Tag: bills jets

Bills’ AJ Epenesa post-Jets win: ‘It just shows that this is what we can do’

Bills’ AJ Epenesa post-Jets win: ‘It just shows that this is what we can do’

The Bills won the second of their two regular-season matchups 40-14 Sunday, bringing the Jets a game closer to landing in their offseason.

The Buffalo defense returned to form following a three-game stretch in which they allowed 1,357 yards, 86 first downs, and 107 points.

“I thought coach (Bobby) Babich and the defensive staff did a great job during the week,” Bills HC Sean McDermott said to the media. “Players played extremely fast, physical. And then when you play physical and you play fast, the ball tends to come out and to find you.”

The Bills held Aaron Rodgers to 112 passing yards. They caused two interceptions by corner Christian Benford and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, as well as a safety by defensive end Greg Rousseau.

“That was awesome,” Bills QB Josh Allen said about the defensive effort. “Playing on short fields, it makes the game a lot easier, I’ll tell you that. Our defense, man, they played lights out today. They had juice, they had energy.”

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver added three tackles, three for a loss, and a sack, and forced a Rodgers fumble that linebacker Matt Milano recovered. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa added four tackles, two for a loss, and a sack that led to a safety. And outside linebacker Von Miller had a sack, two tackles, and a tackle for a loss.

“Yeah, it was dope just for us to go out there and reap the benefits of our hard work, the work that we put in week after week,” said Rousseau who blew up a play for a turnover-on-downs and tipped a pass for the Jordan Phillips interception on another. “To have one of these games, it was great.”

The Bills built a 40-0 lead, shutting out the Jets for the first 53 minutes of the game until the 6:59 mark of the 4th quarter when former Bills QB-turned Jets backup Tyrod Taylor scored twice in relief of Aaron Rodgers.

“I wouldn’t say need … and I don’t want to say reassurance, either,” explained Epenesa about the type of game the defense had. “But it just shows that this is what we can do and this is the standard that needs to be upheld.”

For the Bills to have a chance at winning in the three rounds of the playoffs to make it to and compete in the Super Bowl, their defense will need to keep this type of performance going as just that type of standard game-to-game.

“Sometimes you just need that win to kind of refresh your mind on who you really are,” Oliver said. “Everybody had fun [and] everybody got a piece of the action.”

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Bills’ Josh Allen on impressive Keon Coleman TD: ‘That’s why we drafted him’

Bills’ Josh Allen on impressive Keon Coleman TD: ‘That’s why we drafted him’

The Bills grounded the Jets 40-14 in their final home game of the regular season on Sunday in Orchard Park.

Buffalo figured to be active in their ground game with a poor Gang Green run defense, but QB Josh Allen also turned in some highlight reel plays in the passing game.

Rookie receiver Coleman had one of the biggest catches of his young career. He demonstrated his jump ball abilities to rise above defenders to grab a scoring pass from QB Josh Allen.

“Yeah that’s what it started out as,” Coleman said to the press postgame about the play starting as a cross route. “Josh scrambled and then I just tried to be QB friendly and then I don’t know he went all the way to the right he told me go back that way and then I went back, he let it go.”

GM Brandon Beane and the front office brought in some playmaking talent in the receiving department this offseason as well as before the NFL trade deadline, drafting Coleman with their top selection and later trading for WR Amari Cooper.

Both receivers showcased their athleticism in Sunday’s win, going up to make big-time touchdown catches.

“A lot of quarterbacks aren’t really willing to make those risks, but he has that talent to where he knows exactly where to put the ball, and as a receiver, we love that,” Cooper said about Allen “That’s like our favorite thing about a quarterback because it gives us an opportunity to express our talents, you know not all receivers can go up and high-point the ball but the ones that can when they have the opportunity to it’s what we love the most.”

Allen shared how the touchdown pass play to Coleman unfolded from his perspective as well.

