Archives for October 2, 2017

'If you were waiting to give the Buffalo Bills’ defense credit because of the quarterbacks they faced in the first three weeks, wait no more. The Bills went into Atlanta and went toe-to-toe with the defending NFC Champions because of their defense. They hit Matt Ryan five times, picked him off twice and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. Ryan shredded Sean McDermott’s Carolina defense twice last season, but McDermott got the best of him on Sunday.'

'No one on the Falcons took a knee before today's game. The team instead stood together with locked arms.'

'"Part of it is I still have three years left on my contract," Ryan said. "That's some serious cash."'

'Clay's cleats had "#ImWithKap" written on them. Generally, NFL players are not allowed to wear custom cleats during games expect during Week 13, which is designated as My Cause My Cleats week. However, Clay's cleats otherwise meet the standards of the dress code except for the writing.'

'Ryan Davis will start in place of Lawson and defensive end, and rookie Dion Dawkins will start in place of Glenn. Sean McDermott has expressed confidence in Dawkins, who started last week as well.'

'“What more can you say about Steven Hauschka?” Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said.'

'Defense draws blood: While the Bills defense has seemingly done it all coming into Sunday’s game, they actually have not, until now. Buffalo’s defense scored for the first time this season as Jerry Hughes forced a Matt Ryan fumble which was picked up by rookie Tre’Davious White and brought into the end zone. Buffalo added two more turnovers, two interceptions by safety Micah Hyde.'

'Taylor isn't Tom Brady or even Matt Ryan. But he's capable of making plays in other ways. He's a big reason why the Bills are 3-1.'

'“He’s obviously a very good coach,” Ryan said after the Falcons’ 23-17 loss on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “We know that from having played against him in Carolina for a number of years.”'

'It didn't matter who the Falcons put on Clay — linebacker, cornerback, safety — the result was always the same. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound tight end found a way to separate himself from his defender and make a catch. '

'“I feel like he is a great mobile quarterback,” Falcons’ linebacker Deion Jones said. “He does a great job extending plays with his feet and making things happen when things break down.”'

'Buffalo's defense stopped the Falcons at the Bills 10 with less than a minute remaining when Matt Ryan couldn't complete a fourth-down pass to Taylor Gabriel, and Atlanta became the last NFC team to lose this season.'

'The Bills (3-1) got a 55-yard touchdown return of a Matt Ryan fumble by Tre'Davious White and had two interceptions against the Falcons quarterback, who played most of the game without leading receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu.'

'The Bills entered Week 4 as the only team in the league to not allow a passing touchdown. That changed with Matt Ryan and the mighty Falcons on the other side of the ball, but the Bills defense remained the best unit on the field.'

'The Falcons got a great 61-yard kick return from Andre Roberts to set them up at the Buffalo 42-yard line. After a seven-yard loss from Devonta Freeman on first down, Ryan and the Falcons faced a 3rd and 17 with a little under three-and-a-half minutes left to go. Ryan went to the air again looking to find Nick Williams over the middle, but the pass is tipped and picked off by Hyde for the second time on the day. Hyde gets up and runs back the interception to the Atlanta 35-yard line for a 37-yard return.'