Tag: bills 49ers

Sean McDermott discusses celebrating in snow after Bills’ win vs. 49ers

Sean McDermott discusses celebrating in snow after Bills’ win vs. 49ers

In a 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers at home in Orchard Park, HC Sean McDermott’s record coming out of the bye week remained perfect and the Buffalo Bills looked the part of a playoff contender.

The team won its fifth straight AFC East crown as only the eighth team in NFL history to clinch a division title with five games still remaining in the regular season.

The club has scored 30 or more points in six straight games and won seven straight since total since early season back-to-back losses against Baltimore and Houston.

The Bills have punched their ticket to the postseason, and head coach Sean McDermott was feeling celebratory while being interviewed on the field after the victory by ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter.

When quarterback Josh Allen surprised him by trotting up and saying “coach of the year” into the microphone, McDermott replied, “I want to see an angel, a snow angel. C’mon. Let’s go.”

Allen happily obliged him, sharing a wholesome moment with his coach.

“He’s the one who got me to do it,” The QB said to the press postgame. “I was just trying to give him some flowers. He was live on TV and anytime coach asks you to do something you do it. I’m a good soldier. I’m not the biggest snow angel fan because you get cold down there. My toes are freezing right now. I’m just trying to get in the shower, but it was fun.”

McDermott made good on a halftime challenge made by backup tight end Zach Davidson.

“We were coming down the tunnel at halftime and Zach Davidson tapped me on the hip and said ‘Hey, if we win this game you got to do a snow angel.’ I said ‘Alright, you got it,'” The coach shared. “I guess I followed through on my promise.”

By clinching their division the Bills are now guaranteed a home game in the playoffs in Buffalo, though with McDermott and the team’s record coming off a bye week, another one might be in store, as could more home games in the postseason.

The players and coaching staff will next turn their focus to road matchups against the Rams and Lions, in pursuit of the No. 1 AFC playoff seed and first-round bye.

With the heartbreak, the Bills and their fans have experienced at home in the divisional round of the playoffs the last two seasons, McDermott knows all too well what a bye and a win to advance back to the AFC Championship would mean.

“I think this is this place that is starting to become a place around the NFL now that people come and they see this and they’re going, ‘I want to be a part of this.'”

Bills’ Josh Allen breaks down crazy touchdown with Amari Cooper

Bills’ Josh Allen breaks down crazy touchdown with Amari Cooper

The Buffalo Bills beat the San Francisco 49ers 35-10 on the nationally televised Sunday Night Football stage to improve to 10-2.

On a snowy night in Orchard Park, QB Josh Allen and the offense didn’t miss a beat, as he made good on making history in the game.

He even did something no quarterback in history has done before, scoring a receiving touchdown on a pass he originally threw.


Receiver Amari Cooper hauled in a one-handed catch while multiple Niners defenders wrapped around him when he pitched the ball back to Allen.

The QB put on his Superman cape and ran toward the left pylon before laying out to extend and get the ball in for the score as he flew through the air and landed sliding in the snow out of bounds.

“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said of Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. … It was dope.”

Cooper noted he made the heads-up play instinctually in a think-fast moment. He saw Allen nearby and thought he wanted the ball.

“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”

It was a historical day for the Bills as they won their fifth straight AFC East crown becoming one of the only clubs ever to do so with five games remaining in the regular season.

Allen made more history as well passing Hall of Famer and Bills legend Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244 total touchdowns with 247 of his own at only age 28.

He would finish 13 of 17 for 148 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards with a TD.

He is organically making a strong case for MVP candidacy along the way, though his focus is on continuing to pursue and hopefully surpass Kansas City (11-1) for the AFC’s top seed come playoff time.

“It’s a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said. “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”

He’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that with road games against the Rams and Lions up next, followed by home games against the Patriots and Jets before a final road matchup with New England.