“I got tossed down there late a little bit,” Allen told the press about finding Coleman on the throw. “Once the ball was in the air I was pointing at him and I threw it and I felt in the corner of my eye Ty Johnson and I think Quincy Williams over there and I was like ‘oh shoot they’re going to be both in the same spot’ but that’s the reason why we drafted zero to go up and make plays like that and he made a heck of a play.”

As for Coleman, he was focused on making the play and wasn’t worried about the threat of the Jets’ coverage.

I ain’t worried about them, I just checked to see who was right there,” he added. “Jumping that high they going to have to undercover to get the ball out my hand so that’s it.”

Bills’ Josh Allen: Team ‘found a way’ to win vs. Jets

Bills’ Josh Allen: Team ‘found a way’ to win vs. Jets

The Bills defeated the Jets 23-20 on Monday Night Football this week to take a first-place lead in the AFC East as the only team in the division with a winning record.

QB Josh Allen and company bounced back from their first two losses of the season in back-to-back weeks by returning to their scoring ways early.

After scoring a touchdown and a field goal, Buffalo appeared headed into halftime with a 10-point lead.

That is until four-time NFL MVP and South American tea enthusiast Aaron Rodgers threw a signature 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown as the clock ran out to end the first half.

“Yeah, obviously kind of a gut punch,” Allen said postgame about Rodgers’ latest feat. “Going in thinking you’re gonna have a two-score lead there and they catch a Hail Mary.”

But the Bills fought back into the game in the second half.

The offense added two more touchdown tosses later in the contest, tying the game at 20 points each before a Tyler Bass field goal gave Buffalo a lead they would not lose the rest of the way.

“Fighting through adversity, getting in at halftime, regrouping, saying let’s just control one play at a time,” Allen added. “We didn’t score as many points as I’d like in the second half, but found a way.”

Allen went 19-of-25 passing for 215 yards with a 127.9 rating and two touchdowns in the air plus one on the ground.

“I wanted to come out and play a clean game and get through my reads quickly” Allen continued.

His teammates had faith in his ability to bounce back from the consecutive losses.

“We totally expected him to be able to flush that (loss),” left guard David Edwards said via The Buffalo News. “Some of the plays he made – awesome.”

The Bills improved to 4-2 atop their division, and have still never lost three straight games with Allen at quarterback. His playmaking has had a substantial impact on the win column this season.

“He’s just Josh Allen,” tight end Dalton Kincaid noted as well. “He can do miraculous things with the ball in his hands.”

The leadership of the club’s quarterback in gutting out the win was noticed and credited by his head coach as well.

“A good division win on the road,” head coach Sean McDermott said to the media. “Last three games in a row on the road, thought it was a gritty win led by Josh. Offense got off to a good start, established the line of scrimmage, really in the game.”

Allen realizes the importance of the division matchups “counting double” in their postseason implications, a concept that may begin to apply to key matchups against the AFC’s top playoff contenders on the Bills’ schedule as well.

“Our No. 1 goal is making the playoffs and you do that by winning your division,” Allen said. “We understand the gravity of this type of game, us being 4-2 with a 2 1/2-game lead with a head-to-head win, as opposed to being 3-3 and in second place.”

Bills’ Sean McDermott on Joe Brady: ‘Picked up where we needed him to right away’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott on Joe Brady: ‘Picked up where we needed him to right away’

The Bills outplayed the Jets for a 32-6 victory at home in Orchard Park Sunday.

In their second victory of the season against a divisional rival, Buffalo improved to 6-5 behind the Miami Dolphins (7-3) in the AFC East.

The Jets traveled to New York in the hope of winning their second matchup but were met by a Bills team looking to play their way back into the playoff picture.

And they made a big change during the week in hopes of doing just that.

Amidst his second season in his first run as an offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey was relieved of his duties following two straight losses and a tenure marred by inconsistency.

In his place, head coach Sean McDermott promoted QB coach and former LSU and Carolina Panthers play caller Joe Brady to jump-start the offense and spark some energy.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott noticed how Brady was able to step in as the next man up effectively playcalling for Buffalo’s offense.

