Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“Yeah, they are tough to replace,” McDermott said of the three standouts. “(Lewis, Williams and Spector) just got to go in and be themselves and we will play well around them. They did a nice job last week, but they’re focused on this week and again today’s practice and just really learning the game plan for this week here.”’

‘Then in 2021, when Allen was no longer a rookie and had ascended into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, the Bills suffered one of their most inexplicable losses ever, a disgraceful 9-6 clunker to the 1-6 Jaguars who were coached by Urban Meyer and quarterbacked by rookie Trevor Lawrence. This game was so egregious, it will hold a spot in the top 10 of worst Bills losses for quite a while.’

‘They blew a 14-0 lead to Miami and lost 20-17, and Sunday in their home opener, their defense allowed Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson to produce scores on four of his first five drives for a 16-3 lead, and the Jaguars were never able to claw back and fell 18-13.’

‘If it wasn’t so grossly hot and humid, Allen would have barely broken a sweat as he attempted only 19 passes, completing 13 for 139 yards, and running just twice for a grand total of two yards.’

‘Yeah, a lot of good things happened as the Bills steamrolled their arch AFC East rival, and Cook played a central role as he rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for 17 yards and a TD. It was the kind of game that offensive coordinator Joe Brady had to love because he wants to take some of the burden off Josh Allen’s shoulders this season, and to do so, Cook has to play the way he did in this game.’

‘Instead, McDermott acknowledged it would be “multiple weeks” which is much better than multiple months, or perhaps season ending.’

‘That was quite a statement the Buffalo Bills made Thursday night in their home away from home, Hard Rock Stadium.’

‘Tyreek Hill has never had a 100-yard game against the Bills in a regular season game, not with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and not with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. He was about as invisible as he could possibly be in this one, catching just three for 24 yards.’

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

‘The Dolphins’ turnaround was even more dramatic. They were behind 14-0 early to Jacksonville and then 17-7 late in the third quarter and the Jaguars were on their way to making it 24-7, but Travis Etienne fumbled into the end zone where Miami recovered. On the very next play, Tua Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill with an 80-yard touchdown pass and in the final 4:22 of the fourth quarter, Jason Sanders tied the game with a 37-yard field goal and then won it with a walk off 52-yarder for a 20-17 Miami victory.’

‘But here’s the reason why Lewis is still with Buffalo, a player Brandon Beane decided to re-sign in free agency last March: When he gets his opportunities, he makes the most of them no matter what he’s asked to do, and Sunday, he was asked to do a whole lot.’

‘Johnson was hurt on the seventh play of the game and that created some issues for the Bills’ defense. They had to go with Cam Lewis as his replacement, and then cornerback JaMarcus Ingram was thrust into the role of the third safety when Buffalo decided to play six defensive backs.’

‘Obviously, the Bills will have to handle the horrible heat at this time in Miami. The forecast is calling for daytime temperatures right around 90 with the usual stifling humidity, and rain is possible late in the day. Yes, the game is at night so that will help, but it’s still going to be hot – probably in the 80s – and we saw in 2022 how the Bills struggled in the heat in a Week 3 loss to the Dolphins. Last year, the game down there was at night and it was a beautiful 71 degrees, but that was Jan. 7.’

‘Of course, it can never be easy and the Bills had to survive DeeJay Dallas returning the kickoff after Allen’s second rushing TD 96 yards for a touchdown and the Cardinals’ ensuing two-point conversion to cut the margin to 31-28, but the defense – which endured an awful first half – came up with two huge stops in the final five minutes and the Bills survived.’

‘“We got Josh Allen, man, so we always have a chance in games,” said Von Miller. “It didn’t matter how much we were down. It didn’t matter what it looked like. We just got so much trust in Josh Allen and that offense.’