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How the Bills could make history after their bye week

How the Bills could make history after their bye week

The Buffalo Bills came soaring into their bye week during NFL Week 13 riding a six-game winning streak to a 9-2 record.

They are preparing to host the 5-6 San Francisco 49ers for Sunday Night Football, a team that has dealt with some injuries to key players throughout the season.

The Niners could be without stars like quarterback Brock Purdy, offensive tackle Trent Williams, and defensive end Nick Bosa.

While their squad is desperate for a win, a Buffalo victory could make history for the franchise.

In more ways than one.

The Bills are four games ahead of the second-place AFC East squad and division rival Miami Dolphins, who will be playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Thursday. Buffalo beached them in both head-to-head matchups this season and owns the tie-breaker.

If Miami loses to Green Bay and Buffalo beats San Francisco, the Bills will also win their fifth straight division crown.

That would be something that has never previously been accomplished since the team was first founded in 1960.

The franchise did notably win four straight AFC East titles from 1988 to 1991, the final two of which included trips to the Super Bowl.

It’s also worth noting that the club has never lost coming out of their bye week under head coach Sean McDermott. And while a win is never fully guaranteed, the team does have a good prior track record in this situation.

That and their current regular season win streak aren’t the only ones on the line, however. Buffalo has also won six straight matchups against San Francisco.

QB Josh Allen will also have a chance to make more history in this game against a team he rooted for growing up in Firebaugh, CA.

Allen is currently tied with the Bills’ most storied quarterback in the team’s history, Jim Kelly, for the most touchdowns in the franchise’s history (244).

Per Tankathon, Buffalo has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule in the league this season, which means Allen will have plenty of time across the six regular season contests left to add to that number while entering his prime at age 28.

He’ll also have a chance to round out a strong campaign and potential MVP-caliber year just as the Bills will have a chance to bid for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC Playoff picture in facing the Niners, Rams, Lions, Patriots (twice), and Jets.

Bills’ Sean McDermott offers injury updates during bye week

Bills’ Sean McDermott offers injury updates during bye week

During NFL Week 12, the Buffalo Bills enjoy their bye week, offering an opportunity for some rest and extra advance preparation for their next game following a 30-21 home win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

They topped their AFC rival without several key starters including middle linebacker Matt Milano (bicep tear), wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist), tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), offensive lineman Spencer Brown (ankle), and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) who were out with injuries.

Next up the team will host the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium, and fans and media members have been wondering which players might return to the field in that contest.

Milano, who’s missed most of the season so far, has begun to practice again and could see a return to gameplay as early as Week 13. The rookie Coleman as well as second-year pro Kincaid received a positive update by way of ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler in terms of recovery this week.

While he did not definitely say whether the two impact players on offense would be back for the game against the Niners, he did share that neither player’s injury appears to be substantial or long-term.

Buffalo has notably never lost coming out of a bye week under head coach Sean McDermott, a trend they hope will continue and one they hope will extend to the postseason, as they pursue the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and first-round bye.

He had good news for the Bills and their fans following Sunday’s win over the Chiefs, sharing that the team didn’t have any new additions to the injury report. And there may be more good news on their existing injured players coming soon, though he made a point to manage expectations.

“There’s this pool of players that they’re kind of tiered as to when we expect to get each one of them back,” McDermott said.

“Again this week being kind of a rehab week for the players that are banged up, the message I’m getting from our training room is ‘hey we’ll let you know kind of how this week goes and then what that looks like for next week’ so you know the challenge is not really knowing as we start to game plan a little bit towards the end of this week who’s available, but certainly understand that the trainers need some more time with these guys and you know again it’s kind of like ‘hey who who are they going to hand us on Monday? Are we to get one player? Two players? More? Less what we have? So we just got to kind of take it one day at a time here, big picture coming out of the game without any serious injuries.”

They still have some challenges ahead in the remaining six contests on the regular season schedule, including road games against the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions right after the 49ers matchup.

