Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson had a quiet, low-impact game, the team’s best cornerback, Christian Benford, gave up five catches on six targets for 83 yards and two TDs. And starting linebackers Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano were uncharacteristically sloppy and ineffective.’

‘“I think this is one of the craziest games,” Coleman said. “Felt like the longest fourth quarter ever. We had a chance and we just had to keep capitalizing. … We knew what we had to do to win it.”’

‘“I don’t go into a game and say, ‘I don’t want to make any plays today,’” Oliver said. “That’s the objective every game, they rolled my way this past game and I was happy with me, for my own personal reasons. But it could have been anybody and I’d have been just as happy.”’

‘It certainly didn’t take long for new head coach Mike Mularkey to get a taste of some the madness and frustration that had engulfed the Buffalo Bills at the start of their 17-year playoff drought.’

‘Babich reeled off the usual cliches about how every player has to “do his 1/11th” and how they need to be “connected on our styles of play” but the bottom line is something that Babich fully understands. Yes, they won, and there were a few good moments with all of those coming in the last three Baltimore possessions when the defense finally woke up and did its part to help deliver the victory.’

‘Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson suffered a quad injury that McDermott said flared up after the game and he sat out Wednesday’s practice. So did backup linebacker/special teamer Shaq Thompson who aggravated the hamstring that forced him to miss most of training camp. “Neither of those two will practice today, and then everyone else will be practicing in some capacity,” McDermott said.’

‘This was not a tough choice for the voters after Allen led the Bills to a remarkable 41-40 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, rallying Buffalo from a 15-point deficit by producing 16 points in the final four minutes.’

‘Mathis, 27, was drafted No. 47 overall by Washington in 2022 and played three seasons with the Commanders before he was waived late last year. The New York Jets claimed him off waivers. Mathis spent most of training camp with the Jets but he was released prior to the third preseason game.’

‘”We were really worried,” Dopp-MacDonald said. “When are we showing up here? Where is this team that we’ve been building and that everyone has us ranked so high?”‘

‘They do because next up for Buffalo is a trip to the Meadowlands for an AFC East game Sunday against the Jets who were definitely feisty in their opener as it took a 60-yard field goal by Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell with 1:03 left to give the Steelers a 34-32 victory.’

‘Tre’Davious White missed Week 1 with a groin injury after being listed as doubtful coming into the game. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that White, who He hasn’t practiced since suffering the groin injury on Aug. 21, is improving.’

‘Johnston is a McDermott doppelgänger — bald head, fair skin and orange scruff — and has long been compared to stand-up comedian and actor Bill Burr.’

‘We didn’t know it at the time because on opening day in 2003, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had only started four games against the Bills. True, he’d won all four, but no one had any indication of the misery to come over the next nearly two decades.’

‘Again, it was a dreamy Week 1 for Buffalo, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. One of the Bills’ primary mantras is taking it one game at a time and that means concentrating on their visit to MetLife Stadium Sunday to face a Jets team that gave Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers all they could handle before blowing a 26-17 lead and succumbing 34-32.’

‘More than half a day has passed and I’m still finding it hard to believe that the Buffalo Bills came back to beat the Baltimore Ravens 41-40 in a game that might hold up as the best one we’ll see in the NFL this season. And why not, given that it’s one of the best games anyone has ever seen in more than a century of NFL football.’