“Joe picked up where we needed him to right away,” McDermott shared during his postgame press conference. “When we made the switch there was no hesitation, he went right to the offensive staff and the offensive staff collaborated in a team way, in an effective way. I saw a healthy dose of leadership from Joe. And then Joe’s relationship with Josh I think was important. His communication during the week and making sure Josh was in synch with the gameplan, that they had good symmetry there.”

The result in the first game following Brady’s promotion was a three-touchdown and 275-yard passing day by QB Josh Allen and a balanced and spread-out offense.

With the Jets’ strong cornerback coverage, Shakir (115 yards receiving) as well as Johnson (47 yards) and TE Dalton Kincaid (46 yards) saw plenty of action in the distribution of the passing game, while Cook (73 yards rushing) led the way on the ground.

“I think Joe took advantage of this opportunity,” Kincaid said to the media following the win. “He brought a lot of energy this week, a lot of excitement, a lot of encouragement, just a lot of a lot of belief. So we definitely rode with him in that and felt his energy and think it showed a little bit today.”

Buffalo’s total offense included the most points (32) scored on the Jets’ defense this season.

 

McDermott also sounded pleased with what he heard during the game from Brady and the offensive coaches as well.

“The way he called the game, I could hear the offensive staff communicating, collaborating, adjusting, and then Joe taking that and putting it into play. I thought it was executed well.”

The Bills will have a chance to help keep the momentum going next Sunday when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles (8-1). A tough matchup against a tough team, whose only loss this season came against… The Jets.

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Bills’ Josh Allen: Focus ahead of Jets win was having fun again

#Bills’ Josh Allen: Focus ahead of Jets win was having fun again:

The Bills defeated the Jets in a blowout 32-6 contest on a cold and windy Sunday at home in Orchard Park in Week 11 of their 2023 season.

The win came at a much-needed time for Buffalo.

In offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s first game calling plays for QB Josh Allen and company, the victory avenged Buffalo’s road loss in the seasoning opener at the Meadowlands of New Jersey.

“We got a lot of true professionals in this room,” Allen said to open his postgame press conference. “Wasn’t an easy week, I’ll tell you that. I’m proud of everybody that stepped up and filled roles that they maybe didn’t expect to fill this year. You know that’s Joe that’s Shuls, that’s Kyle Shurmur, that’s Mark Lubick, that’s the whole entire offensive staff pulling together.”

While the Bills didn’t find the endzone until late in the first half, they did put offensive points up consistently across all four quarters,

Right around the three-minute mark before halftime, Allen found RB James Cook for a 5-yard score. He’d add two third-quarter TD tosses to former Jet Ty Johnson for 28 yards and to second-year receiver Khalil Shakir for 81 yards for the longest touchdown pass in the NFL this season. K Tyler Bass added 14 total points in a balanced Bills scoring effort as well.

Allen went 20/32 for 275 yards with three passing touchdowns giving him the most total TD’s of any player in NFL history in their first six seasons. He also led a clean well-managed performance despite a hail-mary attempt at the end of the first half getting intercepted.

The win ended a two-game losing streak and was Buffalo’s first time scoring more than 25 points in seven weeks of play.

Allen knew the important role his energy played in the win.

“I think our team was energetic as we needed to be and a lot of that, for better or worse, can come from the quarterback,” Allen added about the balanced and up-tempo offense Sunday that had some more rhythm and imagination in its play-calling.

His head coach noticed a change in Allen’s first game with Brady calling plays in the booth.

“I saw a little bit more of his personality and our offenses’ personality,” he noted during his media availability. “It’s more of just us getting back to just an energy on offense and guys having some fun.”

Even with the Bills season teetering on the line, Allen hasn’t lost perspective amidst all the transition on the importance of having fun while continuing to fight.

