Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Given the difficulty of their remaining schedule, which has gone from easiest in the league in the first half of the year to now middle-of-the-pack in terms of winning percentage of remaining opponents, the Bills simply can’t afford to lose to the Dolphins.’

‘“It really all started in Buffalo, when it was cold, I wanted to see if I could grow facial hair and lo and behold it just kept growing,’’ said Fitzpatrick when asked about his massive beard, one of the most iconic in the sports world. “I pretty much have had it since ’09.’’’

‘While Wallace didn’t make the initial 53-man unit, he did enough in the spring workouts and 2018 training camp to warrant being signed to Buffalo’s practice squad. Pretty soon, it became apparent to McDermott and Frazier as they watched him work on the scout team that Wallace was worth being elevated and given a shot.’

‘“You have to have a smile on your face, come to work with energy, and although a lot of things are going on, keep a proper perspective on the fact you’re an NFL player doing this for a living so go out there and have fun,’’ he said. “That attitude, especially at quarterback, that attitude is so important because it resonates through the whole building.’’’

‘I offer this advice because I made the mistake Monday morning of watching the highlight shows. And let me tell you, it was maddening to see so many great plays being made in stadiums across America while knowing full well the Bills just can’t perform such feats because they remain so lacking in top-end talent, most glaringly at quarterback.’

‘The Bills are now 6-3, and while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, do they look like a playoff team?’

‘Well, it’s becoming clearer by the week for me, because in the wake of this mostly lame performance, I think we can all inch toward agreeing that the Bills are nowhere near ready to make a decibel of noise in the playoffs, even if they somehow find their way to January.’

‘The Bills have been winning with a combination of clutch playmaking and great breaks. This time, their high-wire act saw them slip and fall into the net. The good fortune they experienced in winning close games against the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans when their field goal kickers went haywire went to the opponent this time.’

‘On offense, it’s getting tougher to defend Brian Daboll. Again, the lack of use for Singletary didn’t make much sense, and he does not seem to have a good plan for the third-and-short passing situations that arise. Some of that is also on Allen, who doesn’t always make the right decision with where he goes.’

‘Browns 24, Bills 16.’

‘“He’s a very competitive dude and he’s gonna be bringing that fire on Sunday,’’ Allen said. “At the same time as much as people want to talk about that type of matchup, I’m not playing against Baker, it’s the Bills against the Browns and our offense against their defense and vice versa. That’s what we’re focused on this week.’’

‘“That’s what it’s about, finding ways to win,” said linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. “We still have to learn to finish off teams. Being 3-0 is great, but the teams that seem to separate over a period of time when they’re up and have a game in semi-control, they know how to put games away, so it doesn’t come down to two minutes like this game did.”’

‘Laugh if you want at how the 2-6 Browns have underachieved, but if this offense gets it figured out – and maybe that will be Sunday as they return home for the first time since Oct. 13 – they can move the ball and score.’

‘But just like “6-2 is 6-2,’’ Cleveland can’t run from “2-6 being 2-6.” Making matters worse is that the circus is back in town with the Browns making headlines for all the wrong reasons.’

‘He was signed last offseason by the Oakland Raiders to play as a 4-3 one-gap penetration defensive tackle but was released on Oct. 30.’