WGR

‘“They had the No. 1 ranked offense in the preseason and then top-five or top-six overall in the first week, so they’re a real good challenge.”’

‘Roberts missed last week’s game against the New York Jets with a quad injury, while Johnson left the game with a hamstring injury early in the third quarter and didn’t return.’

‘”We have more depth this year. We have backups that could be starters. Going into the season a lot of people were talking about us not getting pressure on the quarterback. We can’t give these guys the looks that we’re running. Disguising everything gave our d-line a better shot to get there.”‘

‘Allen’s lower body mechanics on the day were tremendous. Watching all of his throws, on almost all he planted his feet and stepped into his throw. This was one of the things criticized about Allen coming out of college and out of his rookie season. Against the Jets Allen’s mechanics looked much better.’

‘A pair of 80+ yard drives would be needed for Buffalo to get the win, starting with a healthy dose of rookie running back Devin Singletary to kick-start the offense. Singletary would garner up 55 all-purpose yards in Buffalo’s 85-yard drive to pull within one score. Josh Allen would cap off the drive with a 3 yard scramble to make cut New York’s lead to 16-10.’

‘I’ll bet the Bills offensive game plan caught many of you by surprise. Instead of coming out and establishing the run, the Bills went “Air Daboll”. The Jets biggest weakness on defense is the secondary, specifically the corners, so the Bills came out with a no huddle, spread the Jets out, attack mentality. Allen dropped back to pass on the first 18 snaps. Out of 35 offensive plays in the first half, running backs combined for just three carries. One of the many questions about the offense in the pre-season was whether or not the Bills would be confident in winning game while leaning on Allen and the passing attack. The answer was yes in week one.’

‘The stats won’t paint the picture, but Allen deserves a ton of credit. At times, it was ugly. Even after the four turnovers; Allen haphazardly threw the ball through the hands of defenders, into heavy coverage with regularity and flashed a similar impatience in the pocket that Bills fans got used to see his rookie season. Yet, Allen found a way to play his best football in the closing moments of the game.’

‘Whatever you want to call it, the Bills showed it. They were down 16-0 and then 16-3 heading into the fourth quarter. But they just kept playing and battling and made enough plays down the stretch to come away with the win. Head coach Sean McDermott has been preaching, and the team has been practicing, these very types of scenarios and situations since the first day of OTAs. It paid off in a big way to open the season.’

‘So, now it’s time to show how far each has come, against one another, in a pivotal week one matchup that could go a long way in determinig who finishes ahead of the other in the AFC East.’

‘I recently sat down with Gore for an exclusive one-on-one interview to ask him what he thought about those players in front of him, his place in history, who he emulated as younger back, and his chase up the ladder. Here’s what he had to say…’.

‘”On a certain level, they need to develop an offense that has a sustaining element. I think we all know that Josh Allen can be a very big play quarterback, both with his arm and his legs… but I think to be a really good team and a consistent team, what become the important plays in games, the plays that are not highlight plays, are when it’s third and six and you gain eight yards with a completion.”‘

‘”We feel good about Cody at both [right guard and right tackle]. He’s been extremely resilient and mentally tough as we’ve moved him in and out of both positions. Some due to injury, some wanting to see where he’s best suited for. We feel good about both positions. Cody is extremely tough. Extremely mentally tough, as well as physically tough, and he’s off to a great start as a rookie.”‘

‘The Bills will have six players serve as captain this season; two on the offensive side of the ball, two on defense, and two on special teams.’

‘”Last year, I came in late in the season and saw a lot of potential in the room with Zay [Jones], myself, Robert Foster, Cam Phillips and those guys. Coming into this year, [the team] added John Brown, [Cole] Beasley and Andre Roberts, and I felt like they’re older guys that have been in the league enough that they know the ropes to the game and know how to play the game. I felt like for all the young guys that are behind them, [we’re] just learning from them and getting everything we can by picking their brains. I feel like they’ve taught us so much this offseason that going into the season, the young guys are pretty prepared and ready to play ball. They’ve brought a lot of juice to the room and a lot of knowledge to the room.”‘

‘There are reasons to feel optimistic going into Sunday’s opener against the New York Jets but obviously the Bills have to prove they are a much improved offense. The line should be better than it was last season although there is some concern up front. First and foremost, Mitch Morse has to stay healthy. He was the big ticket pick up in the off season and he should be a big part of that new look line making the Bills a better running team at the very least. I’m also worried about the lack of time the five starters got as a unit due to Morse and other player injuries as well as the shifting of rookie Cody Ford between guard and tackle. Sean McDermott didn’t rule out the possibility of doing that with Ford during the season. So much for identifying the best five guys and playing them.’