But with a healthy roster, the Bills could make a push into the postseason and potentially lock up the No. 1 seed, allowing them to get even healthier headed into the playoffs.

Where Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs rank among NFL leaders post-49ers

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, WR Cole Beasley, WR Stefon Diggs in their NFL rankings slot.

After a big drop a week ago, some of the Bills’ playmakers were having none of that against the 49ers in Week 13. Statistical leaders on the team jumped right back up the charts in that one.

In the 34-24 win over the Niners, it was the Josh Allen show for Buffalo (9-3). After a mere 157 yards passing a week ago, Allen had 375 against San Francisco.

That went the distance for him as he’s back in the top-five  in terms of passing yards in the NFL:

But yardage wasn’t Allen only big number from the game. Leading the way with his arm also helped the QB throw for four touchdowns. That brought his season total to 26, bringing him into a tie for the sixth-most touchdowns of any quarterback in the NFL. He previously was at No. 9.

His lack of an interception dropped him fifth to seventh-most as well, while completing 80 percent of his passes vs. the Niners was a great step in the right direction for Allen, too. Now at a 69.9 percent, Allen moves up from No. 8 to No. 4 in that department, trailing only Drew Brees (73.5), Teddy Bridgewater (70.2) and Russell Wilson (70.0).

Naturally if the gun-slinger a boost in numbers, so did his wideouts. At the top, Stefon Diggs surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the year. Overall, Diggs put up 10 catches and 92 yards.

Like father like son… like quarterback like wide receiver, Diggs now sits at No. 5 overall in terms of receiving yards as well:

While fifth is nice, first is better. Diggs is there in another statistic: catches. He’s up to 90 total in a tie with the Chargers’ Keenan Allen. Diggs was leading the NFL in this category periodically throughout the year, but Allen jumped him after a huge 16-catch game three weeks ago, but Diggs has since chipped his way back to the top.

In terms of some other stats, Diggs remained at four touchdowns, dropping him to a huge tie for ninth-most… His 46 catches for first downs is also sixth-most now a jump up from 10th via the six he had in Week 13.

Finally, we love rounding out with Cole Beasley. The slot wideout is now up to 66 catches, 797 yards and four touchdowns. His scores is clearly in a tie with Diggs, but his receptions puts him at tie for 12th and his yards sits at No. 19. Those two are up from from 15th and 23rd, respectively.

In total against the Niners, Beasley led the Bills with 130 yards via nine catches with a touchdown.

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Bills’ Leslie Frazier was critical of Levi Wallace’s game vs. 49ers

Buffalo Bills’ Leslie Frazier on CB Levi Wallace following win vs. 49ers in Week 13.

Western New York has experienced something new over the past few seasons in regard to the Buffalo Bills: Wins.

Even so, the team turning things around hasn’t turned off a torch that burns bright. Someone has to be the scapegoat for the Bills, even when they’re 9-3.

After the offensive coordinator took that responsibility for about two decades, Brian Daboll shook it off. Just this season, linebacker AJ Klein was the guy for most of 2020. Then he appears to have passed the torch to cornerback Levi Wallace.

The difference now is that the Bills coaching staff agrees with the commentary this time around. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier reflected on the highly-criticized effort that Wallace put in against the 49ers this week and Frazier was certainly critical.

“There were definitely some plays out there that he’d like to have back. There were some moments where you’d like to see him get a hand on some of those balls. It didn’t happen,” Frazier said said via video conference.

This week it remains to be seen what the Bills do against the Steelers (11-1). With a plethora of targets such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool at their wideout spots, even if the team wants to move a Dane Jackson or Josh Norman into Wallace’s spot at the No. 2 spot across from Tre’Davious White, Wallace still might be relied upon.

Wallace recorded among the NFL’s worst coverage grades via Pro Football Focus’ grading scale, a 28.1, vs. the Niners. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story. Frazier mentioned that, complimenting Wallace’s tackling.

