Archives for September 24, 2018

‘“You turn on the TV, you look at the paper, across the boards from every sports channel, no one’s picking the Bills,” Hughes said of what he and his teammates saw all week. “The NFL is not like college. It’s not where someone can write up wins on a blue board. You’ve got to come out here and play four quarters of football and let the chips fall, because anything can happen.”’

‘Ivory rushed for 56 yards on 20 carries, an average of 2.8 yards per touch, and had three catches for 70 receiving yards. That included the Bills’ longest play of the day, when he corralled a short pass from Josh Allen and galloped 55 yards into the red zone to end the first quarter.’

‘“He’s done a good job of just keeping his confidence,” fellow linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said of Milano. “They’ve been on a rotation any way with him and Ramon, just getting some fresh bodies in there going back and forth, but any time Matt is playing with confidence, he’s out there making plays. Obviously, he did a great job of that, flying around today. Getting a sack, an interception, just causing a lot of havoc out there.”’

‘“I see him scramble,” Ivory said, “and we’re taught to travel with the ball, with the quarterback, so that if he does see a guy come open, he can toss it to him. On that play, I see him roll out and I broke towards the ball. We connected eyes and he just led me. That was it.”’

‘You name it, the defense had it Sunday.’

‘The Bills were 8-2 last year in games that they won the turnover battle and were 0-6 in games they lost it.’

‘Jerry Hughes vs. Riley Reiff. The Vikings’ seventh-year left tackle was off to a good start to the season, having allowed no sacks and four hurries the first two weeks. But Reiff had a long day against Hughes, who beat him clean on a speed move to force the second Kirk Cousins fumble. It broke open the game, setting up the Bills’ third score and a 17-0 lead. Reiff is the No. 11 highest paid OT in the NFL, at $11.7 million a year. He yielded a sack and three hurries to Hughes.’

‘Allen’s first half was absolute dynamite: 12 of 19 for 172 yards, one touchdown and a passer rating of 110.0. It would have been even better if it weren’t for four drops. Those dropped the overall grade a little. The Bills didn’t have to throw it much in the second half, meaning Allen finished 15 of 22 for 196 yards and a 111.2 passer rating. It was good to see No. 1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin make a couple of catches after two early drops, including one that might have gone for a touchdown. Eight players caught passes, with Ivory using a 55-yard pickup to lead the team with three catches for 70 yards.’