Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘However, it was the Bills who did the bullying. They nearly ran the Patriots out of Rich Stadium during a 20-point first-quarter scoring binge that proved just enough in Buffalo’s 30-28 victory as the Bills moved into a first-place tie with New England at 5-1.’

‘While it was true the Bills were far from perfect as the offense committed four turnovers, they did outgain Minnesota 373-276, and Orton orchestrated a 15-play, 80-yard drive in the final three minutes to pull out the victory, which was a breakout game for Watkins.’

‘“We had a ‘check with me play’ and Thurman thought I called the other play,” Flutie said. “It was a busted play, it wasn’t a naked bootleg. I basically ran the play for Thurman, but the blocks were made, the play was there and I walked into the end zone.”’

‘Others around me did the same. As the game warmed up, so did we. We were all packed in like sardines and buzzing off the energy of each touchdown and field goal scored by our Buffalo Bills.’

‘Todd Schlopy grew up in Orchard Park and after a career as a World Cup skier didn’t pan out, he went to the University of Michigan and while earning a degree in film study, he was a kickoff specialist for two seasons playing for legendary Wolverines coach Bo Schembechler in the early 1980s.’

‘Frank Reich brought the Bills back from 35-3 down to a 41-38 overtime victory over the Houston Oilers in the 1992 AFC wild-card playoff round, and it was the even more unlikely Todd Collins who rallied the Bills from a 26-0 deficit on this day in 1997 to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 37-35.’

‘But in 1976 when they went 2-12, and then in 1977 when they went 3-11 the Bills were the dregs of the NFL. Even their wins were ugly, such as this one which ranks as one of the ugliest of them all.’

‘It’s difficult for salary cap-strained teams to make game-changing additions at the deadline because the caliber of player needed is going to be costly. The Bills have only around $2.5 million available, second-fewest ahead of only the Giants, so general manager Brandon Beane – whose roster construction of the 2025 team is coming under big-time fire – will have to be willing to move a very good player from his roster to acquire another very good player.’

‘Ciarlo is a 24-year-old West Point graduate who put his military service on hold while he pursued his football dreams. He was cut near the end of the preseason and later signed to the Bills practice squad. Ciarlo was signed from the practice squad to the active roster on Oct. 4. He was inactive for the team’s Week 6 matchup at Atlanta.’

‘Offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s name has been mentioned in head coach vacancies at the Tennessee Titans and Penn State.’

‘The Buffalo Bills first ever game in Orchard Park was 37-21 preseason loss to Washington on Aug. 17, 1973. Everybody remembers the traffic jam, both the ingress and the egress, an unfortunate byproduct when you have 80,000 guests coming to your housewarming party with no idea where they were going and getting virtually no help from the under-staffed and overwhelmed deputies who were armed with a completely non-functional plan as the gridlock formed.’

‘It was rather stunning to see the Bills get overwhelmed by a Falcons team that, while individually talented, certainly won’t have any reason to keep its schedule open for early February.’

‘This was as bad as Josh Allen and the pass offense has looked since the debacle in Houston last year when he completed just 9 of 30 passes. The Falcons overmatched Buffalo’s offensive line and finished with four sacks, six QB hits, and double-digit pressures. The key was their reliance on blitzing, which the Bills never figured out.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 26, Falcons 24.’

‘With your TV subscription you can watch on your phone or tablet on ESPN.com, the ESPN mobile app, and ESPN Deportes. You can also watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV – you must watch on your phone or tablet.’