Olean Times Herald

‘“You never can relax,” he said. “It’s the NFL so we have to bring our A game every week … no game is going to be easy. You can’t look at anybody’s record … bring it every week and come ready to work.”’

‘But that score obscures the fact that the Bills were just this close to losing a home game to the NFL’s worst team which merely outgained Buffalo in yardage (381-305) and plays run (66-51).’

‘“It’s a strange feeling every time I’m here … walking into the stadium – there’s so many good memories.”’

‘When Allen ran for the two-point conversion after throwing the touchdown pass to John Brown that let Buffalo retake the lead for good, he fired the ball into the second level of the end zone stands, just a few rows short of the former administration building. “It was one of those moments where there was a lot of stuff going through me,” Allen said. “Those fans were yelling pretty loud so I just wanted to give them a souvenir.”’

‘For the record, Buffalo’s defense, third in yards surrendered (275 a game) and fourth in points given up (14 ppg), has relinquished only seven touchdowns in five games. The Dolphins have scored four in as many starts and its defense has logged only two takeaways. Those stats, of course, raise the possibility of the Bills mailing it in.’

‘“It’s an awesome place to play whether you’re there as a player with the support of the fans or going in there as an opponent in a hostile environment,” Fitzpatrick said. “When you walk in there, there’s not a whole lot of jerseys for your team. It’s all Buffalo jerseys. There will be some 14s but they’re probably Sammy Watkins (jerseys), not Fitzpatrick.”‘

‘They own an 0-5 record, second only to Cincinnati (0-6), but Miami has been much more futile. While Flores has told everyone who will listen that his team isn’t tanking, his team has argued otherwise, losing it first four games by 49, 43, 25 and 20 points … an average of 34 per defeat. Over that span, the Dolphins were outscored 163-26.’

‘“Those days off, …we needed them. A good rest, be able to get a few more guys healthy and hopefully we’ll come out of this bye week with a lot of fire, a lot of vigor and looking forward to (playing Miami Sunday at New era Field).”’

‘The deal was a somewhat embarrassing concession by coach Sean McDermott that he had erred in trading up seven spots to take Jones – the Rams got a third-round pick while Buffalo received a fifth-rounder and got to move up – who had set the NCAA FBS record of 399 career receptions at East Carolina.’

‘“You have an opportunity to really start separating yourself,” Alexander said. “You’ve got to take them as they come, but this was a great win for our confidence.”’

‘The Bills’ 14-7 triumph was reminiscent of another NFL era and needed a major contribution from Tennessee kicker Cairo Santos but, as the cliche goes, “It’s not how … it’s how many.”’

‘The win marked the first time the Bills have won their first three road games of the season since 1993. The last time the Bills started 4-1 was 2011.’

‘Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota ranks eighth in NFL passer rating (106.2) with seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. In fact, he has a live streak of 169 consecutive throws without a pick, dating back six full games to last season.’

‘A quarter of the way into the season that perception hasn’t changed. That’s particularly true as Buffalo’s three wins against teams with a collective record of 2-9 hasn’t earned it much credibility. However, a victory at Tennessee would deliver much more impact.’

‘On the season, Buffalo has logged only seven sacks, fewer than two a game (24th in the league) and three of those have come from linebackers or the secondary.’