Niagara Gazette

‘Jackson, the last pick in the first round, was told by many he would never become a pocket passer and told by some more that he couldn’t even be a quarterback in the NFL. Now Jackson has two MVPs to his name and has redefined the position, the perceived risk of taking a running quarterback diminishing. The No. 7 pick in the draft was Allen and he had the prototypical size and arm strength to be a successful quarterback, but he played for Wyoming instead of a big-time college program and didn’t have the touch to ever become an accurate passer. Now he is perhaps the biggest overall force of nature in the league.’

‘“Our new players that are playing this year that have never played against Lamar, it’ll be an adjustment for them,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “And then just trying to get them to understand the techniques that you have to use and how on-point you have to be. And you’re never going to stop a player like (Jackson). He’s just too good. And you just hope that you can win more than you lose in terms of the plays. But they’re just so powerful. And then he’s just so explosive.”’

‘A big key to Buffalo’s success was getting the necessary time to throw. After having more than 2.5 seconds to throw on 22 of 42 attempts in the first two games, Allen had 19 such attempts against the Jaguars, allowing some longer routes to develop, as three of his four touchdown passes came on throws that traveled more than 10 yards in the air.’

‘So what is the offense going to look like this season? Whatever the game plan dictates.’

‘The Bills mustered 29 yards on the ground last season, but they have a new coordinator and seemingly a new approach. In the first two games, the Bills have called 54 runs and 49 passes, with Allen actually throwing 42 times, the fewest among quarterbacks to start two games.’

‘The Bills are 1-3 against the Jaguars under McDermott, but Jacksonville has been a thorn to Buffalo dating back to their first ever meeting, a 30-27 1996 wild-card loss in Jim Kelly’s final game and a 20-14 loss in Marv Levy’s final home game as coach the following year.’

‘“I would say it does take the edge off,” Spector told the Gazette after practice Thursday. “Not getting any reps and getting thrown out there is still like, ‘All right, let me get settled for a second,’ and you get out there and play. Getting the reps, it makes the communication part from the get go helps you start fast, it helps you not get out there and have that first play, second play, where you’re trying to get everyone on the same page.”’

‘“Now I think all teams are doing something similar and I feel like I haven’t seen anything new over the last couple years,” Allen said. “… Going back to when Coach (Brian) Daboll was here my first year; the defense can play two things: they can play man or zone (coverages). I’m trying to keep it as simplistic as possible and I’ve kind of utilized that approach since I’ve been here.”’

‘The Bills didn’t try to trick Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and they didn’t send more than four pass rushers once. They decided to play their safeties deep and stayed disciplined in coverage, daring Tagovailoa to force throws downfield or use his arm strength to to beat them.’

‘But it doesn’t appear Bernard will be out for an extended period of time. Bills coach Sean McDermott said Bernard would miss time and the team was debating about placing him on injured reserve — which would keep him out a minimum of four weeks — but there is hope Bernard could return in about a month, which was reported by ESPN and NFL Network.’

‘As Tua Tagovailoa’s wobbling third-quarter pass floated into the arms of Ja’Marcus Ingram and he ran unabated to the end zone, the questions were answered in full. The Bills intercepted Tagovailoa three times — two from Ingram — in a 31-10, holding the Dolphins to their fewest points since Week 18 of 2022.’

‘The Buffalo Bills coach can be maddeningly conservative on the field and overly vanilla behind a microphone, but few coaches get more from less than McDermott on a consistent basis. When little is expected of the Bills, McDermott demands more and his players typically deliver.’

‘The Bills are four-time reigning AFC East champions, with a 11-2 record against the Dolphins since Josh Allen entered the NFL in 2018 and a 13-2 mark since Sean McDermott became coach in 2017. Eight of those games have been decided by one score, while the Bills knocked Miami out of playoff contention with a 56-26 win in the 2020 regular-season finale, won in the playoffs in 2022 and captured the AFC East in the final regular season game last year.’

‘Allen only threw 23 passes against the Cardinals as the Bills relied heavily upon its ground game. The Bills didn’t need to throw often, though, as they racked up 352 yards of total offense on 6.1 yards per play. But against a Dolphins team that can put points on the scoreboard in a hurry, the Bills will likely to need to utilize Allen’s arm a little more often. Arizona bracketed tight end Dalton Kincaid, limiting him to one catch for 11 yards on two targets.’

‘“It’s two of the best receivers and one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Douglas told the Gazette. “It’s always a challenge to go up against those type of guys.”’