“Just making that a point of emphasis throughout the week, like ‘let’s have fun playing this game’,” he said. “It’s football, at the end of the day we get to do, in my opinion, the most amazing job on the planet and come out here and play football. So got to enjoy it when we can. Obviously, losing sucks, and we don’t want to lose, it’s literally the worst feeling in the world when you’re working hard and trusting the process and things aren’t going your way. Sometimes you you have a good process and a bad result, and it feels terrible and you feel like you need to switch everything but we really don’t. We got to keep coming together as a team, keep fighting, keep playing complementary football, and put our head down and take it week by week.”

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10 potential replacements for Joe Brady as Bills QB coach

10 potential replacements for Joe Brady as #Bills QB coach:

Following a 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, Bills head coach responded differently than he did a week prior and fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, albeit to mixed responses.

The Bills’ offensive struggles they’d experienced in execution, consistency, and rhythm in Dorsey’s tenure as offensive coordinator continued.

So did their propensity to turn the ball over.

The Bills are facing what perhaps is the most critical run of McDermott’s head coaching tenure, and he felt a change was in order.

Previously viewed as a Super Bowl contender ahead of their past several seasons, the club is currently on the outside looking as far as the postseason mid-way through their 2023 campaign.

Buffalo is 5-5 overall and 2-5 in AFC matchups this season and has gone 1-3 in road games. They will face the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the second half of the season including road games against the Eagles, Chiefs, Chargers, and Dolphins. That is in addition to home games against the Cowboys, Patriots, and the Jets who they’ll welcome to New York for a matchup on Sunday.

Shaking things up to right the ship is a change of pace for McDermott, and it raises the question of who might become the Bills’ new QB coach. There could be a lot of options given the appeal of working with Josh Allen, from younger coaches to former OC’s like Brady himself.

With that, here are 10 Potential Joe Brady replacements as the Bills quarterbacks coach…

Bills’ Sean McDermott on No. 2 WR option: ‘We need that’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott on No. 2 WR option: ‘We need that’

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke with media members on Monday after reviewing the film of a 22-16 loss to the Jets in New Jersey to open the season, one in which QB Josh Allen and the offense struggled.

The conclusion of NFL Week 1 has left the team facing some of the same questions of their offseason, and even of last year’s campaign.

One of which is that of who can provide a reliable second option in the passing game behind WR1 Stefon Diggs, who was met with double team coverage often last season.

McDermott was to the point when asked about the matter.

“I think that’s big, I think that’s really big, whether that’s a wide receiver, tight end, back, whatever it is, we need that,” McDermott said via video conference. “We probably didn’t get it as much as we would have liked to yesterday.”

Stefon Diggs led the way for Buffalo’s receivers going 10 for 13 with 102 yards and a touchdown, 

“Thought Stef had a good day overall and obviously had the touchdown on the Scramble Play there, and was productive in the two-minute drive to go tie it as well,” his head coach noted.

WR2 Gabe Davis was second by a wider margin, going 2 for 4 with 32 yards. He continued to exhibit strong situational contribution in the two-minute drive but the team continues to need more beyond him and Diggs as well.

“I did see in the two-minute drive Gabe stepped up his game there which is when we need him to do it, and other guys were involved just I think we could we could mix some of those guys in there some more as well in terms of opportunities,” said McDermott.

After Davis, it was Dalton Kincaid (4 for 4 with 26 yards), Dawson Knox (3 for 4 with 25 yards), James Cook (4 for 6 with 17 yards), and Damien Harris (2 for 2 with 16 yards.)

Spreading the ball around effectively was a hallmark of former Bills offensive coordinator-turned-Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who produced the standard of success by which the current Buffalo regime is often measured, and will be until they perform to or exceed it again.

A standard by which current OC Ken Dorsey is also being measured.

With the offense’s struggles dating back to Dorsey’s first campaign as OC last season taking over for Daboll, and the most offensive weapons the Bills have had under McDermott at his disposal, the situation is magnified. Recapturing the rhythm and success of spreading the offense around achieved by his predecessor is essential for  Buffalo’s success as well as Dorsey’s.

