‘For the first time this season the Bills scored a touchdown on their opening drive. The early lead helped propel Buffalo to a 15-point halftime advantage in a game in which they would never trail. The offense reached the end zone on their first three red zone possessions, and the defense got a pair of interceptions in the third quarter off Jay Cutler. The combination proved more than enough as the Bills won without any major threat from Miami, 24-16.’
Archives for December 2017
Mission accomplished on McCoy’s ’10K Chase’
‘“It was cool. It was fun,” he said of eclipsing 10-thousand rushing yards. “Just the guys not only this week, but the whole year. The linemen constantly telling me, ‘Let’s get 10K,’ or ‘Ten-K chase.’ There were times I’d forget about it and they’d remind me. They wanted it as bad as I did, maybe even more.”’
Top 3 things we learned from Bills-Dolphins
‘We all knew going into the game that Tyrod Taylor has a good history against Miami in terms of personal production. Sure, the Bills were just 2-2 against the Dolphins in Taylor’s four previous starts, but don’t look at Taylor for much of those failures. Coming into Sunday’s game he had completed almost 67 percent of his passes with eight passing touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had a rushing touchdown.’
What they’re saying: Bills discuss home win over Miami
‘Yeah, I thought we were dynamic in terms of the mix of run-pass and opened it up down the field a couple of times, which kept them a little bit off balance at times. We were running the ball effectively and then the play-action was working. Tyrod [Taylor] did a good job of really getting a lot of people involved in the passing game as well so I thought Rick [Dennison] called a really good game and it was good to see. In particular, [it was good] to score three times in that first half, I think it was, so that was big.’
Kelvin Benjamin active for today’s game
‘Benjamin was a limited participant in practice all week as he tries to battle through a torn meniscus in his knee. He was effective in last week’s snow game victory pulling in three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown in the overtime win. However, Benjamin also aggravated his knee injury due to the poor footing on the field and played sparingly in the fourth quarter and overtime.’
Bills Today: Taylor was terrific last time vs. Dolphins
‘It was Week 16 of the 2016 season when Taylor had his stellar outing. He completed 26-of-39 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Buffalo’s signal-caller didn’t surrender a single interception and tallied a passer rating of 118.4.’
Bills host Miami in another ‘must win’
‘Thus, today becomes a swing game for Buffalo, which currently has a 25 percent chance of making the playoffs but could improve those odds to 40 percent by beating the Dolphins. However, a loss would drop the Bills chances into single digits.’
Why some running backs thrive in snowy weather
‘”When there’s bad traction it’s an offensive game,” DeLamielleure said. “Blocking is easy because the defensive guys can’t really come off the ball. You get a good shot at them.”‘
Jerry Sullivan: Diehards get a home finale that matters
‘Incognito gets what Bills fans have gone through, because it’s been the story of his own career. He has endured dysfunction, embarrassment and chronic defeat. But like a Buffalo fan, having suffered through it has toughened him, made him appreciate the struggle even more.’
Jay Skurski’s Bills-Dolphins Scouting Report: Miami brings out the best in Taylor
‘Bills 20, Dolphins 16.’
Mark Gaughan’s Matchup Watch: Jarvis Landry dangerous in slot
‘It’s good that the Bills are getting their slot cornerback back. Johnson missed the Colts game with a sore knee but it didn’t matter due to the winter weather. This week the Bills face one of the top slot receivers in the NFL in Landry. He’s second in the NFL in catches with 88, and 50 of them have come from the slot. Landry is a good route runner and has strong hands. With an average of seven catches a game, Landry is not going to be shut down. Good tackling and tight coverage on third down will be key for Johnson. Only 23 of Landry’s catches have come on third down.’
Mark Gaughan’s Play to Watch: Dolphins’ WR screen pass
‘Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase likes to run receiver screens, and he has a dangerous weapon to execute them in Jarvis Landry. It’s an extended handoff, and even if it doesn’t get big yards, Landry has the elusiveness to turn it into a positive gain. It’s often a run-pass option for the quarterback.’
Mark Gaughan’s Big-Play Breakdown: Ndamukong Suh twist stunt
‘On this play against Oakland in Week 9, Suh (93) and Cameron Wake (91) combined on a stunt. Suh sacked quarterback Derek Carr (4) and forced a fumble, even though Oakland kept seven men in to block just four rushers. Note that the Miami defensive ends play in a “wide 9” alignment, which the Bills used under former defensive chief Jim Schwartz. Miami aide Matt Burke worked under Schwartz. Oakland center Rodney Hudson (61) and guard Gabe Jackson (66) are elite. But Suh picked on the the lesser player, Marshall Newhouse (73), and bulled past Marshawn Lynch (24).’
Pregame primer: 5 things to watch when Bills host Dolphins
‘Can Tyrod Taylor do it again against Miami? The Bills’ quarterback played the best game of his career last year on Christmas Eve against the Dolphins, going 26 of 39 for 329 yards and three touchdowns in a crushing 34-31 loss. His reward for that performance was a seat on the bench in the season finale. The scenario is different this time. Taylor has come back from being benched earlier in the season, and the Bills need him to play his best football over the final three weeks of the season if the team has any chance of reaching the playoffs. Health doesn’t appear like it will be much of an issue, as Taylor practiced fully all week.’
Jay Skurski’s Bills Mailbag: Can Tyrod Taylor save his job over the final three weeks?
‘The next three weeks will be the biggest of Taylor’s career. Not only does he have the chance to lead Buffalo to the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, he’s also auditioning for 31 other teams in the event the Bills move on from him in the offseason. With that in mind, this week’s mailbag starts with a question about Taylor. Let’s get to it.’