“There was some other times where he was in position and was able to help us, making some tackles,” Frazier said. “But it did seem as if they were really, in his case…  [throwing to] the guy that was away from Tre’Davious. When that happens, you’ve just got to find a way to make some plays.”

But certainly the Bills might be in a bit of a pickle between Wallace, Jackson and Norman and hoping for better place from Wallace might be the route to go.

In Jackson, you’ve got a seventh-round rookie. Wallace himself went undrafted and is a starter, but thrusting Jackson into the spotlight on Sunday Night Football might be a tall order. Although, he has flashed.

Norman, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Bills and the team hoped he could rejuvenate his career. He hasn’t and Norman recently reflected on that, saying it’s been just “one thing after another” in terms of being sidelined.

But the vet does sound eager to try and get back out there

“I’m looking forward to finishing this thing out on a high note,” Norman added.

Who goes where in Buffalo’s secondary against the AFC North leading Steelers in Week 14 is certainly something to keep an eye on around kickoff.

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8 studs, 3 duds in Bills’ 34-24 win over 49ers

Studs and duds from the Buffalo Bills’ 34-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.

The Buffalo Bills are putting their final reviews on their latest matchup, this one being their recent 34-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football’s Week 13 matchup.

In the effort, we saw the Bills (9-3) really hand it to the Niners (5-7). Many times in 2020 the Bills have let teams grind back into games. Despite the 49ers’ best efforts, Buffalo was having none of that as a late touchdown in garbage time made the scoreboard a lot closer than it really was.

After looking at the tape and letting the dust settle, here are eight studs and three duds from the Bills in their over the 49ers:

Studs

Bills safety Micah Hyde, Credit: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic

OL Ike Boettger

As a whole, the Bills offensive line had a strong game, in particular, in pass protection. Holes weren’t always there for the backfield, but more good than bad. If we’re going to single out one, we’ll go with Ike Boettger. He replaced Brian Winters in the starting lineup against the Niners, a bit of a pressure situation there and he still earned the highest bump via Pro Football Focus’ grades this week among all of Buffalo’s linemen. He jumped from a 72.0 to 75.9 on the year.

QB Josh Allen

In his best season of his career, filled with big game after big game after big game, quarterback Josh Allen had his best outing of 2020. Perhaps not surpassing 400 passing yards, he still completed 80 percent of his passes (32/40) for 375 yards with four touchdowns. The Niners had no answers for him.

WR Cole Beasley

After only two 100-plus yard game in his career with the Cowboys, Cole Beasley had his four… in 2020. Among those, his 130 total receiving yards against the 49ers was a career-high. Not to mention the nine catches and touchdown he grabbed en route to that.

WR Stefon Diggs

After another double-digit catch day at the office for Stefon Diggs in Week 13, he’s now tied for the NFL lead in receptions with 90. Each week Diggs appears in such lists and it feels like a lazy add, but he deserves it. Diggs had a critical fourth-down grab against the Niners which stood out, along with a toe-touch on the sideline early.

S Micah Hyde

Interception? Check. Leading the team in tackles (12)? Check. A massive stop at the goal line leading to, not once, but twice, huge plays directly after his play occurred? Check. Micah Hyde led the Buffalo secondary in a big way.

CB Tre’Davious White

For the third time in four games, Tre’Davious White took the ball away from the opposing quarterback. He did once again, like last week, when they were close to scoring, too. Aside from one catch by Brandon Aiyuk with White in coverage early, we didn’t hear White’s name much at all against the 49ers.

LB Tremaine Edmunds

Like Hyde, Tremaine Edmunds had a fantastic stop along this goal line, with his going for a turnover on downs. The Niners had almost not chance on that great read by Edmunds. While not perfect against the run, Edmunds did make his impact felt against the pass and is even rushing the passer a bit more as of late.

