Tag: AJ Epenesa

Bills’ Josh Allen on rocky Pats game: ‘One of the longest quarters I’ve ever been part of’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on rocky Pats game: ‘One of the longest quarters I’ve ever been part of’

The Bills beat the Patriots at home 27-21 on Sunday, as the team continues to win games, even when the win is an ugly one.

And it’s paid off.

The Bills’ overall offensive performance wasn’t the smoothest, however, as both OC Joe Brady and QB Josh Allen and his receiving targets, who struggled with completions and capitalizing on several Pats turnovers, expressed visible frustration at times.

Allen finished the day with two rushing TDs and 213 total yards of offense, though he struggled a bit in the passing game putting up only 45 total yards with an interception near the end of the first half.

“That was one of the longest quarters I’ve ever been a part of,” Allen said during his press conference. “Three possessions down there in the first quarter and we only scored one touchdown. That’s not good enough on our end. We got to be better prepared to go and get six and seven there. We lucked out. Our defense played a heck of a game and we got to just try to find a way to win.”

He quickly surpassed that first-half number on the first drive of the second half hitting  TE Dalton Kincaid for a 51-yard reception, a career-long for the Bills first-year tight end.

In the contest, Kincaid finished with 87 yards and set a new franchise record for receptions by a rookie with 62 catches on the season.

“We’re playing a pretty good team so just glad we came out with the win,” Kincaid said to the media.

“Each game’s been you know the most important game and now that this game passed you know next week’s the most important game for us, so looking forward to that.”

The Bills offense was a little bit of history repeating in some ways, as Kincaid led the way in receiving yards and Allen scored multiple TDs in their last meetup too.

What has been different about these past couple of matchups with New England has been the usage of WR1 Stefon Diggs, who was quiet these several games, even not taking any offensive snaps on Buffalo’s opening scoring drive at the start of the 2nd half.

Before this season, he had been the leading receiver in several matchups against New England, and while he had a TD in their last meeting and a shot at deep ball on Sunday night, his role has been different,

Diggs often commands double teams, and the coverage he and WR2 Gabe Davis require of opposing defenses creates openings for other targets like Kincaid, WR Khalil Shakir, and receiving RB James Cook.

In the quest for the Buffalo offense to become more multi-dimensional under new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the captain has sacrificed to help his team win.

And win they have.

The Bills were at 6-6 and on the outside looking in at the playoffs, and have since rattled off four victories and a shot at their fourth straight AFC East crown in next week’s season finale against the Dolphins in Miami.

“I obviously would love to have a home game in the playoffs,” Allen added. “Would love to get in the playoffs, so that’s first and foremost. [We’re] just doing whatever we can do to give ourselves a chance of getting in.”

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Bills at Chargers: 6 storylines to watch for in Week 16

#Bills at #Chargers: 6 storylines to watch for in Week 16:

The Buffalo Bills will turn the page of their 2023 NFL season to Week 16 and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Bills (8-6) are fresh off their huge win over the Dallas Cowboys in a 31-10 fashion. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Los Angeles, however, the Chargers (5-9) will be no pushover as there is plenty on the line ahead of this matchup.

But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.

With that, here are five storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills at Chargers on Saturday:

Bills vs. Cowboys: 6 things to watch for in Week 15

#Bills vs Cowboys: 6 things to watch for in Week 15:

The Buffalo Bills (7-6) continue their regular season journey with a matchup at home against the Dallas Cowboys (10-3) at Highmark Stadium.

All week, topics and storylines have been discussed ahead of these two unfamiliar, cross-conference opponents facing off.

In the end, regardless of what is said by players, coaches, media outlets and fans, it always comes down to what unfolds on the field in the NFL.

And once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind to look out for.

With that, are six things to watch for during Sunday’s Bills against the Cowboys matchup:

One more time: AJ Epenesa tips pass, picks off ball for Bills vs. Chiefs

Tip and take by AJ:

Hopefully it’s not his last one of the season, but AJ Epenesa made a huge play for the Bills defense against the Chiefs in Week 14.

