Niagara Gazette

‘“There’s only one way to play football, and if it’s in the back of your mind, then you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage,” Morse said. “When I signed my extension, my wife and I, we had some frank conversations. We understood that this was something that could pop up again, it did, and we kind of dealt with it.”’

‘The Bills are a reflection of their quarterback. Sometimes they win with beautiful skill, sometimes they win with brute force and sometimes they make mind-bogglingly poor plays.’

‘Sean McDermott has proven he prefers a clock-control offense whenever possible, so it would be hard to imagine the Bills banging their heads against the wall throwing into the wind again, although don’t expect Josh Allen to be limited to three attempts like Mac Jones a year ago.’

‘“I was just tired of being down on myself, tired of trying to be perfect,” Elam said. “I just give it my all and let the work take over. I’m not trying to be perfect anymore. Nothing’s going to be perfect. I just try to give it my all and make sure I’m locked in on what I need to get done.”’

‘Buffalo is 10-0 with Poyer in the lineup this season, making 53 tackles and a team-best four interceptions. Poyer is also a critical part of the Bills’ run defense and Chicago brings quarterback Justin Fields, who became the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.’

‘“We were giving them some problems with that, so we kept with it,” Bills running back Devin Singletary said. “That’s what we had to do to get a win.”’

‘But in the last two games, no Bills player has more targets (15), catches (10) and yards (139), while his two touchdowns match his total from the first 11 games, finding the role he was presumed to have entering the season.’

‘Allen’s performance may again elicit calls that Buffalo’s offense is too quarterback-centric, accounting for 381 of the team’s 446 yards, including his second 300-yard passing game in the last eight games. But it was necessary to win the game.’

‘But now a prime time game against the Dolphins likely leads to reaffirming control of the division or amplifying questions as to whether the Bills — who are 7-point favorites — should still be anointed Super Bowl favorites.’

‘“I’ve been feeding him gunpowder and gasoline,” Miller said. “Whenever you’re 6-7 and you’ve got a mean, tough attitude, there’s really nobody that can block you. It’s just a matter of time before you get there and disrupt the offense.”’

‘“When you’re retired, there’s a lot of things to think about, a lot of thought about the past and what happened or how someone should have handled things,” Beasley said. “There’s a lot of things that I want back and it’s hard to sit there and watch people playing a game when you still have the drive to do that. I was retired, but I didn’t want it that way.”’

‘The defense wasn’t perfect, by any means The Jets were 8-for-17 on third downs, continuing a troubling trend of allowing marginal quarterbacks to extricate their teams from difficult down-and-distance situations.’

‘An offense that appeared unstoppable at the beginning of the season is now mercurial. Buffalo punted on its first five possessions against the Jets and then scored on four consecutive possessions, only to sputter with two chances to put the game out of reach in the final minutes.’

‘The Jets outgained the Bills 309-232 and were 8 of 17 on third down, but were limited to two plays longer than 20 yards, as a pass rush lacking Von Miller bruised and battered White all game.’

‘Since Saturday night is prime time for live musicians in and around Western New York, an unintended consequence directly affects the local music scene. With the Bills game on, venue owners will need to decide if it makes economic sense to have live music during the game, or that competes with the game.’