ESPN

‘The Bills’ chances of making the playoffs fell to 57.6% after the latest loss, according to ESPN Analytics. With eight games to go and facing the second-toughest remaining schedule, the Bills must find answers to problems they’ve been grappling with since the offseason: How to improve the running game, boost yards after the catch and limit mistakes like turnovers.’

‘Bernard initially received attention from athletic trainers just over halfway through the second quarter after a scramble by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, a play that Bernard was not involved in. After talking with athletic trainers on the sideline for multiple minutes, Bernard then went into the medical tent and later walked into the locker room with a towel on his head. He was officially ruled out at halftime.’

‘As he ran towards the end zone, Allen pointed with his left hand to safety Nick Scott and then handed the ball from the touchdown to a Bills fan in the stands wearing a No. 17 jersey. He was called for taunting on the play for pointing at Scott, but kicker Tyler Bass successfully made the long extra-point attempt.’

‘Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation has announced a new scholarship program — Damar Hamlin’s Cincinnati Heroes Scholarship — that will award scholarships in the names of 10 people who were involved in his care in Cincinnati. The program will support underserved high school and college-bound students who hope to attend Greater Cincinnati-area private high schools, trade schools or Cincinnati-area universities.’

‘The sports world has reacted in a variety of ways, with programs and funding to promote heart health and increase education. Per the CDC, more than 365,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States every year and about 60% to 80% die before reaching the hospital. Since the incident, the American Red Cross has experienced a notable increase in CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) course enrollments and inquiries on how to obtain an AED. Locally, in Western New York, more than 10,000 people have been impacted by Hands-Only CPR education, per the AHA.’

‘”The same reason I hang with him, they hang with him,” Hamlin said of Boyd. “I don’t call a lot of people my big brother. I don’t call nobody my big brother. That’s somebody I really consider a big brother.”‘

‘When a player on the 53-man roster doesn’t practice, however, the team must give a designation as to why. For the Bills, they landed on “just got here” for Douglas.’

‘”Talking with the training staff, and just having a plan with [head athletic trainer] Nate Breske,” Allen said. “Obviously, a lot of moving parts but didn’t do too much today. Just taking it easy and making sure I’m putting myself in the best position for Sunday and making sure that I’m not sore. So, didn’t throw a lot today and hopefully by tomorrow, we’ll be on the field like nothing happened.”‘

‘Douglas had been among the most vocal Packers players when it came to expressing frustration over their struggles on the way to the 2-5 start.’

‘The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Fournette before the start of the 2023 league year. The veteran told the Tampa Bay Times that it was at his request and there was “no bad blood” between the franchise and him.’

‘The offense will try to find that elusive consistency and keep the positive trends from Thursday night going after the mini-bye when Buffalo faces the Cincinnati Bengals (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) on Nov. 5. With the decisive, up-tempo offense Thursday, Allen was able to guide the unit up and down the field with plays that featured minimal substitutions and gave players with the ball a chance to shine — from Allen with his legs to the team’s wide receivers.’

‘Knox, who had surgery on his wrist on Tuesday, will miss at least four games with the injury after coach Sean McDermott said earlier this week that the Bills did not have a clear timeline yet for his return. The tight end initially injured his right wrist in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.’

‘”Took a little, little fall on it and felt a little funky about it, but you know, just trying to keep it warm and keep it loose,” Allen said after the game. “I’ll be sore for a couple of days, but we’ll be fine.”‘

‘While this was a step in the right direction for the Bills’ trend of slow starts, this remains a unit with work to do with some of the issues flipping to the second half. Three straight punts allowed the Buccaneers opportunities to get within striking range and the downfield passing game remains something to work on. But against Tampa Bay, with tougher opponents still to come, it was enough.’

‘”Sean does not waver from his beliefs, from the way that this program has been built and we all understand that it starts with him …” assistant head coach/defensive line coach Eric Washington said. “You’ve gotta understand what is going to happen over the course of a season and how the great teams respond to it.”‘