‘There was talk Monday that the Buffalo Bills may be able to have fans in the stadium for home games by mid-October, but a tweet from the team Tuesday says there won’t be fans in the Bills Stadium “for the foreseeable future.”’
Archives for September 2020
Josh Allen’s growth is a testament to work ethic, competitiveness
‘Allen’s numbers through three weeks are a testament to his willingness to learn and commitment to improving. It’s an intangible that Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll saw as early as their first meeting in Wyoming, back before the team selected Allen with the seventh overall pick.’
Statement from the Bills on fans in stadium
‘We promise you we are working diligently behind the scenes to ensure we are ready to provide fans with a safe environment should protocols change and we are able to root for the Bills in person.’
Bills Today | Buffalo climbs to No. 5 in ESPN power ranking
‘Sound the buzzer; this take is dead wrong. Through three weeks, the Bills sport the fourth-best offense in the NFL and the second-best passing attack. Josh Allen has looked like an MVP candidate in his first three games, willing the Bills to victory with fourth-quarter comebacks in each of his past two. Conversely, Buffalo’s defense currently ranks 20th in yards allowed per game and 16th in points per game. It’s been a weird year in Orchard Park. — Marcel Louis-Jacques’
Analysis: Wraps officially are off Josh Allen and Bills’ offense
‘Through three games, the Bills’ offense is as wide open as it ever has been, and it is producing at a fantastic pace.’
What we learned from Bills’ snap counts in Week 3 win, game ball and more
‘The Bills spent the entire game in their nickel (five defensive backs) defense. Slot cornerback Taron Johnson played 60 snaps (87%), while safety Dean Marlowe came in for nine snaps (13%), perhaps in an effort to provide a bigger body against the Rams’ running game. Linebacker A.J. Klein, the starter in the base 4-3, played just one snap.’
Five takeaways from Monday’s Bills press conferences
‘“Some things we’ll have to get better at for sure. Being able to be more gap sound and tackle better,” Frazier said, referencing the win over the Rams. “We had a lot of missed tackles in those last four drives that really hurt us. It’s disappointing that we could start so well and not finish how we started. Something we’ll have to work on for sure.”’
Position grades: Rams’ wonderful scheming made for long day
‘This was one of the toughest matchups of the season for the interior D-line, and the stoutness at nose tackle was a problem. Quinton Jefferson, arguably playing out of position when he lines up as the 1-technique, got pushed around. Harrison Phillips was slightly better but had a rough day at the point of attack, too. They combined to hurry the QB to force a field goal in the second quarter. Jefferson played 44 snaps, Ed Oliver 39, Phillips 29 and Vernon Butler 26. Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth has allowed just one sack in his last 24 regular-season games. Mario Addison beat him for a hurry to force an incompletion early in the third quarter. That was the only one Whitworth yielded. All the Rams’ rollouts negate pass rush. Jared Goff was averaging a league-high 8.5 rollouts a game and averaging 10.9 yards per attempt on them the first two weeks, according to Sports Info Solutions. Against the Bills, he rolled out 10 times and the Rams averaged 9.0 yards per play.’
Jim Kubiak: How Bills QB Josh Allen maximizes the schemes being called
‘Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll devised a balanced attack in the first quarter, equally rushing and passing in 14 plays. Allen’s first two attempts were incomplete and Buffalo went three-and-out on the first possession. On the second drive, however, Allen was nearly perfect, leading the Bills on an 11-play drive for the only score of the quarter.’
Erie County will lobby state to allow up to 7,000 Bills fans into the stadium
‘The Bills had originally lobbied for 17,000 fans to be allowed in, then dropped the figure to 9,000, Poloncarz said. But county officials said they thought 7,000 was a safer number, based on the size of the concourses, public spaces and restrooms.’
A ‘great’ Bills game could have used a higher-ranked Fox team
‘It was such an exciting game that it was unfortunate that one of Fox’s top announcing crews wasn’t on hand rather than the last of its six regular teams.’
NFL: Bills might be allowed some fans next home game
‘The Bills initially requested an allowance of 17,000 fans, then lowered that number to 9,000. However, the Erie County Health Department has amended that number to 7,000, or 10% of the stadium’s full capacity. Another note in the proposal is that fans will have to abide by a timed entry and exit process. After the game, fans are expected to be released by section, with each section being required to exit a certain gate.’
Bills are 3-0, but no thanks to the defense
‘The Bills are scoring an impressive 31 points per game … but give up a way-too-generous 26. The last two games it’s even worse. In wins at Miami (31-28) and home with the Rams (35-32), Buffalo’s ‘D’ averaged surrendering 30 points and 444 yards in those games. The cliche is that “defense travels” so that isn’t good news for the Bills, who are at Las Vegas and Nashville the next two weeks.’
Focus on Bills: Can Raiders slow down Josh Allen?
‘“The quarterback is eye-opening. He’s a fun guy to watch, man,” Gruden said Monday about the man the Bills drafted seventh overall in the 2018 draft. “He can really throw the ball. He’s got a great playing style. He’s got a lot of John Elway’s playing style. He can scramble, he’s strong, he’s tough. He’s a big-time player.”’
Thurman Thomas Sees Bills’ Allen Developing Into True Leader
‘“He’s becoming a True Leader for this team,” the Hall of Fame running back wrote in a text to The Associated Press on Monday. “Showing maturity, confidence and now some touch in his passes, looking like an MVP candidate for years to come.”’