Bills’ James Cook on milestone day: ‘Something I’ve been working for’

Bills’ James Cook on milestone day: ‘Something I’ve been working for’

The Buffalo Bills lost their final game of the 2024 NFL regular season against the Patriots in New England.

However, the game was played more like a preseason contest.

The Pats got a 23-16 win and lost the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft, while the Bills rested many of their starters and played backups, depth players, and rookies.

But they also took some opportunities to help some of their starters and vets reach incentives and milestones.

Two of which went to the team’s RB1 James Cook.

Cook tied the Buffalo franchise record with his 16th rushing TD of the season and finished the regular season campaign with over 1,000 yards rushing.

 

Midway through the third quarter Cook ran up the middle for 2 yards on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. He followed that up with another carry for 1 yard out for the touchdown.

“It was big,” Cook said to the media in the postgame. “Just to have your name in the record book is great, man. First of all, I’ve gotta give thanks to my O-line, though. Without them, nothing would be possible. Just blessed.”

Going into the matchup the third-year pro needed just 19 rushing yards to surpass 1,000 on the season, and one more touchdown on the ground tie O.J. Simpson (16.)

“It was nice, it was just a good moment,” right guard O’Cyrus Torrence said via The Buffalo News. “Because we talked about it all week. We knew he needed 19 yards to get to 1,000. And we knew he needed at least one touchdown to tie the record. So, we (were) glad we were able to get both of those.”

Cook did just that on 10 carries finishing the regular season with 1,009 yards total to go with 32 receptions for 258 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Initially, he saw limited action but noted “We discussed it during the week, and it happened,” and how “that was always the plan” for him to reach the mark.

“It’s great,” he added. “That’s just something I’ve been working for and working hard throughout the year. I mean, to do that, and to go for 1,000 yards for my second year is a blessing.”

It took the RB 17 weeks to achieve the mark (as the Bills had a Week 12 bye) and it’s worth noting that there were only 14 games in 1975 when Simpson set the mark. Nonetheless, Cook’s matching the total could be a forecast of seasons to come.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott spoke after the game about helping Cook have a chance to gain over 1,000 yards while having a shot at the franchise rushing touchdown mark.

“No. 1, you’re trying to make sure you’re protecting (Cook) as much as you can and we’re smart with it,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “He’s worked all year. The offense has worked all year, the O-line and James, and so get a chance to get it on a short run was good to see.”

It was Cook’s second consecutive year with 1,000+ rushing yards becoming the first Bills RB since LeSean McCoy to do so in back-to-back campaigns (2016-17.)

His improvement of +14 in rushing TDs going from two in 2023 to 16 in 2024 is tied for the third-largest improvement all-time among players to play 16+ games in consecutive seasons in NFL history.

The running back plans to keep the ball from the touchdown and to get it painted as a keepsake.

“Just something that I can tell my kids, and their kids’ kids, something that had never been done in some years,” Cook shared. “So, just a blessing.”

Bills’ Sean McDermott focused on ‘ultimate goal’ post-Patriots loss

Bills’ Sean McDermott focused on ‘ultimate goal’ post-Patriots loss

The Bills lost to the Patriots 16-23 in both clubs’ final game of the 2024 NFL regular season.

On a chilly day in New England, Buffalo rested a number of their starters with others seeing marginal action as the game had no bearing on their playoff standings.

The Bills already clinched the No. 2 seed and it was time to give depth players and rookies more playing time.

Bills HC Sean McDermott made one thing clear during his postgame press conference as to how the team will measure success in the postseason: “The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl.”

The last contest of the regular season did have some meaning, however, as Buffalo became the first team in NFL history with 30 rushing and 30 passing touchdowns in a single season. They also tied the 2019 Saints for an NFL record for the fewest turnovers in a single season (8) since 1933 when turnovers were first tracked.

Multiple Bills players were also given the opportunity to reach contract incentives for bonuses in the game.

 

Von Miller was credited with his 6th sack of the season which netted the veteran linebacker $1.5 million while ending the Patriots’ opening drive of the game. WR Mack Hollins caught a $50,000 bonus with his second reception of the game which made for 30 on the season. P Sam Martin netted $100,000. for his 25th punt of the season inside the 20-yard line thanks to CB Ja’Marcus Ingram’s help keeping the ball from going into the endzone.

Speaking of bonuses, Buffalo didn’t have a single injury update reported.

