Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘When asked if he loves Jesus, Kelly answers with the enthusiasm Bills fans love him for. “Yeeesss I do!”, he says with conviction.’

‘If you were building a team from scratch, this is the defensive line you would craft. Young is 6-foot-5, Sweat is 6-6 and with their length, power, athleticism and speed, they not only can create havoc in the pocket, they tighten the throwing lanes with their wing spans. On the inside, Payne is a 320-pound brick wall against the run, and Allen is a 6-3, 300-pounder who excels against the run but also pushes the pocket as his 34.5 career sacks since 2017 would attest.’

‘Oliver played outstanding in the loss to the Jets and the victory over Raiders. He has totaled eight QB pressures with one sack and two QB hits, has six total tackles, five of which were considered by Pro Football Focus as “stops,” meaning a tackle that constituted a “failure” for the offense.’

‘Allen completed 31 of 37 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns in Buffalo’s 38-10 victory. Obviously, that’s a heck of a day, but there have been times when Allen won this award where he was putting up 400 yards passing and four or five touchdowns.’

‘Let’s take a look at where the Bills are in the latest round of power rankings…’.

‘With the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the currently rolling Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders don’t seem to have much of a chance to win that stacked division. However, two weeks into the 2023 season Ron Rivera’s team is right there, tied for the lead with those two powerhouses at 2-0 after a thrilling 35-33 victory over the Denver Broncos Sunday.’

‘Allen claims he didn’t see any of the media coverage of the Jets game, and all the barbs he received, and I don’t believe that for a second. These guys see almost everything, and don’t ever think that they don’t. So I think that was part of what drove Allen to be great against the Raiders, the joy of spitting it right back in everyone’s face. You thought I was terrible? Well, watch this.’

‘Ken Dorsey will never not get heat, even in victories. It’s just the way it is for offensive coordinators. For instance, I hated his play call on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the second quarter when it was still a 14-10 game. He had Allen in shotgun when he should have been under center and sneaking it in.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 31, Raiders 17.’

‘But Josh Allen essentially handed New York that game, and now the Raiders come to Orchard Park, an improved team from last season but also a team that is not expected to be playing postseason football come January. The Bills are the clear-cut favorite and they need to take care of business and get their season headed in the right direction.’

‘One of the popular theories was that Josh Allen’s propensity for turning the ball over was going to continue because he simply can’t – or won’t – pull back the reins on some of his reckless decision making. In turn, that would lead to the Bills’ narrow Super Bowl window closing even further.’

‘Benford’s all-out hustle saved the Bills four points because the defense stiffened and forced a field goal which tied the game at 3-3. It didn’t end up mattering in the final result, a 22-16 overtime loss, but plays like that can often determine the outcome of games.’

‘Gabe Davis played 94% of the snaps and was targeted just four times, catching two for 32 yards. This was not the start Davis was looking for as he begins the final season of his rookie contract looking to either earn a possible contract extension with the Bills, or get paid as a free agent in the offseason.’

‘However, after Week 1 – unlike the Bills who inexplicably lost Monday to the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets – the Raiders will arrive at Highmark Stadium Sunday afternoon 1-0 and all alone in first place in their division.’

‘The Bills have a Super Bowl-caliber squad, but it’s predicated on the offense being much better than what we saw at MetLife.’