Two Bills Drive

‘Allen targeted 10 different receivers in the first half, completing passes to nine of them. The Bills scored touchdowns on their first five offensive drives, racing out to a 34-3 lead at halftime on their way to a 47-10 laugher of a win at Highmark Stadium.’

‘It was that loud, the collective chant after the Bills completed a nearly perfect first half, scoring their fifth touchdown in five possessions. And it was that clear, the chant after Allen threw his fourth touchdown to a fourth different teammate, all four from varying distances (6, 24, 27 and 16 yards). “MVP! MVP! MVP!” “It was fun hearing that,” center Connor McGovern said.’

‘“A lot of young guys got involved in the game,” McDermott said. “I won’t name ’em all, but it was good to see those guys get involved, have some success, put in the work and then reap the fruits of their labor.”’

‘Now the Bills go on a rare three-game road trip against three teams with Super Bowl aspirations – the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans and the New York Jets. The Bills need only one win to get to 4-2 and have a shot to be 5-1, which would be a big surprise.’

‘The Bills’ 31-point halftime lead matched the third-largest in franchise history and was the largest since Nov. 1992 against Atlanta (38-7 halftime lead in a 41-14 win).’

‘“Honestly, that was the first time we got that,” Shakir said, referring to a man look this season. “I think it was more just a mindset of all the wideouts and tight ends. Everybody who was getting man coverage was like, it’s time to show out. Man coverage is the best opportunity to make plays. Obviously, we gotta get open. It was Josh (Allen) trusting us to get open and making plays from there. It was smooth to get a man game and be able for everybody to make plays.”’

‘Facing fourth and 3 on the Bills’ first possession, Sean McDermott again showed no hesitation in going for it, and the resulting first down kept alive a drive that eventually reached the end zone. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady called an absolute beauty of a game. A perfect first half allowed Brady to take his foot off the game somewhat in the second, or else the Bills could have been well on their way to hanging 60 on the Jaguars. If we wanted to nitpick, we could point out the team had to burn a timeout in the first quarter with 6:35 remaining. We also could point to the six penalties for 47 lost yards, a week after being penalized just once. Nobody likes a buzzkill, though, and those complaints feel like reaching. McDermott, Brady and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich all came through in a big way.’

‘“It didn’t feel like a heavy burden to me,” Cine said. “But there were certain things I just couldn’t control at the last place I was at, just injuries and things not going my way. I blame those on myself, nobody else.”’