Tag: bills rams

Bills Mafia banner flying over stadium ahead of kickoff vs. Rams

Apparently, a plane is flying over the venue ahead of kickoff and it’s pulling a banner that reads: “Together or apart, #BillsMafia loves you.”

The Buffalo Bills won’t have their fans at Bills Stadium in Week 3 to root their team on against the Los Angeles Rams. Naturally, that doesn’t mean Bills Mafia hasn’t made their presence known.

Apparently, a plane is flying over the venue ahead of kickoff and it’s pulling a banner that reads: “Together or apart, #BillsMafia loves you.”

Check out a picture of it here:

Photo via Buffalo Bills on Twitter.

Certainly, the players will love seeing that banner ahead of kickoff. After playing the Raiders next week, the fourth game of the season, in Las Vegas, the Bills will then return home for a Thursday Night Football meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. There has yet to be a decision made on whether or not fans can attend that game in Orchard Park.

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Report: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano ‘expected’ to play vs. Rams

Buffalo Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano expected to play vs. Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.

According to Kim Jones of NFL Network, the Buffalo Bills are “expected” to have both of their starting linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, active in Week 3when the team hosts the Los Angeles Rams (2-0).

The pair of starting linebackers for the Bills (2-0) sustained shoulder and hamstring injuries, respectively, in Week 1 against the New York Jets. Both players missed the Bills’ Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins. Throughout this past week, both players were limited in practices. On Friday, Buffalo slapped a “questionable” injury designation on both heading into the weekend.

In lieu of Milano and Edmunds in Week 2, linebackers Tyrel Dodson and AJ Klein filled in for Edmunds and Milano. The two left something to be desired, especially in pass coverage. Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki had 100-plus yards against the Bills defense in Week 2. Also last weekened, Rams tigh end Tyler Higbee had three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles, making their active status all the more important.

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Rams’ Jalen Ramsey: Josh Allen ‘talented,’ will miss Bills Mafia

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey says Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is talented now.

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is going to miss you on Sunday, Bills Mafia. Seriously, though. He even then doubled-down on some Buffalo-related love by not calling Bills quarterback Josh Allen trash. Instead, Ramsey admitted it. Yeah, he has some skills.

“He’s talented,” Ramsey said to reporters via ESPN. ““He presents challenges. Every week you have to face a new challenge, and this is our third week so we have to face the challenge of him and that Bills’ offense. He has some weapons around him. He can make plays running the ball and extending plays, etc, etc… Kind of the things everyone knows about him.”

We’ve come a far way from Ramsey calling Allen “trash.” As some might remember, Allen went on to beat Ramsey’s team head-to-head in 2018 when Ramsey was with the Jaguars, and then during that ensuing offseason, Allen signed a particular autograph. In it, Allen wrote, “Am I trash now?” Likely a fan’s request, but Allen still did it, and evidently Ramsey has now answered that.

Ramsey wasn’t alone this week, either. Word on Allen is spreading through the Rams secondary. Safety John Johnson dusted off the ol’ Big Ben comparison.

“He’s like the re-birth of Ben Roethlisberger,” Johnson said. “Huge arm, huge body. I remember just watching him take off and run and I’m like, ‘OK, you’ve really got to have a tackling plan for him.’ He’s not going to go down easy, he’s not going to slide, he’s not going to run out of bounds, so you really have to have a plan.

But as mentioned, Ramsey had some additional thoughts as well. Some revolving around… you. Bills fans. Truthfully not a tongue and cheek comment, Ramsey wishes he was getting boo’d on Sunday.

“They’re loud & especially they have a good team now, so they would’ve for sure got hyped up and I don’t think they like me that much, so they probably would’ve gave me a little extra, I love it though. They would’ve been turnt up,” Ramsey said. “I wish Bills Mafia would be there, it makes the game more exciting.”

Soon enough when the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic slows, Bills fans will be able to get into Bills Stadium and do what they do best. Unfortunately, that won’t happen in Week 3.

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Bills vs. Rams: Final Friday injury reports

Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams final injury reports from Friday.

Here are the final Friday injury reports for both the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams ahead of their Week 3 meeting at Bills stadium:

Los Angeles Rams (2-0)

Due to time zone differences, the Rams have yet to release their final injury designations for Week 3 just yet. Bills Wire will update when that becomes available. Here’s the latest Rams’ injury report from Thursday: 

Did not practice

  • RB Cam Akers (ribs)
  • OL Joe Notebroom (calf)

Limited practice

  • DB Darious Williams (ankle)

Full practice

  • RB Malcolm Brown (finger)

Notes:

Both Akers and Brown did not practice on Wednesday. … If Brown plays, he will wear a splint on his finger. … Notebroom was placed on the Rams’ IR.

Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Out

  • TE Dawson Knox (concussion)
  • RB Zack Moss (toe)
  • LB Del’Shawn Phillips (quad)

Questionable

  • LB Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder)
  • LB Matt Milano (hamstring)
  • CB Taron Johnson (groin)

Will play

  • DT Ed Oliver (knee)
  • WR John Brown (foot)
  • WR Cole Beasley (hip/ thumb)
  • CB Tre’Davious White (shoulder)

Notes:

Edmunds practiced in a red non-contact injury jersey this week, Milano was not in a non-contact uniform. … Brown only missed Thursday’s practice. … White and Beasley only missed Wednesday’s practice. … Oliver did not practice Wednesday, was limited Thursday, but was a full participant on Friday.

 

Aaron Donald says Rams need to ‘bring big boy pads’ against Josh Allen

Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald on facing Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.

The name on the mind of many folks around One Bills Drive this week has been Aaron Donald.

The elite defensive tackle for the Rams will spearhead their defensive efforts against the Bills in Week 3. He’s a generational talent, without a doubt.

But on the flip side, Donald is among many folks in the NFL that have been talking about one guy in particular recently: Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. A dual-threat player that enters Week 2 leading the NFL in passing yards, Donald knows his team has to give an extra effort to stop Allen this week, and he said the Rams will, quite literally, have to bring their hard hats to Orchard Park.

“He’s a big quarterback that’s mobile, that plays hard. He will run through you, run past you, and he will make you miss. He can do it all. So, when you get him you better come with your big boy pads and find a way to get him to the ground,” Donald said this week in LA. “You have to play physical, you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to be the physical guy when it comes to getting him down.”

“(Allen) is definitely a good quarterback and does a lot of good things,” Donald added.

In terms of facing Allen, it appears to be a team approach for the Rams. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay, one of the league’s top-offensive minds, also acknowledged the Bills QB this week, and made note of his improvements this year. In doing so, McVay also gave credit the Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

“I thin coach Daboll has done an excellent job and you can really see there’s a connection between those two,” McVay said. “Coach Daboll is putting their good players in the right positions and then those players ultimately are the ones that have to execute and that’s what they’re doing. Then when things go off-schedule, his ability to be able to make plays out of rhythm where he’s breaking contain, eyes down the field, whether it’s as a runner or as a passer, is really impressive.

“You see some of the throws that he’s able to make and the accuracy that he’s throwing the football consistently with throughout the course of these first two games. You see why he’s putting up the numbers that he is and why their offense is productive as it’s been. So, our guys have their work cut out for them, but we’re excited about the challenge.”

So far this season, the Rams have had mid-tier defense in terms of passing yards allowed, the 17th best in the NFL. However, the Rams are also tied for a league-best. That one is in regard to touchdowns allowed, and they’ve only allowed one through two games this season. The Rams defense will provide Allen and the Bills offense their best test-to-date on Sunday.

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Bills rule 3 players out vs. Rams

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott rules out TE Dawson Knox, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, RB Zack Moss for Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams.

The Buffalo Bills have yet to release their full, final injury report ahead of their Week 3 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams as the team has yet to take the practice field on Friday. However, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott did rule three players out for the game already.

During the coach’s weekly Friday morning segment on the team’s radio affiliate, WGR-550, McDermott declared running back Zack Moss (toe), tight end Dawson Knox (concussion) and linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips (quad). Knox and Moss were injured during Buffalo’s Week 2 win vs. the Dolphins while Phillips missed that contest.

All three players should be manageable injuries to deal with since none appear to be of the long-term variety at this time. Without Moss, TJ Yeldon, who spent the firs two weeks of the season inactive, could play. Knox will be replaced by Tyler Kroft, who was not targeted last week when he entered the game for Knox. The tight end position has not be an influential spot for the Bills this season.

On linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, McDermott later went on to say via video conference on Friday that the team wants to see where the duo are at on the practice field later that day before tabbing them with a designation. Both have been limited in practice all week to this point. The Bills will release their final designations on Friday afternoon. Check back at Bills Wire for that update.

A final injury update came on wide receiver John Brown, he missed Thursday with a sore foot but McDermott said he thinks Brown will be good to go on Sunday.

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Bills vs. Rams: Thursday injury reports

Injury reports from Thursday for the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams ahead of Week 3 meeting.