Spreading the ball around and executing efficiently, as seen previously under Daboll, also can create less pressure on Allen to force throws into coverage, make smarter reads to hit open targets, and to avoid costly turnovers such as those in Monday’s loss.

“There’s only one ball all that being said, right, you want to make sure that Stef gets what he needs in terms of as a number one receiver that he is for us,” McDermott added. “But spraying the ball around and other people becoming viable options is also important for us.”

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Bills’ Sean McDermott: ‘Hard to win in this league (when) you’re playing two opponents’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott: ‘Hard to win in this league (when) you’re playing two opponents’

The Buffalo Bills appeared to have an upper hand in their Monday Night Football season opener against the Jets in New Jersey.

QB Aaron Rodgers left the game early, suffering a season-ending Achilles injury while scrambling to evade a tackle on the MetLife Stadium turf.

Without the future Hall of Famer under center, Sean McDermott’s squad was then in a position to win under the unfortunate circumstances.

Yet the Bills got off to a rough start that mostly continued the rest of the way, resulting in a loss to a divisional opponent.

And much of that had to do with turning the ball over.

“When you turn the ball over four times it’s hard to win in this league and you’re playing two opponents,” HC Sean McDermott said to the media after the game. “The one on the other sideline and yourself and that’s what we did tonight.”

By his own admission, that was a result of poor decision-making by QB Josh Allen despite having good pass protection and a strong performance by WR1 Stefon Diggs. He threw three interceptions to Jets Safety Jordan Whitehead and also fumbled after a high snap.

“I hurt our team tonight. I cost our team tonight,” Allen said. “It feels eerily similar to last year, and I hate that it’s something I do.”

Allen has 84 turnovers since his rookie year in 2018, which leads the NFL in that period. He is also the quarterback with the most overtime losses without a win or tie (0-5) in the regular season and playoffs, per ESPN Stats & Information research.

The offense continued their struggles from last season under OC Ken Dorsey. After yielding only a field goal in the first quarter and then adding another in the second, it seemed like Buffalo was starting to right the ship when the offensive unit followed those points up with a strong second-quarter drive that resulted in a touchdown pass from QB Josh Allen to WR Stefon Diggs.

But the rest of the game was a poor outing. Whether it was the defense giving up long-running plays and not being more aggressive with second-year quarterback Zach Wilson, Dorsey’s playcalling and Allen’s turning the ball over, or the coaching staff declining a penalty against the Jets that allowed a 43-yard field goal fourth down play instead of accepting it and putting them out of range on third and 23.

The officiating was poor as well. Referees failed to call multiple helmet-to-helmet targeting hits by Jets players, including one on Allen in the fourth-quarter fumble play. They also had a tripping non-call on Jets LB Chazz Surratt during their game-winning punt return in overtime.

Still, the game provided plenty of opportunities for the Bills to win despite the officiating, with the turnovers especially standing out as costly. Buffalo will look to correct these mistakes ahead of their NFL Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“It’s a long season in the NFL,” McDermott added. “And unfortunately, sometimes you have to be reminded of these things. And it hurts with a loss, right? And so, it’s a constant, constant reminder during the week of, ‘Hey, take care of the football — take the football away, that wins games when you do that.’ And in this case, it loses games.”

Bills pass rushers feeling confident after sack attack vs. Jets

#Bills pass rushers feeling confident after sack attack vs. #Jets:

The Bills defeated the Jets at home in Orchard Park on Sunday 20-12, paying back a loss earlier this season to the club while improving their division record to 2-2 on the year and to 10-3 overall.

Head coach Sean McDermott had called his younger defensive players to ’step up’ last week following the loss of OLB Von Miller to a season-ending injury.

And on Sunday, they did just that.

Bills DE Greg Rousseau had 2 sacks and a pass defended to go with a strip-sack fumble. It was the second-year pro’s third multi-sack performance of his NFL career and his 7 sacks this season are a career-high for the University of Miami product.

