‘”You can’t come in here and be close,” defensive tackle Jordan Phillips said. “You either got to blow them out or that is going to happen.”‘
Archives for December 22, 2019
With division dreams dead, Bills should use Week 17 for rest
‘That’s true, but you also don’t want any key contributors hurt in a meaningless game. There is no reason Josh Allen should see the field. Or Devin Singletary. Or John Brown, Cole Beasley, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White or as many others as possible. Rest, and the avoidance of potential injury, is more important than anything that might happen on the field against the Jets.’
Josh Allen’s deep passing touch almost carried Bills to victory
‘“As far as the fourth-down play, they brought zero coverage, and I tried to make a play and just give somebody a chance,” Allen said. “But when we get down there, we’ve got to get it in the end zone, there’s no doubt about that. That’s on my shoulders, and there’s things I could have done differently throughout the game, especially early on, taking some early completions and just finding a way to get in tune and get in rhythm early on in the game.”’
Bills fall 15 yards short in the end vs. Patriots
‘Belichick is 35-7 vs. Buffalo, and the Pats are 16-2 vs. the Bills at Gillette Stadium. Sean McDermott is 0-6 vs. Bill Belichick.’
Bills’ defense has rare bad day, resulting in loss to Pats
‘It was the short stuff that hurt Buffalo. Two of New England’s four longest plays were screens to running back Rex Burkhead. Another one, a 30-yard connection to Julian Edelman, came on a short completion with most of the damage being done after the catch. Of the Patriots’ 10 longest plays, eight of them were completions. Every one of them is listed in the game’s official stats pack as being short passes.’
Bills have No. 5 seed, but here are the scenarios for playoff opponent
‘The Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) need to win out against the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers to secure the third seed, but could move to No. 2 if they win out and the Patriots (12-3) lose to the Miami Dolphins. If Houston and Kansas City finish with the same record, the Texans would be the third seed by virtue of a 31-24 win in Week 6.’
Once again, the Patriots prevail over the Bills, a never-ending tale of woe
‘“It’s frustrating,” the 36-year-old team leader said following Buffalo’s latest loss to the Patriots, a 24-17 decision Saturday night at Gillette Stadium which officially ended the race for the AFC East division title as New England won it for the 11th year in a row. In turn, this locks Buffalo into the wild-card as the fifth seed with all signs pointing to a visit to Houston in the first round of the postseason.’
Roth: Buffalo Bills can’t lose sight of big picture, they have a lot of football left
‘In losing a one-score game to the Patriots (12-3) for a second time this season, the Bills (10-5), just as they did in beating Dallas and Pittsburgh on the road and losing at home to Baltimore, showed they are “playoff caliber’’ just not “championship’’ caliber, not yet at least.’
Buffalo Bills report card: Josh Allen kept team close, but Tom Brady is better
‘Sean McDermott is now 0-6 all-time against Bill Belichick. And while it’s nice that his teams always give the Patriots a tough game, something Belichick readily acknowledges, there comes a point when you have to beat the best in the business. On offense, the Bills dialed up a couple pretty plays to score their two touchdowns, but Brian Daboll couldn’t find a way to get the running game going, and then when the Patriots brought pressure, there was no reasonable answer, which has been an ongoing problem.’
Buffalo Bills hang tough, but Patriots hold on to win game, AFC East crown: 5 instant observations
‘The Bills defense had to work in this one as the Patriots offense had the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game. Brady was vintage in this game, completing almost 80 percent of his throws for 271 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over either.’
Buffalo Bills had no ‘fear in hearts’ vs. Patriots; What went wrong vs. Tom Brady?
‘“They were able to set some things up, especially in their 21 personal grouping (2 running backs and 1 tight end),” Poyer said. “They were able to mix it up a little bit. We were able to get some good stops but in the end they made more plays than us.”’
Why Buffalo Bills’ loss to Patriots was still a win for QB Josh Allen
‘“I knew it wasn’t going to be the same guy that played them the first time. Everybody in the locker room knew that,” Beasley said. “We have a lot of faith in him and that dude’s gonna be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”’
Bills-Patriots: 6 reasons to be encouraged, 6 reasons to be worried after Buffalo’s comeback falls short
‘The Patriots showed that the Bills’ run defense still has its issues. Sony Michel led the way with 96 yards on 21 carries (4.6 YPC) and Rex Burkhead bounced off of two would-be tacklers to punch in a touchdown on the ground. In all, the Patriots rushed for 143 yards on 35 carries (4.1 YPC).’
Buffalo Bills prove they will be a tough out in playoffs following Patriots game (Week 16 report card)
‘Tom Brady was able to get the ball out quickly on Saturday and it led to the quarterback taking no sacks. Buffalo’s defensive line had four quarterback hits, but made no real impact in pass defense.’
Buffalo news station to air Buffalo Bills’ AFC Championship win over Raiders on Christmas night
‘The game, played on January 20, 1991, was held at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park. It was expected to be a competitive matchup, but the Bills jumped out to a 21-3 first quarter lead and never looked back. James Lofton and Thurman Thomas opened the scoring for Buffalo and Darryl Talley added a pick-six interception, the first of two interceptions for the linebacker, on Jay Schroeder later in the quarter. By halftime, it was 41-3 thanks to two Kenneth Davis touchdown runs and a second James Lofton touchdown reception. Davis would add a third touchdown and Scott Norwood would make a short field goal in the 4th quarter to complete the 51-3 drubbing of the Raiders.’