Here are the latest injury reports for the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams from Thursday ahead of their Week 3 meeting at Bills Stadium:

Los Angeles Rams (2-0)

Did not practice

  • RB Cam Akers (ribs)
  • OL Joe Notebroom (calf)

Limited practice

  • DB Darious Williams (ankle)

Full practice

  • RB Malcolm Brown (finger)

Notes:

Both Akers and Brown did not practice on Wednesday. … If Brown plays, he will wear a splint on his finger. … Notebroom was placed on the Rams’ IR.

Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Did not practice

  • TE Dawson Knox (concussion)
  • RB Zack Moss (toe)
  • LB Del’Shawn Phillips (quad)

Limited

  • LB Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder)
  • QB Jake Fromm (quarantine)
  • LB Matt Milano (limited)
  • DT Ed Oliver (knee)
  • CB Taron Johnson (groin)
  • WR John Brown (foot)

Full practice

  • WR Cole Beasley (hip/ thumb)
  • CB Tre’Davious White (shoulder)

Notes:

Oliver said on Thursday he “feels fine” in regard to his injury. … Edmunds practiced in a red non-contact injury jersey, Milano was not. … Brown was not sidelined on Wednesday but missed Thursday’s practice. … Moss and Knox have now missed two-straight practices.

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How do the Bills feel about Rams CB Jalen Ramsey now?

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs on Los Angeles Rams CB Jalen Ramsey.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and now Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, a tale as old as time. It does feel that way, doesn’t it?

But most of the sparring between these two has been done off the field with words, not on it. The two have only faced off on the gridiron one time with Allen getting the better of Ramsey and his former team, the Jaguars.

Most of the drama between these two surrounds one word: “Trash.”

That’s how Ramsey described Allen before those two ever even played. Prior to Allen getting the best of Ramsey in 2018, the Bills quarterback said, at that time, he didn’t really care.

And to this day, Allen still feels the same way.

“That was so long ago in my opinion. It’s really a non-factor,” Allen said via video conference this week..

“No, not at all,” Allen added, explaining that the previous comments don’t bother him. “You know I care about the opinions of the guys in the locker room.”

Even if Allen still isn’t going to try and reignite any war of words right now, in the past he has taken slight jabs. He previously signed an autograph for a fan that he signed and wrote, “Am I trash now?”

But regardless of all of the talking, the Bills still do have to deal with Ramsey and a difficult Rams defense in Week 3. Allen showed respect for Ramsey’s game, but said that can’t deter him from whatever game plan the Bills come up with.

“He’s a problem that we’re gonna have to deal with,” Allen said. “It’s not time to shy away from anybody.”

The player that will likely have to personally deal with Ramsey the most is actually Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, though.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Ramsey following Diggs around the field for most of the game, especially after Diggs’ big game in Week 2 against the Dolphins, which included 100-plus yards and a score. Diggs too recognized the task at-hand, but echoed Allen. The Bills aren’t going to put themselves behind the eight ball by being afraid.

“He’s damn good, everybody knows that,” Diggs said. “As far as shying away, it’s football. At the end of the day, we don’t really shy away in anything. I would just say trust in Josh, trust in Josh’s decision making. Each play is going to be big because he’s been playing some good football, and we trust him to make decisions and put the ball wherever it needs to go.”

So far in 2020, the Rams are allowing 243 yards per game in the air, that’s good for 17th best in the NFL. A mid-tier team in terms of yardage. However, the Rams are one of two teams that have allowed just a single passing touchdown.

Allen and Diggs will certainly be put to the test.

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Rams’ Robert Woods still calls Bills ‘another home’ for him

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods on playing against his former team, the Buffalo Bills.

It almost seems like it’s one of those “little known facts” or trivia answers about the NFL… Who was the team that drafted wide receiver Roberts Woods? The Buffalo Bills.

That could be for two reasons: Woods, a product of USC, has spent most of his college and pro football career in southern California. The exception is the couple of years he spent in Buffalo. The other might be because Woods didn’t see his NFL career take off until he joined the Rams.

Undoubtedly, his underachieving in Buffalo isn’t on him. Woods, a second-round pick of the Bills in 2013, played in a run-first offense with the Bills. The Rams sport one of the best young, offensive-minded head coaches in the league now in Sean McVay. Woods taking off statistically went hand-in-hand with his hiring.

This upcoming weekend, Woods will make his first trip back to Orchard Park since playing for the Bills. It’s a chance to show his former team they should’ve dished out the dough to keep him.

