Archives for December 2021

‘“These last two weeks have been hard,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ve got a lot of competitive guys in that locker room and they want to win, and to come up short the last two weeks, against two good football teams, especially with a chance to win it in the fourth quarter, those are tough. So hopefully, down the stretch we will have learned from those situations and gotten better as a football team.”’

‘In the meantime, fans have been clamoring to see more of Davis, who impressed as a rookie in 2020 with 35 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. Playing time this season, however, has been limited by Sanders’ addition. Davis, though, has made the most of his opportunities. He now has touchdowns in three consecutive games and has increased his season totals to 29 catches for 470 yards and six touchdowns.’

‘“When I was playing with him, he used to have that red jersey, so that was the quickest ride to go home if you hit him,” Obada said. “But no, it just felt really good to hit him now. I asked for his jersey, so I’m putting that out here now, so I can hold him accountable.”’

‘Was it an impressive win? Not especially. Let’s call it a decent win. The Bills were dealing with a significant handicap with the loss of left tackle Dion Dawkins to a positive Covid-19 test. So the offense wasn’t able to pick up where it left off in the second half of the game in Tampa last week, when it marched up and down the field. Presuming Dawkins comes back, there is no reason the offense shouldn’t make amends for its disappointing performance in the first meeting with the Patriots.’

‘The Bills also made heavy use of play-action passes to slow the Carolina rush and let Allen loose on numerous bootlegs and rollouts to prevent him from being a stationary target for Brian Burns and Haason Reddick.’

‘Dependable Davis: Gabriel Davis logged his third consecutive game with a touchdown, this one a solid 20-yard catch. Davis had a 29-yard catch earlier on the drive to move the Bills down the field.’

‘Credit the offensive coaching staff for adjusting to a pair of starters on the offensive line going on the Covid-19 list ahead of the game. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s group got off to a slow start in the first quarter, but stuck with a game plan that included more running than has been the norm.’

‘During the 1996 stadium lease negotiations between the Bills and Erie County, a proposal gained traction to build a commuter train from the stadium to downtown Buffalo. Eventually, it was tabled due to costs, but with New York receiving $10 billion for mass transit through the bipartisan infrastructure package, now is the time to tie these projects together.’