“I’ll knock on wood because sometimes things show up the next day. I feel like [we did],” The coach also noted. “Let me just knock on wood to make sure. I’ll know a little more tomorrow.”

While the loss to New England broke the NFL’s longest active streak of eight straight wins against division opponents, it may have been strategic.

That win dropped the Patriots out of the No. 1 overall pick selection spot in the 2025 NFL Draft, a position they could have leveraged in multiple ways to help expedite their rebuild process and improve their team and payroll ahead of next season.

Last year New England tried to trade up with Buffalo from the second round so they could reportedly draft either now-Panthers WR Xavier Legette or now-Bills rookie WR Keon Coleman. Buffalo instead made the trade with Carolina to not allow a division opponent to get better (and since we play them twice a season) and took Coleman ahead of them at the top of the second round.

They can now add losing the No. 1 overall pick to any jaded feelings toward Buffalo.

As for the Bills, they’ll now turn their complete focus to the start of the playoffs.

Bills’ Sean McDermott raves about Cam Lewis’ efforts vs. Patriots

Bills’ Sean McDermott raves about Cam Lewis’ efforts vs. Patriots

The Buffalo Bills defense has had its ups and downs during the teams’ past few contests.

Despite back-to-back wins against Detroit and New England and a strong start and successful run to start the 2024 NFL season, they gave up consecutive 40+ point games to the Rams and Lions, then struggled to stop a first-half offensive attack by a 3-11 Patriots team on Sunday.

In their absence, other players had to step up, and in the third quarter, defensive back Cam Lewis did just that, hauling in his first career interception on an endzone pass from Pats QB Drake Maye.

Cam Lewis tallied his first career interception for Buffalo tonight,

Lewis saw playing time filling in as the Bills were without starters in safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp, corner Rasul Douglas, and linebacker Baylon Spector who left the game, as well as nickel cornerback Taron Johnson who missed part of the second half.

Buffalo’s head coach spoke well of the 2020 undrafted free agent signing’s ability to play the safety position even though it’s not normally his role.

“He hadn’t played a lot of safety for us, even in practice,” Sean McDermott said. “With the injuries, you know, all of a sudden he’s starting at safety, as opposed to just, you know, Cam be ready to go as the backup safety, and also the backup nickel, starting dime, and then four core special teams player. He gets pushed into the starting role with safety the last two weeks, and I think he’s done a real nice job.”

After one of the longest, most successful runs in NFL history under former head coach Bill Belichick and longtime quarterback Tom Brady, New England finds themselves amidst a rebuilding process and their first season with a new head coach, Jerod Mayo, at the helm.

The Pats also have a new face under center as well, in the 2024 NFL Draft pick and Josh Allen fan, Maye.

While rolling the new-look Pats headlined by rookie Maye and Mayo, proved to be a challenge as Buffalo looked messy early in their first meeting as the Bills fell behind early on and had to fight their way back.

The Buffalo defense caused three turnovers total as they also recovered two New England fumbles.

Lewis missed a tackle on Rhamondre Stevenson’s touchdown run earlier in the game, adjusted to get in the right frame of mind moving forward.

“Yeah, just a little technique (mistake), especially on that tackle,” Lewis said. “I feel like I got good contact on him, gotta keep my head on the outside and just get a better rep … You just have to move on. You can’t dwell on the past. You do that and it’s going to affect your game moving forward.”

Lewis’s interception made an impact in shifting the momentum of the game, he slid in the endzone to stay in bounds and make the play, giving Buffalo a possession change when they only had a three-point lead.

Fellow Bills and University of Buffalo teammate Ja’Marcus Ingram, who along with Lewis received praise from McDermott for filling in for Johnson earlier in the season, celebrated the pick as well.

“Man it was live, shoot, I was turnt up,” Ingam said. “He is benefitting from the fruits of his labor.”

Cornerback Christian Benford joked with Lewis in the locker room as well, asking “Now that you got your first career interception, you paying for DB dinner now?” Lewis smiled and replied “100 percent, nah. I got two kids man, that’s expensive.”

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Injury update: Bills QB Josh Allen addresses knock vs. Patriots

Injury update: Bills QB Josh Allen addresses knock vs. Patriots

The Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots at home by a final score of 24-21.

On a frigid Sunday in Orchard Park, the Bills‘ welcome was anything but warm and fuzzy.

In fact the weather was cold and stingy as were the Patriots in the first half.

