Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“I wouldn’t call it a setback, you know, it’s just a growing pain in the sense,” Coleman said Thursday as the Bills returned to practice in preparation for Monday night’s game in Atlanta. “It is frustrating because you know you’re better than that as a person and an individual and you don’t like the things that it shows. Sometimes it might show that you don’t care and things like that, and that’s not the case.”’

‘The potential good news is that defensive tackle Ed Oliver is practicing again, though McDermott said it would be on a limited basis. That has been Oliver’s designation the last couple weeks, and McDermott said Monday that he was “hopeful” that Oliver can play for the first time since Week 1. He sprained his ankle in practice a few days after that game and has missed four games.’

‘Since the moment the Bills convened for training camp at St. John Fisher University, one of the biggest questions McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich needed to determine was who would start opposite Benford.’

‘Cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. and running back Nathan Carter both trace their origins to western New York, where their families and early football journeys took shape before diverging onto very different paths to the NFL.’

‘Five games into his tenure with the Bills, 2025 free agent signee Joshua Palmer is following in the footsteps of 2024 free agent signee Curtis Samuel, and that’s not a good thing.’

‘On Monday, McDermott was asked whether that “too cute” remark referred to the Allen-Knox play. He didn’t bite. “I don’t want to single out one play,” McDermott said. “It’s overall. Just more physical. More urgent. You get a couple plays here and there that we’re going downhill and we’re going to run through people. But I don’t want to single out a play. Back to basics.”‘

‘If there was a game that better epitomized what it was like for the Buffalo Bills and their fans during the 17-year playoff drought, this Monday night debacle has to be in the discussion, and the 71,000-plus who were there that night would surely agree.’

‘So yes, Dempsey’s kick was incredible, and the state of NFL kicking in that era when a 55-60% success rate was considered good. He went on to play 11 years in the NFL for the Saints, Eagles, Rams, Oilers and Bills, and across his unlikely career he made 159 of 258 field goals and 252 of 282 extra points.’

‘The Bills were hard to figure for a full 60 minutes against the Patriots, but the Falcons have been hard to figure all year during a 2-2 start that has been a head scratching journey for coach Raheem Morris’ team.’

‘No one thought anything of Coleman’s absence because the Bills rotate personnel so frequently that it can become dizzying trying to figure out who’s on the field for every play, but coach Sean McDermott revealed Monday afternoon that Coleman was on the sidelines as punishment for something he did during the week, terming it “head coach discipline.”’

‘Williams, who has been starting in Matt Milano’s place, suffered a knee injury late in last week’s victory over New Orleans and did not practice all week. Strong incurred a neck injury which is believed to have happened in practice Wednesday because he was added to the injury report as a did not participate on Thursday.’

‘For all the bumbling and stumbling the Bills did, they had a chance to win in the final six minutes, but unlike so many games where they took care of business, this time they failed, and both sides of the ball were to blame.’

‘The Bills have a big problem in the secondary right now because Tre’Davious White is a shell of his former self and Christian Benford, who had worked himself into the conversation as one of the best CBs in the NFL, has been anything but that through five weeks. Former teammate Stefon Diggs toyed with both of them on his way to 10 catches for 146 yards.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 30, Patriots 27.’

‘Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark, plus the studio hosts on Sunday Night Football, will surely harp on that storyline leading up to kickoff and then throughout the AFC East showdown, one that will either turn the division race into a laugher for the Bills, or suddenly tighten it up because if the Patriots win they would be within one game.’