Niagara Gazette

‘Indianapolis benched last year’s No. 3 overall pick Anthony Richardson in favor of 39-year-old Joe Flacco as the Colts currently rank 22nd in points and total yards. The Colts have surpassed 200 yards passing once all season, which means the focal point of the game plan is to do something the Bills have been spotty at this season: stopping the run.’

‘Miami’s 149 yards rushing marked the fifth consecutive time it has surpassed 100 yards against the Bills and the Dolphins have lost all those games. In fact, the one time Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins have defeated the Bills since he became head coach was when they ran for 41 yards in 2022. That’s because, despite averaging 5.6 yards per carry in those losses, there has always been a moment when McDaniel gets skittish, feels the pressure and gets away from the run. Though quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has hit 250 yards passing and threw six interceptions once in those games.’

‘It also didn’t matter that Bass missed nine of his last 19 kicks over 40 yards nor that he only had four attempts over 50 yards in the last 23 games. Whatever trust waned in the Bills enough to sign potential replacement Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad two weeks didn’t stop Bills coach Sean McDermott from trotting out Bass for a 61-yard field goal.’

‘The Bills are 9-1 since the start of 2023 when they score on their first offensive possession. They are also just 5-4 during the same period when an opponent scores on their first possession.’

‘“I have a lot of respect for him coming back and what he’s doing now,” Bills linebacker Baylon Spector told the Gazette. “He obviously wants it. … You never want anybody to get hurt on the field. It’s never a good thing, no matter what it is. We just got to do our 1/11 and just play ball.”’

‘Coleman’s 4.61-second 40-yard dash initially gave defenses the impression Coleman wouldn’t be able to separate, allowing them to play more press coverage, something Coleman didn’t see a lot in college. Twenty-three of his 34 targets have come against press coverage and he’s learned to thrive, averaging 20.8 yards per catch.’

‘“I don’t worry about it, really,” Bills coach Sean McDermott. “I worry about what we do, and we drive from here to home and back. … That’s what’s kind of good, too, is I don’t really know who’s doing well and who’s not other than just things that we need to work on and things we can get better at.”’

‘The middle linebacker did not practice at all — and wasn’t at the team facility for personal reasons — last week, but returned Wednesday on a limited basis. Bernard says he’s “still dealing with some stuff” and it’s the ankle injury that is bothering him most and his status is unknown against the Dolphins Sunday.’

‘Once opponents enter the red zone, that’s when the Bills start to buckle down and they have been suffocating with their backs against the goal line, as the Seattle Seahawks traversed to the Bills’ 3-yard line or closer three times and came away with one touchdown in Buffalo’s 31-10 win Sunday. The Bills are giving up touchdowns on 44.4% of red zone trips — 33% over the last four games — which is the team’s best mark since Sean McDermott became head coach in 2017, allowing fewer than 50% just once (2022) during that time.’

‘It was the kind of complementary football McDermott craves, but Cook was shifted out of a starring role and Allen no longer the game manager. Allen threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, while Cook still ran for 111 and two scores and only needed 17 carries to get there.’

‘Cooper played 19 snaps five days after being acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns, but with another week to dig into the playbook, the Bills should be able to utilize him more often. It seems unlikely the Bills will force-feed him the ball as they did with Stefon Diggs at times, but Cooper showed he still has enough juice left to be a significant contributor.’

‘“Even when there’s lulls of on offense or when we might not be clicking all the way … as long as those drives are ending in a punt … we have an opportunity to flip the field,” Brady said. “Being able to regroup and not feel like, ‘Oh, man, we got stopped because we turned the ball over,’ whether it was a fumble or an interception. And so not playing scared, not playing conservative, but understand the importance of, if we can just protect the football for 60 minutes, good things usually happen.”’

‘The last time Geno Smith threw a pass against the Buffalo Bills, Doug Marrone was in his final year as head coach. Rex Ryan was still coaching the New York Jets.’

‘But Shakir’s ability to catch the ball near the line of scrimmage and create positive yards afterwards adds another element to the offense, serving the same purpose as running the ball. It’s also clear that Allen trusts no one more than Shakir in critical situations.’

‘The Bills had some success stopping the run when they brought a safety into the box — the area 3 to 5 yards within the line of scrimmage — in the first half. They held the Titans to 2.6 yards per carry on seven attempts with an extra defender in the box, compared to 7.6 on the seven carries without an extra safety near the line of scrimmage.’