The Patriots came out swinging on both sides of the ball, but by the second half, Buffalo bit by bit began to remind their divisional foe which team wears the AFC East crown.

Still, the game was not without some nail-biting moments, and one came for Bills fans in the fourth quarter when quarterback Josh Allen appeared to hurt his right elbow/hand as a result of making contact with a defender’s helmet while being tackled on play.

After the game, Allen provided an update on the injury.

“Got a helmet to the funny bone. I went to throw the next one, and I had no feeling in the hand. Came out a little wobbly,” Allen said to CBS sideline reporter Evan Wasburn on the field following the win.

It was revealed this week that the Bills QB had played most of the season with a fractured left hand that has now healed up. It’s worth noting he still put up a campaign worthy of MVP consideration.

An injury to his throwing elbow and hand, however, is not anything coaches or fans take lightly.

Allen was seen shaking the hand on the sideline after the play and throwing to get it back feeling right. Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky even started warming up in case Allen couldn’t go.

But he would re-enter the game, completing some passes as well as doing his part on a QB sneak in the final drive to help get the victory.

Next up the Bills will host the Jets at home and then travel to New England for a Patriots re-mach road game to end the regular season.

Josh Allen: Bills were not ‘ready to play’ vs. Patriots

Josh Allen: Bills were not ‘ready to play’ vs. Patriots

The Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots 24-21 at Highmark Stadium on a cold Sunday night.

It was the first of their two divisional matchups this season, hich will come only weeks apart as the regular season nears its end.

While Buffalo got the win at home and improved to 12-3 on the year, players and coaches saw room for improvement.

“Got to come out in the first half ready to play,” QB Josh Allen said after the game. “And I don’t think that’s something that we did great today. Missed some opportunities. Wish I had a few back. That’s every game, but glad our defense and our special teams can step up. They scored on defense, obviously, and we won the turnover battle again, and it’s complementary football, and our defense had our back today.”

The 2024 campaign for these two franchises has been a tale of two very different clubs in terms of where they are.

Going into the matchup, Buffalo was 11-3 and the Patriots were 3-11, yet the game proved to be a close one.

“Didn’t start the way we wanted to,” LB Terrel Bernard noted, as New England got an early 14-0 lead on its first two drives of the game. “We made some adjustments and then we were able to play more like ourselves down the stretch there. I think it’s a good learning opportunity for us.”

The Bills have locked up their fifth consecutive division crown and are competing for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoff picture. To do so they’ll need to win their remaining two games and the Chiefs would need to lose their last two matchups.

The Bills will face the Jets at home before traveling for a regular season finale rematch to New England, who got ahead early in their first meeting.

“Good to get a win, it’s hard to win. Don’t take those for granted. Number One. Two, we thought we played sloppy in the first half in particular, and overall,” HC Sean McDermott said about the game. “We’ve got to clean some things up. The second half was a lot better, controlling the line of scrimmage offensively, and defensively with the takeaways. But you can’t start a game the way we did with the kickoff return and just getting off to an overall bad start. So I applaud the guys for, you know, finding a way and the coaching staff as well. [We made] some good adjustments at halftime. But again, we’re planning on coming out of this game and we’ll look at the tape and make sure we continue to adjust.”

Despite coming in with only three wins on the season, the Pats gave the Bills a run for their money in a game that figured to be an easier win on paper for Buffalo.

“That’s a better team than their record shows and these division games are tough,” QB Josh Allen added. “It’s someone that we’re used to, and they’ve seen us quite a bit over the last few years, and they came out ready to play today.”

McDermott continued to focus on where his team could improve.

“We got to do a better job of just doing our jobs and playing good sound, fundamental football, and then getting off the field on third down,” McDermott pointed out. “We’ve got to come out with more discipline,” McDermott said. “Can’t beat yourself… The first half just beating ourselves and not getting into a rhythm on offense… There are some young players out there, too, who are going to learn from some of those situations and experiences.”

Bills’ Micah Hyde makes decision on Rasul Douglas: ‘We won the trade’

#Bills’ Micah Hyde makes decision on Rasul Douglas: ‘We won the trade’

The Bills defeated a chippy Patriots team 27-21 in Orchard Park on Sunday, extending their win streak to four straight contests.

Buffalo will head into next week’s regular-season finale against the Dolphins in Miami for the AFC Championship.

Sunday’s win could be the final AFC East meeting between defensive head coaches Sean McDermott and Bill Belichick, whose future with the Patriots organization is unclear.

