Niagara Gazette

‘In Sunday’s 37-3 beatdown, McDermott called the defense like a predator stalking its wounded prey. Instead of sending four rushers like usual against a Washington offensive line that surrendered 10 sacks in the first two games, McDermott sent linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks at a quarterback making his fourth career start, hoping — or perhaps knowing — he would crack under pressure.’

‘“I don’t have the ability some of these smaller, shorter backs starting and going,” Murray said. “So I’ve kind of always just thought if I can see a hole and just hit it, then I can use that to my advantage, as opposed to the defense making me stop my feet and have me get back going. So I’m losing that momentum, losing that power and losing that speed.”’

‘“When you’re going against a good front, making sure you’re getting the ball out and getting our guys in space and forcing those interior D-lineman to move around the field and tire them out just a little bit,” Allen said. “Making sure we’re spreading the ball around fairly evenly and just being two dimensional.’

‘“He’s been very impressive to this point,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “And it doesn’t appear that it’s too big for him. That’s what you read about in articles about him and who he is as a person and what his teammates say about him. So it looks like they’ve got a good one on their hands.”’

‘The Commanders have 10 sacks in two games, with three from defensive end Montez Sweat. On the other side, former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young registered 1.5 sacks in his first game of the year after injuries limited him to 12 over the previous two seasons.’

‘In fact, the Buffalo Bills defense placed a target on Jacobs all day by frequently dropping a safety into the box and holding last year’s NFL rushing leader to minus 2 yards on nine attempts in the 38-10 win at Highmark Stadium. It was the first time since 2007 that an NFL running back was held to negative yardage on at least nine attempts.’

‘“Our offensive linemen did a good job of wearing on them, and eventually, you wear them down,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I think that’s when you see the running game start to take off late in the game, when we’re just leaning on them.”’

‘Allen traded his three interceptions for three touchdowns. Instead of succumbing to the temptation of score-now, highlight-reel play, Allen was cerebral and efficient as he dissected the Raiders’ defense with short and intermediate throws.’

‘No quarterback in the NFL has thrown more interceptions than Allen’s 32 since the start of 2021, so for the first time since he broke into the league, Allen has something to prove on the field and he’s likely to get the chance against the Raiders.’

‘As a result, the Bills were in situations that hampered drives almost before they were started. By averaging 8.5 yards to gain on second down, it altered play calls by Buffalo and didn’t force the Jets to be aggressive on second or third down.’

‘“It’s a double-edged sword,” Allen said. “Sometimes we get away with it and sometimes it’s the greatest play ever, sometimes it happens the other way like it did Monday night. I understand, I want to be smarter, I want to help this team win football games. I don’t want to put the ball in harm’s way or in jeopardy, and just trying to, again, trust that and trust the guys on the field with me and play selfless ball.”’

‘But is it something the Bills will learn from? Because it has been a reoccurring trend over the last three years. They stop the run all game, only for an opponent to reel off a big run at a critical juncture of the game.’

‘Allen played arguably his worst game since his rookie season, throwing three interceptions — all to Jets safety Jordan Whitehead — and losing a fumble, with three turnovers in the second half and two on back-to-back pays.’

‘All three of his interceptions — which were caught by Jets safety Jordan Whitehead — were head-scratching. He wasn’t throwing into coverage all night nor were passes being deflected. Allen just made three isolated throws that caught by Whitehead, two of which came in Jets territory.’

‘Adding Floyd — who had 30 sacks in three seasons with the Rams — will help, but they need Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa to take the next step this season to cause some damage. Rousseau showed flashes of becoming a stud last year with eight sacks, including two in the second game against the Jets after playing just 14 snaps before suffering an ankle sprain that kept him out of the next three games.’