CBS Sports

‘So how did Buffalo pull it off? Credit an impressive performance from Sean McDermott’s defense but make sure to credit Allen as well. Minnesota is a really difficult place to play and Allen made it look easy on a 75-yard touchdown drive to start the game. He was aided by a pair of bonehead penalties from Linval Joseph and Anthony Barr, but he sealed the deal with an outstanding sprint to the corner of the end zone that put the Bills on board first.’

‘Under NFL rules, all plays are supposed to be whistled dead after a player loses his helmet, but this one kept going, likely because the refs didn’t notice Jones had lost his helmet due to the amount of people who were around him. Once Jones had the ball, he took about three steps before he was hit straight in the head by the helmet of Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.’

‘Earlier this week, Stephanie Maisonet, the mother of McCoy’s son, provided an affidavit that was included in Cordon’s case, per USA Today. That affidavit alleged separate abuse from McCoy — that their son would “often come home with bruises” after spending time with McCoy. And Cordon said Friday that Maisonet is not the only woman to back suggestions of an abusive history, with other women contacting her to recount “aggressive behavior towards them and towards his child.”‘

‘As you can imagine, Davis’ decision didn’t really sit well with anyone in the organization. One teammate called him a quitter, another teammate said it was “disrespectful.” But Davis doesn’t really care what they think.’

‘As they head into their Week 3 date with the Vikings, the Bills are staring at an 0-3 start to the season. Even if McCoy can play, they’re probably not going to find a way to beat a legitimate Super Bowl contender. According to SportsLine, they’re 17-point underdogs. To make matters worse, after they play the Vikings in Minnesota, they’ll have to play the Packers in Green Bay.’

‘”I meant no disrespect to my teammates and my coaches. But I hold myself to a standard. Mentally, I always expect myself to play at a high level. But physically, I know that isn’t possible, and I had an honest moment with myself. While I was on the field, I just didn’t feel right, and I told the coaches, ‘I’m not feeling like myself.”

‘If you’re looking for a silver lining, this is the best we can come up with: At least the Bills will know if Allen can play before the team is faced with using another high first-rounder on a franchise quarterback.’

‘It was Peterman’s third start of his career, and this one was somehow better than his first. Last year, in a matchup with the Chargers, Peterman went 6 of 14 for 66 yards and five interceptions in the first half alone, before being replaced by Tyrod Taylor, who was named the full-time starter again. Peterman started another game later in the season (the snow globe game against the Colts) when Taylor had to miss the game due to injury. Once Taylor was healthy, he resumed his place in the starting lineup.’

‘Peterman remained on the shelf for the rest of 2017 but the Bills traded Tyrod Taylor in the offseason, did the same just before the regular season with free-agent acquisition AJ McCarron, and with rookie first-rounder Josh Allen apparently not ready to see the field, Peterman won the starting gig by default. The results, as you might expect, were disastrous.’

‘It’s fairly clear that Allen will take over the team’s top job sooner or later, but the Bills want him to wait a little while before ascending to the QB spot. Buffalo’s early-season schedule is pretty tough, with the Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Packers, Titans, and Texans on tap in the first six weeks of the season. It’s possible Allen takes over at some point during that run, but the Bills also might elect to keep him on the bench until the schedule eases up a bit over the second half of the year.’

‘But McCarron is an upgrade for Oakland, which previously had Connor Cook and EJ Manuel behind Derek Carr on the depth chart. Cook was cut by the Raiders on Saturday, according to Schefter.’

‘Instead, Sunday afternoon ended up being a nightmare for Allen and the Bills’ first-team offense. The nightmare ended with Allen in the locker room as he got evaluated for a head injury. Allen would be cleared to return by doctors, but when the second half started, it was Peterman under center.’

‘The 35-year-old free agent, released by the Bills in May, announced on Twitter over the weekend that his father had passed away. On Monday, while visiting Scottsdale’s Messingers Funeral Home, Incognito “created a disturbance” by “acting erratically” and at one point making a “gun gesture toward one of the employees,” per Florio. Police reports indicated that Incognito also said he had guns in his truck, which proved to be true after police located and impounded weapons in his vehicle.’

‘These are all good signs for the Bills, a team that made the playoffs last season for the first time since 1999. But there’s still a long way to go. First, Buffalo’s schedule over the first two months of the season is brutal — the first eight games are against the Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Packers, Titans, Texans, Colts and Patriots.’

‘With that being said, it still seems like McCarron is unlikely to win the starting job. Allen and second-year quarterback Nathan Peterman appear to be favored. After the Bills’ preseason opener, the battle appeared to be between Peterman and McCarron — and it was Peterman who looked the most impressive at the time. But Friday night might’ve drastically altered the race.’