‘“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.”’
Archives for September 24, 2018
Ivory leads Bills in rushing and receiving yards in rout
‘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.’
Bills’ Matt Milano finds his rookie form in dominant showing
‘“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.”’
Jason Wolf: Josh Allen flashes athleticism, but pass game needs work
‘“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.”’
Jay Skurski’s 10 observations: Bills’ defense matches Josh Allen’s greatness
‘You name it, the defense had it Sunday.’
Mark Gaughan’s Plays that Shaped the Game: Takeaways back in Bills’ arsenal
‘The Bills were 8-2 last year in games that they won the turnover battle and were 0-6 in games they lost it.’
Quarterly Report: Bills’ D-line won its matchups
‘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.’
Bills-Vikings Report Card: Straight As for an amazing win
‘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.’
Where did that come from? Against all odds, Bills destroy Vikings in stunning fashion
‘Daboll apparently realized this past week that he had to figure out a way to get Allen into the rhythm of the game, and that short, quick passing was the way to do it. The result was three touchdowns, two via the rush by Allen and one through the air as Allen completed 12 of 19 for 172 yards in the first 30 minutes.’
Bills pull off a shocker with hurdling rookie QB, dynamic defense in Minnesota
‘I’m sure Sean McDermott and the coaches were ready to wring his neck when he went back to the bench after that death-defying hurdle over a Minnesota defender in the first quarter to convert a first down. It was a super-exciting play that made all the highlight shows, and it showed his athleticism and his fearlessness, but the Bills would prefer he didn’t risk life and limb moving forward because they don’t want to play another snap without him.’
Report card
‘I really thought Daboll did a nice job finding the right matchups, and he guided Allen through a terrific first half. The play call to spring Jason Croom for his 26-yard TD catch was superb and the Vikings were caught completely off guard. Daboll was predictably conservative in the second half, and I never like that, but in this game it didn’t matter because the Vikings were so bad. On defense, Leslie Frazier called the plays, not Sean McDermott and he called a great game. The Bills dialed up the pressure, forced turnovers, and had Cousins off his game all day. I loved that McDermott went for the TD on fourth-and-goal at the 1 because that spoke to his willingness to pound the Vikings while they were down. And he should have won his only challenge; the officials blew that play when they called Allen for a fumble even though it should have been an incomplete pass. Didn’t matter because the Bills scored a TD a few plays later.’
Pollock: Buffalo pulls one of NFL’s all-time stunners
‘All manner of national media, besides claiming the Bills are the NFL’s worst team, also maintained that general manager Brandon Beane made a huge mistake by trading up twice to draft Allen, who showed accuracy problems while playing at Wyoming from a sub-Power 5 conference. However, the last six quarters, Allen has played impressively, going 23-of-36 passing for 315 yards with two touchdown passes, two interceptions and a passer rating in the high 80s.’
Bills vs. Vikings in Week 3: Everything goes right for Buffalo (11 observations)
‘A quick look to the left side of the Vikings’ offensive line on most snaps resulted in a blurry visual. That was Jerry Hughes blowing past Minnesota left tackle Riley Reiff on many plays. Hughes had Cousins moving all over the pocket and recorded a sack in the game. He allowed his teammates to get a few also with his consistent pressure from his side.’
Bills’ Leslie Frazier reclaims play-calling duties, shuts down potent Vikings
‘”I want to give credit to the staff and players for getting on the same page with what we are trying to get done, what the standard is supposed to look like and started really going all the way back to our preparation on Monday,” McDermott said. “This game and this league – it’s so hard to win. You got to find the competitive advantage all over the building. … I’m extremely proud of these guys today.”‘
Why it’s OK to be ‘all-in’ on Buffalo Bills’ rookie Josh Allen
‘”The leadership qualities that he has and the play-making abilities that he has — right now you don’t see that in many rookie quarterbacks, or rookies at all,” Mill said. “There’s something about that kid, man. … He works every day to prove those doubters wrong.”‘