DT Vernon Butler

The Bills’ defensive line was kept mostly quiet because the Niners’ passing attack was a quick-strike one. Quarterback Nick Mullens got the ball out very fast over and over again. But Vernon Butler did stand out a couple of times rushing the passer, and running back Tevin Coleman won’t forget him after Butler completely blew him up near the goal line as well.

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Power Rankings: Everyone thinks the Bills are top-five

The best time to strike in terms of the national power rankings polls is in primetime. That’s when all the eye are upon you. On Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Bills (9-3) ceased on that opportunity. A 34-24 win over the 49ers (5-7), Buffalo’s …

The best time to strike in terms of the national power rankings polls is in primetime. That’s when all the eye are upon you. 

On Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Bills (9-3) ceased on that opportunity. A 34-24 win over the 49ers (5-7), Buffalo’s first Monday win since 1999, gave fans and national analysts the same feeling, it appears. 

This team is good.

Following their latest win, Buffalo sits securely in the top-five of pretty much every power ranking poll across the national NFL landscape. 

Here’s a look at where the Bills sit among the national polls as they head into Week 14:

Touchdown Wire

5. Buffalo Bills

(9-3. Last Week: 5)

If nothing else, the second part of the Monday Night Football doubleheader gave us this memory to cherish forever.

It also gave us a solid win for the Buffalo Bills, who as ESPN’s graphics department illustrated for us remain alone in first place in the AFC East for the first time in a long time. Josh Allen delivered a few trademark highlight-reel moments, including this rocket shot of a throw while on the move to his right.

Buffalo also got short-yardage touchdowns from Cole Beasley, on this throw from Allen.

The offense celebrated with a nice little “rock-a-bye-baby” routine in the end zone.

And this plunge into the end zone from tight end Dawson Knox, with a little help from Stefon Diggs with a textbook, cut block in space.

The offense stayed hot into the second half as the Bills pulled away. Brian Daboll, another offensive coordinator who is going to get head coaching looks, dialed up this design to get wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie wide open off of jet motion for a touchdown.

Sporting News

5. Buffalo Bills 9-3 (6)

The Bills made another trip to Arizona for a very tough interconference game against the 49ers, but this time won in the desert. The pressure remains on to try to win their first division title in 25 years with the Dolphins and Patriots not relenting.

Yahoo! Sports

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3, LW: 7)

The Bills looked great on Monday night. That team we saw beat the 49ers can make a playoff run. They’ll get a nice test next week against a Steelers team coming off a loss. If Buffalo beats Pittsburgh, everyone will take notice of the Bills.

Bleacher Report

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3)

High: 5

Low: 5

Last Week: 5

Week 13 Result: Won at San Francisco 34-24

It’s been a long time since the Buffalo Bills posted back-to-back winning seasons. Or won the AFC East.

On Monday night in Arizona, they crossed one of those goals off the list and moved one step closer to accomplishing the second.

It’s not hard to pinpoint how the Bills defeated the San Francisco 49ers. Just as he has more than once this season, quarterback Josh Allen went off. For the game, he completed 80 percent of his 40 passing attempts for 375 yards and four scores. His passer rating was a robust 139.1.

It was an impressive performance. But it also came in a game the Bills were supposed to win. Buffalo’s next matchup will afford the team another opportunity to make a real statement ahead of the AFC playoffs.

If the Bills can down a wounded Pittsburgh Steelers team Sunday in Buffalo, it will go a long way toward legitimizing the team as a threat to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LV.

And given how the two teams looked in Week 13, it’s not a stretch to imagine the Bills doing just that.

Pro Football Talk

4. Bills (No. 4; 9-3)

The Bills are definitely ready for prime time.

ESPN

5. Buffalo Bills (9-3)

Week 13 ranking: 5

Person with most at stake: TE Dawson Knox

The Bills’ second-year tight end has underwhelmed in 2020. Part of that is due to injuries and COVID-19, but he hasn’t done much to build on an inspiring rookie season. With John Brown out at least the next two weeks, there are more targets to go around in Buffalo’s offense — and Knox will have an opportunity to show the front office it doesn’t need to look for other options at the position this upcoming offseason.

