Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘On the year, he has 267 yards on 85 carries and no touchdowns. A 3.1-yards-per-carry average that lags so far behind his 4.6 career mark, we’re starting to think McCoy is playing wearing cement shoes.’

‘“Things were just starting to slow down for me, so I’m anxious to get back out there and see if that continues. With the help of (those around me), I think it will,” Allen said.’

‘There’s a chance Allen could play Sunday, depending how his week progresses. A matchup of the No. 3 and No. 7 picks in the draft would elevate the game’s appeal from nowhere near Broadway to just off Broadway, certainly better than Josh McCown vs. Derek Anderson.’

‘But maybe you don’t need to talk about the Bills when you talk about the Bills.’

‘How maddening is this, especially for the Buffalo defense, which continues to fight as hard as it can to keep the Bills in games? The Bills held Chicago to 11 first downs and 190 yards of total offense yet lost by 32 points. If that sounds historic, it is.’

‘But while it could happen as soon as this Sunday’s game at the New York Jets, the coaching staff could play it safe with their prized first-round pick and wait until the Nov. 25 home game against Jacksonville. That would give Allen three weeks more of rehabilitation and three more weeks for the Bills to maybe plug the holes in their leaky offensive line that has only gotten worse since Allen’s elbow injury on Oct. 14 against Houston.’

‘Manuel was Buffalo’s first-round draft pick in 2013, a decision that was clearly ill-fated because the Bills’ deep thinkers at that time – Buddy Nix and Doug Whaley – completely failed in their evaluation of the Florida State product. He was probably a fourth-round talent, similar to Peterman who was a fifth-round pick by the Bills in 2017.’

‘Meanwhile, a beer will cost you $10. And, based on the team’s trajectory, you might need it.’

‘There are so many words that can be used to describe the state of the 2018 Buffalo Bills, but they are the words that, if I had said them in my mother’s presence when I was a kid, she would have cleansed my mouth with a bar of soap.’

‘They barely have the personnel to stay in games let alone win, and all of that is sequestered on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a gross roster imbalance that has led to seven losses in nine games for the simple fact that in a league now dominated by offense and scoring, even the best defenses get scored on. Thus, if you can’t score even a little, which Buffalo can’t, you have no chance to win.’

‘The Buffalo Bills have assembled such a poor cast of characters 1 through 11, it would not have mattered had Josh Allen, Derek Anderson, Matt Barkley — hell, Jim Kelly for that matter — was under center.’

‘This team has become an embarrassment. It is barely capable of competing, yet alone winning, and there are reasons up and down the roster, in the coaching staff, and in the front office, for this putrid product that we have been forced to watch. The Bills have now scored eight touchdowns in nine games, good for 96 points, barely 10 per game. No team in NFL history could win on a consistent basis with an average like that, not even the 1985 Bears or 2000 Ravens, teams with two of the best defenses in NFL history. The season can’t end fast enough.’

‘Anderson and Edmunds both sustained concussions in Monday night’s 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots. Nathan Peterman is expected to start at quarterback and Edmunds, the team’s leading tackler will be replaced in the starting lineup by Julian Stanford.’

‘Bears 23, Bills 7.’

‘This is just the 13th time the teams have met, with the Bears holding a 7-5 lead. In the last game, E.J. Manuel led a comeback 23-20 victory in overtime at Soldier Field on opening day in 2014. The previous “home” game for Buffalo came in Toronto in 2010, a 22-19 Chicago victory. The Bears haven’t actually played in Buffalo since 2002, a 33-27 overtime Bills victory led by Drew Bledsoe who threw for 328 yards and four TDs including the winner to Travis Henry.’