Olean Times Herald

‘Part of the Bills’ defensive problem has been an inability to generate a consistent pass rush with only 10 sacks, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. But even more compelling is the lack of persistent pressure, which is why coordinator Leslie Frazier’s unit is 24th in the NFL in passing yards given up per game (263).’

‘Worst of all, the Bills, who were admittedly in practice limbo not knowing whether their next opponent would be the Titans or Chiefs, didn’t appear to be ready to play Tuesday night.’

‘Titans coach Mike Vrabel, despite being without starting wide receivers Corey Davis and Adam Humphries (Covid-19 victims) and with No. 3 wideout A.J. Brown (knee) playing hurt, still opted to attack Buffalo through the air. His reasoning was that Buffalo’s starting cornerbacks were out — All-Pro Tre’Davious White (back) and Levi Wallace (injured reserve, ankle) — as was its best coverage linebacker (Milano).’

‘Only four unbeaten teams remain in the NFL, Seattle (5-0) with Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Tennessee all 4-0.’

‘Buffalo left Nissan Stadium with a 14-7 victory that didn’t exactly have the Pro Football Hall of Fame clamoring for a game tape.’

‘While Tennessee paid the price for its cavalier approach to Covid-19 protocols, that didn’t stop its players from having unauthorized workouts away from the team facilities in direct violation of league regulations.’

‘But, pro sports fines are a joke with the teams often picking up tab for the violations by coaches or players. The National Football League realizes as much and is now talking suspensions, lost draft choices and forfeiture of games for violating coronavirus protocols. That gets teams’ attention.’

‘But Allen’s epiphany isn’t limited to impressive passing numbers. He’s reduced his anxiety-inducing runs to an average of four per game, though he still has three rushing TDs, his decision-making has improved dramatically and he’s become a respected leader in the locker room almost overnight.’

‘The Bills, a quarter of the way into this season, have used an unexpectedly potent offense to drag a disappointing defense into a place among the NFL’s elite teams.’

‘Still, the Bills defense remains disturbingly suspect.’

‘It’s the eighth time Buffalo has had a 4-0 start, the first two (1964, ‘65) ended with American Football League Championships. Two other teams that started with that record missed the playoffs (1975, 2008).’

‘Both teams have more giveaways than takeaways but based on the defensive numbers and playing in a covered, state-of-art stadium, this game could well be an entertaining shootout. It could also be a double bonus for the Bills as, with a win, and the possible loss by the Patriots (2-1) tomorrow at Kansas City (3-0), Buffalo could finish the day with a two-game lead in the AFC East.’

‘So far this season, the Bills’ rushing defense (106 yards per game) ranks 24th in the NFL while the passing ‘D’ (275 yards) is 27th. Those 26 points and 381 yards per game rank 16th and 21st in the league, respectively.’

‘The Bills are scoring an impressive 31 points per game … but give up a way-too-generous 26. The last two games it’s even worse. In wins at Miami (31-28) and home with the Rams (35-32), Buffalo’s ‘D’ averaged surrendering 30 points and 444 yards in those games. The cliche is that “defense travels” so that isn’t good news for the Bills, who are at Las Vegas and Nashville the next two weeks.’

‘For the 10th time in 30 starts, he had fashioned the game-winning drive, eight of them fourth-quarter comebacks and that’s a statistic which can’t be dismissed as mere coincidence.’