Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 27, Chiefs 26.’

‘Neither team has lived up to expectations, but the game is still of massive importance and the bulk of the country will see it in the 4:25 p.m. window on CBS.’

‘All cards on the table, I am not a subscriber to Dunne’s “Go Long” newsletter and therefore did not have access to the expose except for the sections that were made available to non-subscribers. Even in those small snippets, it clearly puts McDermott in a very poor light for a variety of reasons.’

‘Beane was careful in his remarks during a 19-minute interaction with reporters, but when he was asked whether he thought Roger Goodell would put Miller on the commissioner’s exempt list, meaning he would be ineligible to play until the league’s investigation into the matter is complete, Beane said, “We don’t expect anything based on our conversations. Anytime it’s an ongoing investigation, if something was uncovered, the commissioner does have that (option) at any point. If he feels there was something that, hey, this doesn’t look good or something like that, they could, but with our knowledge of what we have today, we don’t expect that.”’

‘Let’s also remember that changing the coach doesn’t always work, and we don’t have to look any further than the 21st century Bills for glaring proof. Did they improve after Wade Phillips was canned, or after Gregg Williams was fired, or after Mike Mularkey quit, or after Dick Jauron was fired, or after Chan Gailey was fired, or after Doug Marrone quit?’

‘There are too many flaws and what’s problematic is they aren’t concentrated in one area. It would be one thing if it was just the offense, just the defense, or just the special teams, but at various times during this disappointing 6-6 start, every unit has struggled.’

‘The defending Super Bowl champions have lost three of their last five games and are struggling on offense as they rank tied for 11th in points per game (22.9) and eighth in yards (362.6).’

‘The moment Sean McDermott made the decision to kick a go-ahead field goal in overtime, in my mind that made it a virtual lock that the Buffalo Bills were not going to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.’

‘Defensively, it was the same story that has hurt the Bills all year. The defense played well for stretches, but in the big moments it wilted as McDermott’s unit allowed 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Bills just can’t close games, and that’s a huge reason why they’re a middling .500 team.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Eagles 27, Bills 19.’

‘Sirianni’s team, now 9-1 which is the best record in the NFL, will look to stay ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East and continue its push for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. McDermott’s Bills will be trying to continue their climb back into the AFC playoff chase on the heels of an impressive victory over the Jets.’

‘Douglas played in a rotation in his first game against the Bengals, but even when he was pressed into lengthier duty because Christian Benford got hurt that night, Douglas held up just fine against an elite passing game. From there he moved into the starting lineup ahead of Dane Jackson against the Broncos and Jets, and he has been a revelation.’

‘But in the last two games against the Broncos and Jets, seeing consistent coverage from two of the elite cornerbacks in the league – Denver’s Patrick Surtain II and New York’s Sauce Gardner – Diggs has been somewhat invisible. In those two games he has been targeted just 13 times and has caught only seven passes for 61 yards. That’s the lowest yardage total Diggs has ever had in a two-game stretch during his 3 ½ seasons in Buffalo.’

‘Assuming the Buffalo Bills were watching on TV, they saw how difficult their next two games are going to be as they head to Philadelphia Sunday to play an Eagles team that boasts a 9-1 record, the best in the NFL. And then after their bye week, the Bills are off to Arrowhead (again) to play the Chiefs who, even while playing poorly on offense and committing two brutal red zone turnovers, one of them by Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, nearly beat the Eagles because of their tremendous defense.’

‘The offense was humming, the defense was dominant, and as coach Sean McDermott said, the special teams set the tone for the game on the opening kickoff by forcing a fumble. It was a dominant performance against a team that in the last couple years has given them fits.’