Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“I’ve been learning a lot from him and he doesn’t even know it,’’ Allen said Wednesday after practice. “When I was a young kid, just seeing how he handles himself in interviews, news conferences, how he handles losses and how he handles wins. Off the field he seems like he has a great amount of respect from his teammates, and everyone who comes in contact with him. He was one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up.’”

‘“They are who they are,” he said. “I can remember talking to London Fletcher who played against them and he said they run the same stuff they ran back when he played. Tom (Brady) and (Bill) Belichick have a foundation of who they are and each week they do a great job exploiting matchups and then they find the mismatch and go to those guys.”’

‘The Bills are obviously taking a cautious approach with Singletary because rushing a player back from a hamstring injury can be highly detrimental. It’s an injury that needs to heal properly or else the risk of doing further damage — and potentially missing more time — increases.’

‘“I tell everyone that she’s the strong one,” he said. “She’s kept me positive through all this. I was the one who wanted to stay home and not come back to Buffalo when we found out, but that wasn’t her plan, she wanted me to be here. Ultimately, I think her being so positive and getting my butt over here, that’s why I’m in this position.”’

‘Do the Bills, who have lost 30 of the 33 games they have played against Brady, have a chance in this game? Sure, everyone has a chance in the NFL, the old “on any given Sunday” mantra is still alive and kicking. Team USA had a chance against the Soviets, and Buster Douglas had a chance against Mike Tyson, too, and look what happened.’

‘“He’s got a lot of pressure on him with where the Bills have been,” Eichel, who is entering his fifth professional season, said of Allen, who is into his second. “I thought he did a good job stepping in last year. It was a bit of a learning experience for him, but I thought he got better as the year went on. I love watching him play. You can tell he wants to win so bad, and he’s a really good guy.”’

‘We all expected big strides from the 21-year-old in his second NFL season, but in these first three games, Edmunds has been a ghost. He has 19 tackles, only one for lost yardage, and two pass breakups.’

‘The Bills have Jordan Phillips as part of the defensive tackle rotation with starters Star Lotulelei and Ed Oliver, but they will clearly have to add someone to the 53-man roster. Kyle Peko is currently on the practice squad and he could be an option.’

‘Given the way the Bills dominated the first half, this one should have been over long before it was but, they are, after all, the Bills. Nothing is ever easy.’

‘But this was also a correction to the rising stock that was Josh Allen. He made a half dozen poor decisions and the offense went into a funk. Another stellar effort by Buffalo’s Top 10 defense was nearly squandered. Let a team hang around, and bad things happen.’

‘This group, the third of the Sean McDermott era, is wired differently. It does not quit, does not let adversity drain it of life. And that characteristic, more than any other, is why the Bills recovered from a lousy second half where they blew a 14-0 lead and pulled out a pulsating 21-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.’

‘Look, picks are going to happen. Even that guy in New England throws them once in a while. But this particular type of interception, the one that very nearly sent the Bills tumbling to what would have been a mortifying, soul-crushing type of loss, has to stop, here and now.’

‘Bills 27, Bengals 14.’

‘“Everybody wanted to go celebrate with (McKenzie) on that little jet sweep Sunday, but I was the first one to go get Dawson Knox and make sure that he knew I understood what he did and how crucial he was on that play,” said Allen. “It’s extremely important for us. We take pride in what we do. Our receivers know that the run plays, they’re not getting the ball but they’re still doing their job and blocking down the field.”’

‘“Well, that’s up there,’’ said McDermott when asked where finding a stellar safety tandem ranked on his to-do list. “Just in terms of … the types of people they are and then the types of players that they are, the fabric of what they can do and their versatility.’’’