Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘The Bills have built their impressive defensive resume during the first quarter of the season largely on their manhandling of three backup QB’s – Jacoby Brissett of the Dolphins, Taylor Heinicke of Washington, and Davis Mills of the Texans.’

‘“You want to see this game turn fast? Put the ball on the ground and you’ll see how fast it can turn, right, because of their offense,” McDermott said of the Chiefs, who really don’t need help in the form of short fields. “But it’s emphasized every week because just look at the stats in terms of what decides wins and losses, that stat is pretty consistent year to year, week to week of driving wins and losses.”’

‘“Just being able to make that play was huge for the defense as a whole,” Edmunds said. “It was a good time for it. I wouldn’t be able to make that play if the other guys weren’t doing their jobs. Everyone was executing at a high level to allow me to make that play.”’

‘I’ve been saying for months, whenever I’ve been asked about Knox, that he is the right man for the job in this offense because I felt there was still some untapped potential in that athletic 6-foot-4, 254-pound body. Four games into the season, Knox has proven me correct.’

‘Had the Bills been playing most other teams in the league, this wouldn’t have been nearly as one-sided as it wound up being in what was largely a classic play down to the level of the competition kind of day.’

‘Yes, it’s the biggest game because it’s the next one. But it’s also the biggest game because it’s the biggest game. This Chiefs team had its way with the Bills twice in 2020, one here and one there, and the one there was painful, a 38-24 wipeout in the AFC Championship Game.’

‘After a week when he was almost flawless, Josh Allen looked a little more like the Week 1 and Week 2 version of himself. In the end the numbers looked fine – 20 of 29 for 248 yards, two TDs and a pick – but there were some struggles, especially in the red zone when the Bills failed to score a TD on their first four trips.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Buffalo Bills 30, Houston Texans 10.’

‘“Sure, you could say that,” Allen said of the Houston loss being his turning point. “That one … it really drove me. Just the attention to detail that I started putting into offseason work, mechanics, and, like coach (Sean McDermott) says, being a student of the game and just loving and embracing the process that this game is all about.”‘

‘“I know people talked about his inaccuracy and those kinds of things, and basically that was just fundamental stuff,” said Culley, now the Houston Texans head coach who was an original member of Sean McDermott’s staff. “You just wanted to get him fundamentally right, because you knew it was all there.”’

‘“I think he can make every throw,” McDermott said of Mills. “And he’s mobile enough to get out of the pocket and extend plays. He’s extremely smart – not just by the school that he went to – but also because of what he does on the field.”’

‘“When they told me in the offseason that they were gonna go after him, I already knew it was a good fit without seeing him with our offense just because I’ve been with the guy before,” said Sanders’ old college buddy from SMU, Cole Beasley. “I know how he works and he’s still one of the hardest practice players on our team, even at 34. It’s just fun to watch him and he’s been doing it for a long time. It’s fun to watch a veteran guy go to work and that’s an example of leading for the other guys as well.”’

‘Even in the loss to Pittsburgh – which, looking back now given the way the Steelers have played since is a real head scratcher – the defense limited Ben Roethlisberger and company to one touchdown and 252 yards. Last week in Miami, it was total domination as the Dolphins never scored and gained 213 yards.’

‘But Sunday, Allen came out firing and if not for a great play by Washington’s Antonio Gibson on his long catch and run touchdown, and then a miscue on special teams which set up another quick Football Team score, this one would have been a colossal blowout. As it was, it was your average run of the mill blowout.’

‘“When we got word that we were going to be aggressive there, I love those types of situations,” said Allen, who operated that 26-second drill the way the greats of the game, the Bradys and Rodgers and Mannings all have. “That type of trust that you have in your offense, we feel that when coach is allowing us to go out there and be us. It’s a good feeling.”’