Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘It’s way too early to dare to think Josh Allen and Robert Foster could ever get close to the same ZIP code Buffalo’s all-time greatest pass duo occupied, but it sure has been fun watching the two rookies grow together in 2018.’

‘“Coach always says, ‘Always prepare like you’re playing this week,’” said Ford, who himself tweaked an ankle but was clearly feeling no pain as he celebrated Buffalo’s hard-fought 14-13 victory over Detroit. “From the beginning of the year, my eyes were on the prize and they moved me up. Injuries are just part of the game and you need to be ready.’’’

‘The Bills found a way to win a game that very easily could have gone the other way, and that’s another step this team needed to take in its development. The Bills took a fourth-quarter lead, but there was much work that needed to be done, and for the most part, it got done. The defense held off two Detroit possessions forcing a missed field goal and a punt, and the offense needed to melt the remaining clock away. It didn’t succeed after the missed field goal, but given a mulligan and taking possession with 2:50 remaining, Josh Allen picked up two first downs and kept the ball away from Matthew Stafford to secure the 14-13 victory.’

‘“We’ve eliminated ourselves from the playoffs, but there’s a bigger purpose,” said coach Sean McDermott when asked what his team has left to play for. “The bigger purpose is how we develop into that team that we’re trying to become. I’m really looking at the quality of our play and how we develop. Certainly, we want to win games, don’t get me wrong. We’re trying to sustain success over the course of time. That’s what we want to do, that’s how you win a world championship. In order to get there, though, there’s evaluating our roster, knowing who we like, who can help us moving forward and who may not have taken advantage of the opportunity, quite frankly.”’

‘“Josh is the leader,” coach Sean McDermott said the other day. “That’s a little bit different for a rookie to be the leader, but the position that he plays and the way that he’s played and earned their respect, he’s the leader on the offense.”’

‘“I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been doing this for a long time,’’’ Williams said. “’I look at you and see someone who is going to be a cornerstone here for a long time, and you play the MIKE position where at the end of the day, you need to be a bell cow, so let’s get this started early, I’ll help you,’ and he did a great job. Tremaine is great with questions and great with communicating with us. He lives by the-less-is-more philosophy, which isn’t always a bad thing.’’’

‘“I just feel like Josh Allen oozes so much potential and so much ability,” said Quinn during an appearance on a CBS Sports podcast. “First off, he’s 3-5 as a starter on the Bills. We’re talking about the Bills! Like, they are so far removed from what they were as a team last year with the things they’ve done and changed. He has given that team, that city, hope. He is so good and he has so much upside.”’

‘“I’m not really looking to run the ball,’’ said the kid who is making people forget about Doug Flutie and Tyrod Taylor. “When option 1, 2 and 3 aren’t there, that’s when I try to exploit the defense with my legs. It’s been working the last few weeks, but I know it can’t keep happening repeatedly.’’’

‘The Bills would be foolish to retain McCoy. Cutting him is the right move for him, as it might give him a chance to flourish at the end of the line and make a final push for Hall of Fame consideration, and it’s the right move for the team, particularly from a financial standpoint given his $9 million cap figure in the last year of his contract.’

‘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.’