WGR

‘Outside of the New England Patriots, what team is clearly superior to the Bills? Who is seen as a clear-cut favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl?’

‘The Bills just need to go 6-5 the rest of the season to reach the 10 win mark for the first time since 1999. Based on how the AFC is playing out, 10 wins should also be enough to get them a wild card spot.’

‘Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe were both given veteran rest days.’

‘Fitzpatrick started the team’s first two games of the season, going 25-for-50 for 274 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in losses to the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots. Rosen took over for the next three contests, losing to the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, and Redskins.’

‘Now, the standings are starting to look like the Bills might not have much competition if they have to grab the fifth or sixth seed.’

‘One of the more underrated but greatly important aspects of how Sean McDermott has approached coaching the Buffalo Bills this season is maintaining the long-term view, especially when it comes to injuries. Great examples are the decisions to keep running back Devin Singletary and cornerback Taron Johnson inactive the last couple weeks when both seemed to be trending towards being able to play. McDermott has made it clear through his actions that he’s playing this season as a marathon and not a sprint. Having players available in November and December is much more valuable than risking a setback by playing one game in October.’

‘”You know it’s a defense as you know guys that doesn’t look exciting because it’s not high percentage blitz, they don’t bring people from all over the field. You know they blitz here and there, they selectively blitz and can be very effective when they do that. It’s really a defense that lines up plays, plays really efficiently, doesn’t make mistakes and is not out of position.”‘

‘This past week against the Tennessee Titans, Jones was only given one offensive snap in the game after wide receiver Duke Williams was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad. Williams went on to reel in four catches for 29 yards, and also caught the game-winning touchdown to put the Bills ahead 14-7 in the fourth quarter.’

‘The Bills have jumped to 4-1 despite committing certain football crimes that can undermine a team as limited offensively as this one, but that hasn’t happened.’

‘Through five weeks, the Bills rank 32nd in special teams DVOA (Football Outsiders’ efficiency rating). The offense is ranked 28th; just slightly ahead of the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Jets. Yikes.’

‘Chris Mortenson of ESPN is reporting the Bills have traded WR Zay Jones to the Oakland Raiders for a 5th-round pick.’

‘”He’s just got to continue to do his job. You saw we made some plays at the wide receiver position. Zay’s a guy that continues to grow. He’s still young in his career. He’ll continue to do a good job as he continues to grow, and focus on what he can control. I appreciate his team first approach yesterday.”‘

‘Buffalo suffered several injuries on both offense and defense, as center Mitch Morse, offensive tackle Cody Ford, linebacker Matt Milano and defensive end Trent Murphy all were injured and did not return to the game.’

‘”We have a great secondary and a great defensive line,” Phillips said. “We all work together and I was the one that was able to get the sacks.”‘

‘I’ll get to Allen’s game in a moment because the story of the game was the Bills defense. They dominated their matchup with the Titans offense holding quarterback Marcus Mariota and company to one touchdown and a grand total of 252 yards. The Titans had 11 possessions on offense and six of those were three and outs. They didn’t convert a third down until the second half and were just 1-3 in the red zone. The Bills defensive line was too much for Tennessee’s offensive line. Buffalo recorded five sacks of Mariota, three of which came from Jordan Phillips. The Bills defense has now allowed only six touchdowns in the first five games and no opponent has scored more than 17 points.’