with 298 yards from scrimmage Sunday – but they had 189 rushing yards and averaged 5.6 yards per rushing attempt, far greater than their 3.9-yard average coming into the game. Rattler scrambled for 49 yards, and New Orleans converted on five of its first 10 third-down attempts.’

‘The sack was a satisfying moment for Epenesa, who was limited all week with a pectoral injury and was questionable entering the game. But come Sunday, he felt ready to go and tried to not think about the injury.’

‘It’s time to keep talking about the defense. The Bills’ defense wilted at times against the mediocre Saints. An interception by safety Cole Bishop on a bizarre trick play call from the Saints helped keep New Orleans out of the end zone, but it still was not the defense’s best day. In the first quarter, the Saints averaged 8.8 yards per play. That number eventually went down to 4.6 yards per play, but the Saints stayed in the game until midway through the fourth quarter. A dominant defense would have snuffed out the Saints sooner.’

‘Shaheed pitched the ball to Olave, who lofted the ball toward the end zone. Bishop leapt and used his left hand to corral the pass, hauling in an interception that ensured the Bills entered halftime with a four-point lead and helped them remain undefeated with a 31-19 win over the Saints on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. It was the first pick of his NFL career.’

‘The Saints piled up a whopping 189 ground yards on 34 carries, a team average of 5.6 yards per attempt. Quarterback Spencer Rattler hurt the Bills with his legs, eluding pressure and scrambling for 49 yards on six attempts. Missed tackles and gap integrity were trouble spots for the Buffalo defense. Saints running backs Alvin Kamara (15 carries for 70 yards) and Kendre Miller (11 carries, 65 yards, one touchdown) both were productive. Rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker had a pair of tackles for loss for the Bills. Middle linebacker Terrel Bernard finished with six tackles, and fellow linebacker Dorian Williams also had six tackles of his own.’