Two Bills Drive

‘“We know we’ve got to step up,” Rousseau said. “Von is still with us. He’s still paying attention. He’s still in our meetings on the phone, Zoom, all that stuff. So I mean, we’re doing it for him. We’re doing it for us. I mean, we don’t see that as he’s out. We just see it as we’ve got to step up, do our 1/11th out there and make plays and get the job done.”’

‘That we’re talking about a drawn penalty and a second-quarter touchdown sums up the Bills’ win. It was non-descript. It was closer than necessary thanks to shoddy fourth-quarter execution. It was maddening and frustrating and maybe even a little concerning. It was a football root canal minus the numbing agent.’

‘“He’s tough as nails, guys love him for it,” McDermott said. “We got a bunch of guys that have been out, guys playing hurt. Not just Matt, but Matt had a busy week in the training room and goes out there and plays his butt off for his teammates. So, I applaud him for it.”’

‘First, New York can get a decent amount of pressure against the Bills’ offensive line with four men. That means the Jets can mix zone-coverage looks with seven men in coverage. That helps keep Josh Allen from getting a lot of easy completions. New York has two outstanding outside cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. So the best place to attack them through the air is the middle of the field. But the Bills didn’t have enough success hitting their middle-of-the-field receivers. This is a matchup in which a more effective slot receiver than Isaiah McKenzie would be helpful.’

’29. The Bills’ first-quarter yardage total, second-lowest of the year (15 vs. Cleveland in Week 11) and only the fourth first-quarter under 100 yards.’

‘Josh Allen was 9 of 11 passing for 77 yards out of empty, according to Buffalo News charting. His longest completion, a 32-yard pass to Stefon Diggs, came out of the empty set and set up the Bills’ third-quarter touchdown.’

‘Sean McDermott lost a challenge that he never should have thrown the flag on. The bigger issue, though, is the team’s frustrating inability to close out games. The fourth quarter started with the Bills holding a 17-7 lead, but the offense couldn’t convert a third and 3 and had to settle for a 49-yard field goal by Bass that extended the lead to 20-7. After that, the offense went three and out on its final three possessions. Some of that can be attributed to execution, but part of it goes on play calling, too. “We’ve got to look at that and be objective, be very objective, about that and be truthful,” McDermott said. “Whether it’s the punt team in that situation or the offense and making sure we can put the game away. We had an opportunity there … so again, that starts with me, putting them in position and then just being fundamentally better in those situations. It’s important that we continue to grow in that area for sure.” Of the eight called penalties against the Bills, seven were on the offensive line.’