WGR

‘The energy seemed to be lacking again at the start. They weren’t good with the details that matter to winning football games, and that starts with the head coach.’

‘Josh Allen and company have fallen into a nasty little habit of looking good for just one half of football. The offense has been terrible in the first half in each of the last three games, two of which the Bills lost, including the stunning defeat at the hands of the Patriots on Sunday.’

‘Slow starts have plagued the Bills offense each of the last two weeks. After scoring only seven points in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, they were held scoreless through three quarters against the New York Giants. It cost them one victory and almost another. If they continue to struggle to move the ball and not score early, they’ll open the door for the Patriots to pull a big upset.’

‘Harris suffered a neck sprain in last Sunday’s win over the New York Giants. He was also still in the league’s concussion protocol earlier this week.’

‘Despite all of this, Bills head coach Sean McDermott feels Patriots head coach Bill Belichick still deserves respect because of his elite game planning abilities. “They’ve had the success they’ve had over the years in part because of him,” said McDermott on Friday in his weekly appearance during the “Extra Point Show” on WGR. “He’s a brilliant coach, a great planner in terms of getting his team ready to play every week, and a little bit of a different approach with different game plans based on what the opponent does best. I just have respect for him and the wins, and Super Bowls he’s been able to win over the years.”‘

‘However, just like Wednesday, defensive tackle Ed Oliver (toe), tight end Quintin Morris (ankle), and running back Damien Harris (neck/concussion protocol) all sat out practice with their injuries.’

‘”I’ll know more a little bit after today, and seeing how he does out there. [It’s] always a concern,” said head coach Sean McDermott ahead of Wednesday’s practice. “I know we’ve been around each other enough that he’ll communicate if things raised to a certain level. Right now, it’s one day at a time approach here.”‘

‘Something’s up with this offense, and it’s getting uglier since that electrifying win win over the Miami Dolphins.’

‘McDermott confirmed on Monday that Harris has a neck sprain and is also in the league’s concussion protocol. However, McDermott says that Harris “seems to be in good spirits.”‘

‘Nothing came easy for the Bills on this night. Actually, their first touchdown was a smart play design that sprung Deonte Harty for a walk-in score. Only problem was it took the Bills until the fourth quarter to get on the scoreboard at all.’

‘It was a win that was far more difficult than I would ever have imagined. They survived a huge scare, got an important win to stay within a game of the first place Miami Dolphins in the AFC East, and now it’s on to the New England Patriots.’

‘In Brian Daboll’s return to Highmark Stadium on “Sunday Night Football”, the Bills overcame a sluggish start, and eventually held off one final push from the Giants to earn a 14-9 victory.’

‘Eventually, the medical staff on the field called for the ambulance to take Harris off the field and to Erie County Medical Center. As the 26-year-old was being loaded into the back of the ambulance, Harris was seen giving a thumbs up not just to his teammates, but also the crowd in attendance.’

‘”Nine points.” McDermott said following their 14-9 win over the Giants. “How often can you do that in an NFL game and two drives they had to go down and win the game and our defense stood up. Thought the guys did a phenomenal job.”‘

‘”Just really wasn’t getting into a rhythm, pass and run game included. We need to find ways to get off to a faster start and I don’t think we have done that the past few games. At the end of the day it’s a win, an ugly one but we’ll take it but there’s a lot of things we have to learn from and get better at.”‘