And it was McDermott’s defense, for whom he is the primary play-caller, that shone, holding New England to only 294 total yards.

Buffalo caused four Patriots turnovers, including a pick-six by trade deadline acquisition CB Rasul Douglas.

Douglas tipped a pass by Patriots QB Bailey Zappe earlier in the game, which was then caught by teammate DT Ed Oliver for his first career interception, thanks to some single-handed acrobatics, before the cornerback reeled in two picks of his own.

All in the first half.

“That should have been another pick by me,” Douglas mused during his postgame media availability. “I should have had 3, honestly, cause I knew it was coming. I read it, but I was on the right side of the tight end and he kind of threw it to the left. So, I had to go around him and deflect it up and then I seen Ed diving for it, I was just happy that he caught it.”

Douglas has been a huge addition defensively in general, not to mention in the wake of another season-ending injury to CB Tre White.

“I don’t know what we gave up to get him… but we won the trade,” S Micah Hyde said about the Bills’ corner, per ABC 13 WHAM. 

Hyde’s comments were backed by their head coach, who noted the team’s resilience.

“They’ve been very resilient. And just the things that they’ve learned, I think, through the journey that have gotten us to here and then using them week to week to find a way to win games,” McDermott said to the press. “Today we knew wasn’t going to be easy and I thought that their resilient nature was on display in the second half.”

New England’s defense was still stingy despite their offense’s shortcomings, but it was Buffalo’s defensive group that won the day. The offense will look to bounce back and the team will aim to keep rolling into the win column next week in Miami.

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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’ Dalton Kincaid points out communication, passion, energy on offense vs. Bucs

#Bills’ Dalton Kincaid points out: ‘Communication, passion, energy’ on offense vs. #Buccaneers:

The Buffalo Bills were looking to have a bounce-back win on a short week following a loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

On Thursday Night Football at home, they did just that.

The Bills (5-3) bested the Buccaneers 24-18, outlasting Tampa in their attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback.

Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid’s contributions were among the bright spots for an offense that found a rhythm that has eluded them at times since early last season.

When asked what differences he noticed in the Bills offense, Kincaid pinpointed a few specific things that stood out.

“Better communication, more passion and more energy throughout,” the rookie said to the media postgame.

Kincaid had five catches on seven targets for 65 yards. After his first career touchdown, he leaped into the stands with Bills Mafia in celebration.

Following news this week that starting tight end Dawson Knox would undergo surgery for a wrist injury and land on injured reserve, Kincaid’s role is set to increase during the Pro Bowler’s absence.

After the win over the Bucs, head coach Sean McDermott commented on what he saw in Kincaid’s biggest outing yet as a Bill.

“(He just needs) to be him,” McDermott said. “To continue to grow like all of the players, particularly the young players. Grow every week, get a little bit better and find things to work on. … He’s done a good job. And when you watch the rapport of a good tight end and a quarterback, it only grows over the years. And the more they play together, the better it should get.”

QB Josh Allen ran a more up-tempo passing game, logging 324 yards with two touchdowns and one interception passing. He commented following the win on Kincaid as well.

“He’s a professional. I thought he stepped up to the challenge and we’re going to have to get him more involved in the offense as the season goes by.”

In addition to the scoring toss,  Allen also made sure to secure the game ball from Kincaid’s first points in the NFL.

“You never know what they’re gonna do on their first touchdown,” Allen added about rookies. “So I stole (the ball) from him and made sure I got it to our equipment manager (Austin Skobel) and ‘Scoby’s’ gonna put it in a nice spot and laminate it and put something pretty on it for his first touchdown.”

It was also one of the most balanced games the Bills have had on offense as they spread the ball around to receivers Khalil Shakir (92 yards on six catches), Gabe Davis (87 yards on nine catches, and Stefon Diggs (70 yards on nine catches), as well as TE Dalton Kincaid (65 yards on five catches.)

On the ground RB James Cook had 67 yards on 14 carries with Allen adding 41 yards and a touchdown.

Next up, they’ll get a rematch with the Bengals in Cincinnati in one of their most important tests of the season thus far.

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Von Miller: Bills got ‘punch in the mouth’ vs. Patriots

The #Bills defense explains what happened vs. the #Patriots:

The Buffalo Bills are looking for answers on both sides of the ball following a disappointing division matchup loss to the New England Patriots.

While the offense has struggled, putting up only ten first-half points in their last three games, the defense struggled on Sunday as well, giving up a game-winning drive inside the final two minutes.

