Olean Times Herald

‘But the ignominious sting of the “13 seconds” end to regulation has been on the minds of Buffalo fans for nine months.’

‘Mahomes, though an effective and intuitive runner, is the far better passer. But his greatest skill is improvising, turning busted plays into big gainers via either his legs or arm.’

‘To be sure, next Sunday’s road game against the Chiefs will be a telling yardstick of how these teams compare as the winner would have a leg up on home field advantage in the playoffs.’

‘This was the Steelers’ most one-sided loss since a 51-0 defeat by Cleveland in 1989. It was also Buffalo’s sixth-largest margin of victory in the franchise’s 63-year history. The win improved the Bills to 4-1, tied with next Sunday’s opponent, Kansas City, for the AFC’s best record. Philadelphia, at 5-0, leads the league and is followed by a trio of 4-1s: Minnesota, Dallas and the New York Giants.’

‘So not only will Pittsburgh be giving a rookie his first start, on the road no less, it will also not have edge rusher T.J. Watt (torn pectoral tendon), the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, without whom the Steelers are 0-7.’

‘Now, for the second time in three years, Trubisky has lost his job to a rookie draftee, this time to the Steelers’ first-rounder, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, and short of injury it’s not likely he’ll get it back.’

‘Versus the Ravens, who commanded time of possession 38-22 in minutes, Baltimore dropped an easy interception to keep a Bills scoring drive alive, they severely mishandled a late goal-to-go possession and several calls went Buffalo’s way, including a highly-questionable roughing-the-passer flag by the Ravens that helped move the ball into position for the game-winning field goal. In short, it’s more reasonable to call the Bills’ loss at Miami and win in Baltimore a wash as today Ravens feel the way the Buffalo faithful felt a week ago.’

‘Finally, and this might just be the most encouraging takeaway, Sean McDermott had a superior coaching game.’

‘Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, both first-round draft choices in 2018, are somewhat different in style but similar in success.’

‘Tomorrow it’s more of the same as McDermott’s team ventures to Baltimore to face the Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh, the two having been assistants under Reid for eight seasons in Philadelphia.’

‘In its first three games, Allen has been the leading rusher twice, including the road blowout of the Rams in the opener. Meanwhile, the collective three running backs haven’t come close to totaling triple figures. Against LA it was 15 carries for 65 yards. In the domination of Tennessee it was 20 rushes for 89 yards but with a huge asterisk; 10 of those carries for 51 yards, including a 33-yarder, were by rookie James Cook in the fourth quarter when all the starters had been pulled. Finally, on Sunday, it was 14 for 62.’

‘He added, “We weren’t very good in the red zone … they had a really good game plan and did what they had to do, but there are also plays we’d like to have back.” Especially a three-play sequence at the Miami 1-yard line in the last two minutes when Allen lost a yard on a run then threw two incompletions, the second a seemingly short-armed throw that bounced to wideout Isaiah McKenzie in the end zone.’

‘Other than next month’s game at Kansas City against its high-powered offense it’s the worst possible week for Buffalo to have a short-handed secondary.’

‘“It’s a huge plus for us to keep that continuity and any tweaks and adjustments are within the realm of the system,” he said. “It’s not like you’re bringing in new terminology and a brand new system. It’s what these guys have done in previous years. It’s been a great advantage for us to pick up where we left off in the past, not only with Josh but all the guys up front, the job they’re doing in pass protection and blocking and with the receivers being on the same page with Josh.”’

‘“We put together a plan and even if a guy’s not able to practice we trust that he’s spending the time going through the (preparation) process,” he said. “When a decision is made whether he’s going to play, if he is, he’s somewhat ready because he’s visualized it. If we find out he’s not able to play, that other guy who’s scheduled to step in, he’s been given those reps all along.”’