It didn’t take long searching the highlights to find it.

Epenesa tipped a pass from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes less than four minutes into the contest. That play led to an interception… a takeaway Epenesa came down with himself.

The ol’ tip it and take it.

Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of Epenesa in the 20-17 win. He sustained a rib injury and left the game.

It was later indicated by head coach Sean McDermott that Epenesa could end up on injured reserve.

The natural hope will be that Epenesa does not… but especially in his case. Epenesa has had a breakout year and the Bills could use him as they push for the postseason over the final month.

Speaking of that stretch, before fully turning your attention to the Cowboys who head to Orchard Park in Week 15, take a look back at Epenesa huge play one more time below:

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Sean McDermott: Injured reserve possible for Micah Hyde, AJ Epenesa

The pair could end up on the #Bills’ injured reserve list:

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott always holds his cards close to his chest. He won’t give an opponent an inch.

Sorry, Dallas Cowboys.

However, McDermott was given an opportunity to say injured reserve is not an option for Micah Hyde (neck) and AJ Epenesa (rib). The coach said otherwise.

The safety and defensive lineman were injured in Buffalo’s 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. McDermott was asked if it’s possible they could end up on injured reserve.

His response: “We’ll see.”

Vague, yes. But the coach could have easily have just said no. On Monday, McDermott said both players are “week-to-week,” so it already seemed unlikely that they’ll play against the Cowboys (10-3) this upcoming weekend.

Now the Bills (7-6) could be without the pair for the remainder of the regular season.

If Hyde and Epenesa do land on IR, they have to stay there for a minimum of four weeks. Buffalo only has four more games remaining in 2023.

If the Bills are to make that designation with them, it likely won’t be until some time between Friday afternoon and Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. kickoff.

Bare minimum, McDermott will want to give Dallas the least amount of heads up possible.

McDermott’s explanation can be found in the Bills Live clip below:

Bills Wire will provide any updates on Hyde and Epenesa when information is made available.

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PFF: 5 highest-graded Bills players on defense in Week 14

Good games on defense for the #Bills:

The Buffalo Bills narrowly won a thrilling 20-17 final in their Week 14 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills (7-6) had a few players that stood out above the rest in this one. On defense, the Bills were led by their defensive front, including AJ Epenesa, who forced a turnover.

In terms of the players who helped Epenesa close out the win, Buffalo will hope such efforts remain throughout the rest of the 2023 season as the aim to secure a postseason spot.

According to Pro Football Focus, they’ll need these players to continue to play at a high level.

Here are the five highest-graded Bills players on defense against the Chiefs in Week 14:

Bills vs. Cowboys: 5 storylines to watch for in Week 15

#Bills vs. #Cowboys: 5 storylines to watch for in Week 15:

The Buffalo Bills will turn the page of their 2023 NFL season to Week 15 and the Dallas Cowboys

The Bills (7-6) are fresh off their huge win over the Kansas City Chiefs in a 20-17 dramatic final. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Dallas, however, the Cowboys (10-3) will be no pushover as there is plenty on the line ahead of this matchup.

But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.

With that, here are five storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills vs. Cowboys on Sunday:

Bills snap counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Chiefs

Interesting snap counts to be found in all three phases against KC:

The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Kansas City Chiefs and ended up taking a dramatic win, 20-17, Sunday afternoon in Week 14.

But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (7-6) doing all the dirty work against the Chiefs (8-5)?

More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.

There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.

With that, here’s how the Bills depth chart broke down via snap counts in their latest win against the Chiefs:

Report card: Bills top Chiefs, 20-17

Report card: #Bills top #Chiefs, 20-17:

The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs played another thrilling matchup in Week 14. It’s become commonplace over the past few seasons when these two sides meet.

In this round, the Bills (7-6) took home a 20-17 win over the Chiefs (8-5).

With that, here are Bills Wire’s position-by-position grades for Week 14: