WGR

‘”I think that McCarron was signed with the idea that he could well be the starting quarterback and then obviously they drafted Josh Allen. I think that in this case, it makes sense to keep three because you just don’t really have any idea about Nathan Peterman. You have a sense of what he can be, but he’s started one game in the league and Josh Allen has started no games in the NFL”‘

‘McCarron then connected for another touchdown to cut the lead to 27-22, with a 6 yard touchdown pass to Malachi Dupre. However, the Bills again failed to score on a 2 point conversion. The Bills got the ball back again before the two minute warning, and McCarron and the Bills took the lead with 13 seconds left to complete the comeback thanks to a 6 yard touchdown pass to Keith Towbridge.’

‘At tight end, Charles Clay is the starter. But after him, you could list the next four in any order on a depth chart and it wouldn’t surprise me – Logan Thomas, Jason Croom, Khari Lee, and Nick O’Leary. Keith Towbridge is probably the sixth player there and a long shot to make it. However, all of these tight ends provide something that appeals to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, whether that’s a good matchup in the passing game or an ability to block on the line. It might simply come down to what type of tight end he and McDermott want to keep as they look at building their roster.’

‘I think McCloud was already safe going into the game, but some believed he was on the bubble, and if that’s the case, he needed to make some plays too show why he’s deserving of a roster spot. He certainly did, especially on special teams as a punt and kick return man. The rookie sixth round draft pick returned one kick for 32 yards and averaged over 14 yards on three punt returns, and all the while did it in tight traffic, making oncoming tacklers miss.’

‘“No further quarterback developments from last night at this point,” he told reporters prior to Monday afternoon’s practice. “We’re still coming off the game, and again, [it is] a little bit unique [having practice] the next day and not having a day off. So we’re still coming off the game and going through and processing all of that information right now.’

‘McDermott also gave an injury update, which was brief. Quarterback A.J. McCarron is expected to return to full contact, full-action practice after being limited the past handful of days with a sore shoulder/collarbone, and linebacker Julian Stanford is week-to-week after suffering a nose injury on Sunday.’

‘Allen and the Bills offense did not cross midfield in the opening quarter, with Allen going 5/9 for 28 yards in the first quarter. The offensive line gave up two sacks, had two false start penalties and gave up a lot of pressure on the rookie quarterback. Marcus Murphy had the Bills longest play with an 11 yard run.’

‘We still don’t know anything about the careers of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, or Mason Rudolph. But I do know one thing: I’m really glad the Bills are one of the teams in the 2018 QB Club. Every appearance from Allen feels like the football world is watching to see which teams came out of the draft, out of that club, and into a franchise-changing quarterback.’

‘When you throw everything together, I would be pushing for Peterman if I was in McDermott’s meeting room. Again, that doesn’t mean it has to be that way all season, it just means he’d be my starter in Baltimore. To me, the quarterback competition is over.’

‘I had been saying all camp that the one area of concern for me with this line was pass protection, and that deficiency showed up in a far too big of a way Sunday afternoon. Starting QB Josh Allen was sacked five times, and when he wasn’t being sacked, there was just too much pressure. Not every sack or pressure was the fault of the line. Allen could have gotten the ball out sooner, but it was clear from the very first series that they were having trouble blocking the Bengals front. I could write about several players specifically, but they all shared blame here. Something, or someone, or multiple things or people, have to change quickly if this OL is going to go to Baltimore week one and keep Ravens defenders off their quarterbacks’ backs.’

‘There is no doubt Allen is the biggest story of this game.’

‘Brandon Reilly is currently on the outside looking in, due to an injury and the play of McCloud. Reilly has to make his case on Sunday against Cincinnati to convince the coaches he is healthy and ready to take the next step. Coleman hasn’t been anything special, he’d be the first one out if Reilly can make the roster.’

‘The QB competition took a turn after last week’s preseason game against Cleveland. It now has become a two man race between Nathan Peterman and rookie Josh Allen. Allen, the seventh overall pick, is getting the start in what is seen as the closest thing to a normal game. All eyes will be on Allen and how he performs against the Bengals defense. It’s obvious that this is Allen’s chance to claim the starting job as his on Sunday. This will be Allen’s first chance to fire passes to the likes of Kelvin Benjamin, Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy in extended action (he had one drive with Benjamin last week), as well as have the protection from the more consistent first offensive line.’

‘La Canfora added that the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears are teams he continues to hear are tied to Khalil Mack, along with the Bills and Jets. Eric Galko from Optimum Scouting reports that the New York Giants are also one of several teams interested in acquiring the star pass rusher.’

‘“He’s still learning,” Daboll said. “He’s still learning and this was a really good week for everyone, myself included, coaches included, to really hone in on the routine, more than plays or anything like that. This is a week for him and he’s going to prepare like he’s the starter, go through the routine, figure out how coach McDermott handles Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays. Same goes for me being new, of learning how we do things here, the practice reps that we get, the time in between scout team where we can go work on some other things. It’s a good experience in terms of the routine for him and myself and all the new guys around here.”’