But that’s not the way Woods is thinking at all ahead of the Rams’ visit to Bills Stadium, he’s just looking forward to reminiscing where it all started for him.

“It feels good to go back to where I started my NFL career,” Woods said via the LA Times.

More so, Woods even recalls the time he spent playing in front of the Buffalo faithful as a big positive when he looks back. Due to Covid-19, fans won’t be there and he’s bummed about that.

“Love the fans — I wish the fans could be there. Just going back to that atmosphere, feeling like it’s another home place for me,” Woods added.

Aside from the fans, Woods mentioned that really everything in western New York was a… culture shock even, one that he welcomed.  Not only was his college and current team in So. Cal, he grew up there, too. In lieu of leaving for college, Woods instead was drafted to a place for four years in Buffalo.

“I grew to love Buffalo,” he said. “I never really got a chance to experience really like another city, especially another weather climate like that. So going to Buffalo, being in the snow, seeing the football culture there, I loved it. Real true loyal fans, fun place to play. If you’re not wearing Bills gear in the city, they’re looking at you funny.”

In Woods’ first season with the Rams back in 2017, he dealt with injury. The past two he hasn’t and in both of those, the 28-year-old has seen 130-plus targets in back-to-back seasons. With Buffalo, he averaged 86.

What’s made Woods a profitable player in the NFL is his all-around game. Not biggest guy, not the fastest one, either. He just gets the job done and cashed in on that recently with a four-year, $65 million extension.

Prior to that new contract the receiver signed, Rams quarterback Jared Goff explained Woods’ skill set in training camp.

“It’s easy to throw to him,” Goff said via the Rams’ website. “And a lot of guys, it’s not a knock on some guys, but some guys are not easy to throw to. They’re either too fast or too small, or whatever. Robert’s just got that good feel about him. You’ll watch him this year and the way he’s able to speed up and slow down to adjust to the football, it’s a quarterback’s dream. He’s been incredible for me, and I can expect that to continue.”

Perhaps part of the reason Woods will miss fans being there is because they would have been one of the few welcoming faces he’d recognize. Since he departure, the Bills have gone through and overhaul from top-to-bottom. Of the players remaining that Woods played with, there’s defensive end Jerry Hughes and tight end Lee Smith, who he himself left only to return.

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Bills use Dolphins trip to gather intel for return of fans in Buffalo

Buffalo Bills team officials used their trip to Miami Dolphins to help gather information bout fans in Bills Stadium.

The first home game of the 2020 NFL season looked much different for the Buffalo Bills without fans in the stands. Many teams in the league are playing in front of empty seats as a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. However, a few teams are allowing limited seating.

Among those? Buffalo’s most-recent opponent, the Miami Dolphins. Prior to the Bills heading to Miami last weekend, the Dolphins announced 13,000 tickets would be sold in the 65,000-seat venue, Hard Rock Stadium for that game.

As of now, the Bills will not allow fans at home games in September as they work with New York State officials towards finding a safe resolution to the situation. That means this coming Sunday’s Week 3 meeting with the Rams won’t have fans involved. But Buffalo’s Week 5 meeting with the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 15 is still on the table, and the Bills, according to the Buffalo News, used their Week 2 trip to South Beach to gather intel on the safety measures the Dolphins undertook in order to allow limited seating. 

The Bills previously said in a July statement to season ticket holders they planned for limited attendance… when permitted. The State and the Bills have not yet settled on a time when any amount of fans could be allowed in their venue, only so far saying it won’t happen in September. Season ticket holders were also given the choice to opt-out of the 2020 season and return for 2021 with the same seats and seniority.

The Bills also previously confirmed that they already had some limited-seating charts created for Bills Stadium. Those plans include scenarios of 15, 33 and 50 percent capacities of fans. It remains to be seen if the team dusts off any of these in the coming weeks. 

After not playing in front of any fans in Week 2, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott felt positive about having people in attendance in Miami last weekend, at least. 

“Miami allowed a certain percentage of fans, and I’m happy to say a significant percentage were Bills fans, so that was awesome to see, and I just was fired up,” said McDermott on Monday via video conference. “We ran out of the tunnel to that ovation and that cheer and you could hear the crowd, and that gave me chills. Just hearing that when we ran out of somebody else’s tunnel, that was awesome.”

Current in the NFL, the Dolphins are joined by the Jaguars, Cowboys, Chiefs, Broncos, Colts, Browns, and Bengals as teams that are allowing a limited number of fans in their stadium during home games. 

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