WGR

‘Coinciding with Allen’s return is the addition of more speed to the Bills’ offense. Wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Robert Foster both had big roles in the team’s 41-10 win over the Jets, then they went out and signed wideout Deonte Thompson for his third stint with the club. All will give Allen speed to work with down the field, as well as more options for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s play-calling.”

‘While it’s almost a certainly Allen is going to start, the same cannot be said for several other key players. Here is the team’s official Friday practice participation report, as well as the game status for each player..’.

‘Buffalo still has some contributors banged up, however. Defensive end Shaq Lawson injured his elbow in practice on Tuesday, which caused Lawson to miss practice on Wednesday. Tight end Charles Clay is still unable to practice due to a hamstring injury.’

‘From there, it became Allen’s team, but a team that still severely lacked in areas they needed to improve to help him. Namely, wide receiver and offensive line. A wideout group that didn’t have much speed and was relying on the unreliable Kelvin Benjamin to still be their No. 1 guy. An offensive line that was struggling to open holes in the running game, partly because defenses didn’t respect the Bills’ downfield passing game. And who could blame them, despite having a QB with a rocket for an arm?’

‘“The comfort level in the elbow is getting to where I think it needs to be, where I want it to be,” said Allen following practice on Monday. “I know we’re still taking it day-by-day, but I’m coming out here and I’m going to act like gonna be I’m starting on Sunday. I’m excited, thankful the opportunity. Our training staff… they did a fantastic job with me, and we’re going to continue with that process.’

‘”I’m excited to see him back on the field, excited to see our team back on the field today for a few reps just to get them warmed up.”‘

‘This will be Thompson’s third stint with Buffalo, playing one game for the Bills in 2014 and 11 games in 2017. In 2017, Thompson led all Bills receivers and was third on the team with 27 catches and 430 receiving yards. Thompson is best known for being able to stretch the field, a trait that has been questionable with the current group of wideouts in Buffalo.’

‘Buffalo Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka has been named as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the New York Jets. Hauschka went 2-for-2 on field goals this past Sunday, including a 54-yarder, as well as going 5-for-5 on extra points for a total of 11 points in the Bills’ 41-10 win.’

‘During his time in Buffalo, Pryor caught just two passes for 17 yards. All of that production came in the Week 9, 41-9 loss to the Chicago Bears. Last Sunday against the Jets, Pryor was held off the scoresheet against his former employer. He was targeted just three times in the 41-10 win.’

‘Peterman first made national headlines when he threw five interceptions in a half at the Los Angeles Chargers last year after McDermott started him in favor of Tyrod Taylor.’

‘Sean McDermott did what? I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. The Bills were benching Tyrod Taylor for a 5th round rookie in the middle of a legit playoff race. I had accepted what Tyrod was, and was okay with that. Turning to a 5th round rookie in that spot seemed insane. That’s not a move a 5-4 team makes, that’s something a 1-8 team does. Nobody, not even I could have predicted how epically awful Peterman’s first NFL start would go.’

‘”He has had no setbacks. It has just been a natural progression of a young player coming back from an injury, and we knew we had the bye week coming up… I thought he was playing his best game of the year [at the time of the injury] and made his best throw of the season on the play he was injured.”‘

‘“Josh is our starter when healthy and his development is important for him and for us as we move forward, getting experience,” McDermott told reporters. “It’s important that he gets as many reps as he can get in live game action,” McDermott said, adding “I thought Matt [Barkley] performed extremely well yesterday. There were certainly some plays he’d like to have back, but to come in and do what he did on a short run-up basically to it was very impressive.”’

‘All-in-all, it was an enjoyable day of Bills football. What does it mean in terms of where this season will go? Probably nothing. It sure looked like the Jets had given up on their season, perhaps knowing their head coach will soon be out of a job. I doubt the Bills will get themselves back into the wild card race, despite the fact the schedule looks very favorable for the final six games. But, hey, it was fun to watch the Bills and it was great to see points, lots of points from an offense that was on pace for the lowest points per-game average in franchise history.’

‘It was a rare sight for Bills fans, as the offense racked up a whopping 451 yards, including 212 yards on the ground, as Buffalo destroyed their AFC East rival. It got started early, as the Bills needed only two plays to draw first blood, including a 48-yard completion from Barkley to Robert Foster on the first play of the game. It was only the third time this season that Buffalo scored on their first drive of the game. When Buffalo has scored on their first drive, the Bills are 3-0.’