Olean Times Herald

‘Allen had his first career perfect passer rating of 158.3, beating his previous best of 146.7 in a 2020 game at Miami. He was virtually mistake-free, while throwing in a few jaw-dropping moments of mobility in the pocket or rocket-armed passing, sometimes on the same play. He finished 21-for-25 for 320 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers. In the fourth quarter, he put an exclamation point on a perfect day with an 11-yard touchdown run.’

‘At the least, Sunday’s game will determine first place in the AFC East. The Dolphins could take a two-game lead over Buffalo with a win; on the other side, the Bills would leapfrog the ‘Fins with a key win toward postseason tiebreakers. And with the Jets facing another season of Zach Wilson at quarterback and the Patriots’ offense struggling, both teams at 1-2, it’s fair to wonder if the East is already a two-horse race.’

‘Of course no one expects the Bills to repeat Sunday’s defensive performance — holding Washington to three points on a pitiful fourth-quarter field goal — this week against Miami, the same way you wouldn’t expect the Dolphins to push the NFL record for points against this Buffalo defense. But where they fall between those two extremes will be the subject of much speculation and fascination this week.’

‘“First of all, let me give Mr. Milano his flowers. He is a beast. I am a fan of his,” Bieniemy told Washington reporters this week of the Bills’ seventh-year linebacker. “Over the years we’ve played, I can’t speak enough volumes for him because first of all, he probably doesn’t get the respect that he should. He flies all over, he makes a number of tackles throughout the course of the game. On top of that he can cover, and then in that scheme, he’s just a key integral part in what they do.”’

‘While coach Sean McDermott’s defense had some early troubles — allowing a five-play, 75-yard opening touchdown drive — it made the Raiders’ offense look increasingly nonexistent as the game rolled along. Bills linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano both intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Raiders’ running game had an even worse day. Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s leading rusher a season ago, finished with minus-2 yards on nine carries.’

‘But give Allen and Buffalo credit for bouncing back: remarkably, the Bills are 7-0 the following week after those games. The week after that Minnesota game last year, Buffalo played the Browns in Detroit due to the November snowstorm. And Allen was solid in that 31-23 win, albeit in a more run-focused offense, only throwing 27 times (18-for-27) for 197 yards and a touchdown for a 100.4 passer rating.’

‘The Bills Mafia Zippo had been available for $44.95 exclusively at Delta Sonic locations in Buffalo and Rochester, but goes on sale Monday at zippo.com, while supplies last.’

‘After an NFL-leading 19 turnovers last season, clearly, an entire offseason’s worth of talk about taking care of the football — not to mention avoiding hits — went out the window. Allen was sacked five times, which you can credit a lot of to an excellent Jets defensive line and a Bills o-line with some new faces and question marks, but he also took some brutal hits on scrambles downfield, particularly when it may have been wise to seek the sideline or slide.’

‘Fan social media accounts seem to relish whenever a cable sports channel panelist picks another team to top the division. Some have gone so far as to predict Buffalo missing the playoffs entirely.’

‘Most NFL games in 2023 will air on CBS, home games for AFC teams, and Fox, home games for NFC teams. Also this season, Thursday Night Football will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, Sunday Night Football will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and Monday Night Football will air on ESPN.’

‘As the title suggests, the book follows the Bills all the way from their founding by Ralph Wilson all the way to the 2022 season, concluding with the traumatic Damar Hamlin game in Cincinnati and the disappointing playoff loss to the Bengals last January. In between is a chronological tracking of the team’s highs and lows and the many coaches and star players that have come through the old War Memorial Stadium to what’s now known as Highmark Stadium.’

‘His teammates went wild on the sideline. It was a strong reminder of why Hamlin decided to resume his football career after that traumatic, life-threatening night in Cincinnati.’

‘“I thought that we moved the ball at times, and then we stalled out or we weren’t, more than anything, probably, productive enough on early downs in the first half,” McDermott said. “And then in the second half, I felt a little bit better, moving the ball on a more consistent basis, Matt getting the ball out. I thought he got into a good rhythm, and my hat goes off to him.”’

‘That was no more obvious than when he stalked out of the locker room after the defeat by Cincinnati, before coach Sean McDermott had even spoken to the team. He had to be corralled by Isiah McKenzie and brought back in.’

‘On Friday, the sixth-year GM had to take a turn as faux head coach.’