OLB Von Miller, who recently returned to live gameplay from a year-long injury and surgery recovery, found a silver lining in the ugly defeat.

“A good punch in the chin, a punch in the mouth – they’re always good,” he said, suggesting it could inspire a spark, for the team and perhaps himself as well.

DT defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, meanwhile, touched on the teams’ pattern of playing to the level of their competition. A trend evident across the past several seasons.

“We have to stop playing down to different people,” the veteran noted. “We have to do our thing and play Buffalo Bills football and we haven’t done that the last few weeks even though we won last week.”

Behind the line, safety Micah Hyde recognized the Patriots’ offensive execution while pointing out the Bills’ defensive lack thereof.

“They worked their way down the field and worked the clock. It was just poor execution by us as a defense, we’ve got to do better,” he shared. “I felt like we gave them too much in the first two drives. I’ve got to look at the play-by-play to see rushing yards and all that stuff, but it’s just we didn’t play our brand of football today. We gave them a little too much and obviously, it came down to that last drive. This is the NFL and coming down to the last two minutes of the game, you’ve got to execute and get off the field. We just didn’t do it.”

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, a former defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, took over playcalling duties on that side of the ball following the departure of DC Leslie Frasier.

The Bills defense, however, struggled to stop a Patriots offense that hasn’t been good this season.

“Just not enough, we didn’t do enough,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “We didn’t put it in position enough. I didn’t put the defense in position enough, and then just overall didn’t play complementary football.”
 
Hyde’s fellow safety Jordan Poyer provided some perspective both on the season as well as the short time before they face their next opponent.
 
“This is a long season. This is a very long season – 4-3, maybe not where we wanted to be at the beginning of the year, but we’ve got a short week this week and the games are going to keep coming,” Poyer said. “No reason to sulk into this one and turn one loss into two. We’ll hit it on the plane, watch the tape on the plane and tomorrow we’re on to Tampa Bay.”
 
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Bills’ Josh Allen on slow start: ‘I wish I knew the exact answer’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on slow start: ‘I wish I knew the exact answer’;

The Bills put up enough points over several minutes near the end of the fourth quarter in Sunday’s matchup to take the lead against the Patriots.

And then, within the final minutes, gave it back.

Despite a continued pattern of not putting points on the board until late in the contest, it seemed like Buffalo was making a comeback to secure a win on Sunday.

They took a fourth-quarter lead, and their defense got the chance to stop in the final minute, like the week before. Unlike that game, however, they didn’t stop their opponent.

When asked about whether he needs to be more involved on the offensive side of playcalling and if that is possible given he’s both head coaching as well as calling the plays on defense, HC Sean McDermott noted it would be a team effort to find a resolution to their offensive struggles.

“I oversee all three phases, we have communication across all three phases,” he said to the press postgame. “Collectively, we need to continue to find answers.”

The beginning of the outing was a little rocky for Josh Allen, who threw an interception on Buffalo’s first offensive play of the game. After the third contest in a row where the offense got off to a slow start, the QB is still looking for answers.

“I wish I knew the exact answer because we’d have it fixed by now, so I’m going to watch this film and find a way to get there,” Allen said. “Our season’s not over, it’s a long season I know it feels pretty bleak right now but we’re going to figure it out.”

In previous seasons, under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, at times Buffalo would charge downfield to score on the opening drive or pile on points in the first half to add to in the second, where by the fourth quarter, their backup QB would take over for handoffs and running the clock down to a win.

Since offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey took over last season, there have been times where they’ve continued to spread the ball out and dominate and times where they are stagnant. He was previously the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Buffalo and has been learning on the job in his first experience as an OC.

Buffalo currently has a first-half points total of only 10 in their past three combined games, following what were several previous high-scoring outings.

That, along with continued execution issues, wasn’t enough to put the game out of reach for New England despite good production from TE Dalton Kincaid, WR Stefon Diggs, and RB James Cook.

Ultimately, the Buffalo defense couldn’t seal the win and the inconsistency and struggles have left McDermott acknowledging the need for examination.

Several commonalities across his tenure manifested in the game, such as penalties, turnovers, and struggling to stop the run. The pattern of often playing to the level of their competition continued as well.

“We’ve gotta continue to find answers to some of the reasons as to why we’re stubbing our toe,” the Bills coach added. “We’re not playing complimentary football. … We’re beating ourselves at times, and we’re not linking up in all three phases to control a game.”

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