The second time in the game that Jets QB Joe Flacco played in relief of Mike White, Rousseau sacked him from the left side.

“I went speed to power, started off with a double swipe,” Rousseau said to WIVB-TV. “I felt that he was kind of oversetting me and I just came underneath, but I know for sure that the secondary was holding up, and then I’ve got three other dogs out there with me rushing. So really our mentality is kind of like four equals one. I can win on one side, somebody else can win. If somebody else isn’t doing their job, then the quarterback just gets flushed out and runs away. So it’s four equals one every single play we make.”

As if the big performance from one of the Bills biggest defensemen wasn’t enough, they got one from another big presence from the team’s same position group.

DE AJ Epenesa had a sack, pass breakup, and five tackles on the day. His play on the Bills final defensive snap play saw him bat down a pass at the line of scrimmage that ended the game.

“It gives us a whole bunch of confidence,” Epenesa said. “I mean we all believe in each other, believe in ourselves that we can go out there and win these one-on-ones and make big plays. But now that things have unfolded the way they have we just have that much more belief in each other,”

After the game, Rousseau also spoke about answering the call in Miller’s absence.

“We know we gotta step up but Von’s still with us. He’s still paying attention, he’s still in our meetings, on the phone, zoom all that. We’re doing it, we’re doing it for him, we’re doing it for us, so we don’t see it as he’s out. We just see it as we gotta step up, do our one eleventh out there and make plays and get the job done,”

Count Bills veteran DE Shaq Lawson is among those who believe in the team’s group of young defensive players to make that impact on the field.

“All our d-ends are either first or second-round picks in the past,” Lawson pointed out. I mean they drafted them and they brought me back for a reason so I feel like we can do it. And that’s what I tell them boys, continue to have faith.”

The team will have a chance to take another big step toward winning a division crown for the third straight year next Sunday when they host the Miami Dolphins at home as well.

With a win, the Bills will have bested both of the AFC East teams that beat them previously this season.

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Bills’ Dawson Knox on Jets TD: ‘I have to get in’

#Bills’ Dawson Knox on #Jets TD: ‘I have to get in’

On a snowy day in Orchard Park, the Bills outplayed the Jets for a 20-12 victory at home.

Buffalo was challenged often by the Jets defense throughout the game, and gradually began ramping up their play more and more to counter it. 

This included a signature hurdle from QB Josh Allen, but also a very Allen-like leap from one of his teammates as well.

On a first down, Buffalo ran a levels concept with WR Stefon Diggs running deep, RB Devin Singletary in the flat, and Dawson Knox in the middle.

Allen found Knox with a throw to the 10-yard line that the tight end would turn into a 24-yard play. going airborne at the goal line to get the score.

It was his first score since facing Green Bay in Week 8.

“When I saw a couple of guys at the goal line, it was, ‘ I have to get in,’ ” Knox said to the media.

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner attempted to defend Knox at the goal line as S Jordan Whitehead hit the TE in the back. Knox wouldn’t be denied though as he landed for a touchdown.

He paid homage to his hurdle-friendly QB postgame, saying “Anytime you can try to be like Josh good things happen.”

Allen was complimentary back to the tight end on his acrobatic and athletic play as well.

“A heckuva, Superman, heroic-type performance to dive in,” Allen said.

Knox finished the day leading all receivers with 41 yards via four receptions on seven targets. This season he has only had more than four catches just once, hauling in seven against Cleveland.

Yet the Bills have 10 wins, and more may be ahead before the season’s out. The team controls its own destiny, first place in the AFC and the top spot in the AFC East are theirs. 

“Frustration is going to be natural anytime you’re not directly producing like you know you can,” Knox added. “But we’re winning games so I’m happy.”

Knox and the Bills will have a chance to help keep the momentum going next Sunday when they host the Miami Dolphins for another AFC East matchup in Buffalo.

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