Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Detroit had 12 players suffer injuries last week, with seven unable to return to the game. Veteran defensive end Ziggy Ansah (shoulder), rookie defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand (knee) and offensive tackle Rick Wagner (concussion) were key losses for rookie coach Matt Patricia, the 14-year New England Patriots assistant.’

‘But if anyone is turning cartwheels over the fact that Buffalo leads the NFL by allowing just 290.6 yards per game, please, save your energy, because ranking defenses – or offenses, for that matter – based on total yardage is rather ludicrous.’

‘“The good part is Matt has done a really good job, he grew this year and we’ll miss him, but we look forward to getting him back in the offseason,” McDermott said. “It’s somewhat similar to Russ’s.”’

‘The Bills had taken a 23-20 lead with 2:31 to go on a 36-yard field goal by Stephen Hauschka, but the defense failed in the biggest spot, allowing the Jets to drive 61 yards to the winning touchdown.’

‘Unlike the preseason, the Bills do want to win these games, yet they did everything in their power Sunday to make sure they lost to this bad Jets team, and that’s what made it so mortifying to watch unfold.’

‘When a young quarterback finding his way offsets the good with this much bad and ugly, when a 14-3 lead is blown at home against a division rival riding a six-game losing streak, he finds out quickly he can run but he can’t hide.’

‘Just a bad, bad loss for the Bills. While they didn’t outgain the Jets as much as they did the Dolphins last week, the difference was a sizable 120 yards and nine first downs, and Buffalo had the ball more than 7½ minutes longer, yet found a way to lose. The Bills couldn’t hold a 14-3 first-quarter lead, a 17-13 halftime lead, or a 20-13 lead early in the fourth, and all three phases played a role in the collapse at the end that left both Buffalo and New York with 4-9 record in the race for last place in the AFC East. Just when you thought the Bills were making progress, they lose two in a row to the Dolphins and Jets.’

‘Would it be too much to ask for this to blossom into Jim Kelly vs. Dan Marino? For now, we’d take Joe Ferguson vs. Richard Todd.’

‘It was maddening, indeed, to see the ball hit the turf after Allen had run around for his life before spotting Clay, and then to have Clay not do his job. But in that loss, there were positives to take away, and most prominent is that Allen is starting to become a must-watch player, one who has a long way to go before he’s a finished product, but one who provides some hope for this Buffalo offense that has struggled all year.’

‘Buffalo trailed 14-6 at the half against Miami and has now been outscored 155-15 in the first half in its eight losses. In the four wins, the Bills have outscored their opponent 79-23 in the first half.’

‘This is actually an ideal environment for him. There is no pressure to make the playoffs, so Allen can just concentrate on learning and improving and building chemistry and trust with his teammates, all the while competing hard to win because contrary to the belief of some, the Bills aren’t trying to lose to improve their draft status; they still want to win every one these games.’

‘“I don’t know what time it’s on. It’s a night before a game and we have our things to do,’’ said Daboll, who will guide the Bills’ offense against the New York Jets on Sunday at New Era Field. “But I’m a big fan of Tua and I hope he gets it.’’’

‘Yeah, it was quite a 16-month period between being picked 37th overall in the NFL Draft, to having a rough first season on the field, to two off-season surgeries, to getting arrested, to missing all of the Bills’ off-season program as he tried to get his body and mind right.’

‘If the Bills had a viable chance to make the playoffs, they may not have sent Johnson for the surgery. Last week in Miami he got dinged once again and had to be attended to, but he still played 30 of Buffalo’s 55 defensive snaps.’

‘“Let me start by saying (that) I appreciate, just like I do every player, what they did,” McDermott said, also referencing wide receiver Andre Holmes who joined Benjamin on the waiver wire. “Those are hard decisions to make because those are human decisions. The important thing for us is that we continue to take swings, and that’s what we did; we stepped up to the plate and you take a swing. Some of those are going to work and some of those aren’t. The only way you can get a hit is if you take a swing.”’