WGR

‘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.’

‘Dominant is the word. 252 total yards for the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. One touchdown allowed and that came on a short field drive following a Josh Allen interception. Yes, the Titans missed 4 field goals as Cairo Santos had a very tough day, so that was helpful. At least one of those misses was partially blocked by Darryl Johnson but still, it’s pretty rare to see a kicker miss that many kicks in one game and in a tight low scoring affair it was a big deal.’

‘Taking into consideration his decision-making and passing all together, the Bills QB played probably his best overall half football for the first thirty minutes, going 17-for-21 for 146 yards and a TD pass. He made one crucial mistake by throwing a ball he shouldn’t early in the third quarter that resulted in an interception. But, otherwise, Allen took what the defense gave him, didn’t try to force the issue, took sacks, and threw the ball away when needed. He finished the game 23-for-32 (71.8%) for 219 yards and 2 TDs passing, plus another 19 yards on the ground. A solid performance for Allen coming off a week of being in concussion protocol.’

‘Players have to pass through five phases of the NFL’s concussion protocol, wtih stage four being non-contact football related drills, with stage five being medical clearance from an independent neurological consultant and team doctors.’