Note: Due to the NFL’s delay of Week 13’s Cowboys-Ravens meeting to Tuesday, not every power ranking poll was made available at time of publishing.  

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Report card: Bills top 49ers, 34-24

Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers report card for Week 13.

The Bills escaped the desert in Arizona in a much nicer fashion on Monday Night Football this time around.

Buffalo (9-3) topped the San Francisco 49ers (5-7), 34-24, in Week 13. It was a consistent effort all over the field for the Bills en route to the victory.

Following their latest win, here’s how Bills Wire graded out the Bills:

The Morning After: Bills have perfect winning formula that they control

The Morning After reaction to the Buffalo Bills’ Week 13 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.

No football game ever goes down in a perfect manner, but damn did the Bills look close to it or what against the 49ers on Monday Night Football?

In Week 13, Buffalo (9-3) topped the Niners (5-7), 34-24, to help inch closer to their first AFC East title since 1995. In the process of doing so, the Bills also snapped another streak, their first Monday win since 1999.

There was a lot of good to come out of it, but hopefully the rest of the NFL doesn’t realize the Bills put their perfect winning formula on display.

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was 32-for-40 passing with 375 yards and four touchdowns. He was only sacked once and hit three times, a big turnaround from the Bills’ offensive line efforts against Joey Bosa and the Chargers a week earlier.

Aside from the crazy start to the game which involved a turnover on downs for both defenses and a fumble by Bills running back Zack Moss… that was all she wrote. The Bills, down 7-0 because of the very short field the 49ers had via the fumble, put 17 straight up on the scoreboard and 27 of the next 30 points in the game.

As simple as it sounds, that was it. The Bills rode their quarterback to a win like they had done earlier in the year when Allen was in the MVP discussion.

So here’s where things now get more complicated. Defensively, the Bills have been playing better in recent weeks. Cornerback Tre’Davious White can’t stop intercepting opposing quarterbacks, while safety Micah Hyde, who had a few big plays including a pick of his own, shined vs. the Niners as well. The defensive line didn’t record a sack, but 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens was rushed on a lot of his throws.

But because of the offense, we had a bit of paper covering the cracks. No. 2 cornerback Levi Wallace had a bad game. Rookie wideout for the 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk, abused him throughout, an effort which included a 49-yard reception and touchdown catch with Wallace in coverage. He also had a 25 yard pass interference penalty.

The bigger issue is still the run defense. Niners rushers Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert averaged 6.7 and 4.7 yards per carry, respectively.

There’s some good news to be found here, though. In this formula where Buffalo’s upcoming opponents might see where they can expose the Bills, Buffalo still holds most of the cards.

Buffalo’s defense was giving up yards on the ground but consistently found ways to limit points whether it was via turnovers or stopping the bleeding after a decent gain by the offense. Wallace might have just had a bad game in his own right, but typically he’s more steady than that. Where most of the advantage sits is with Buffalo’s offense, though.

Even if there’s underlying flaws on the Bills defense, as long as they do just enough, this offense hasn’t slowed down and we’ll even call our shot: Won’t be slowed down. Allen is cruising and even if he’s not, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has had a next-level 2020 season with his play-calling and scheming. Buffalo’s offense goes up, opposition options, such as running the ball against a subpar Bills defense, goes bye-bye.

And on top of that, let’s give this defense more credit than we have been. Not only can they do “just enough,” they’ve done more than that recently and consistently. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has again proven he knows how to pull the string to get an improved effort out of his defense. This isn’t the first time he’s done so.

All things considered, is why the Bills’ win over the 49ers was such an encouraging sign. That was truly winning formula we saw, one where the Bills have a big say in how things go.

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