Tag: bills vikings

Bills’ Von Miller still says ‘no panic’ after overtime loss to Vikings

#Bills’ Von Miller still says ‘no panic’ after overtime loss to #Vikings:

Since joining the Bills, OLB Von Miller has been a vocal leader inside the locker room and out, unwavering in his support of his new teammates.  

Miller has brought intensity to his on-field performance as well as confidence off the field.

Earlier in the week, prior to Sunday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings, he expressed there was “definitely no panic” when it came to the Bills run defense.

A rocky few outings now have that steadiness in question, as the Bills defense gave up 30 of 50 for 357 yards of passing offense and 147 yards rushing including two TDs on the ground to Minnesota, who had a 17-point road comeback in the contest.

The Vikings would win the game in overtime, after yet another uncharacteristic red zone interception thrown by QB Josh Allen.

Yet Miller remains unfazed.

“It’s definitely not, you know, any panic from me,” Miller said again during his postgame press conference.

The defense did perform well at times albeit inconsistently.

Starting CBs Dane Jackson and Benford both had interceptions and the defensive unit sacked Cousi1ns four times.

“If anything, I like the position we’re in,” he added with a smile. “You want to be tested going into December and the later months”

Miller wasn’t alone, as head Coach Sean McDermott reiterated his confidence while echoing similar sentiment as well for the second week.

The two voiced their belief and trust in the team after last week’s loss to the Jets.

“That’s part of it — you’ve got to hold your confidence throughout the course of the season,” McDermott said to the press. “The league tests you in a lot of ways. The season tests you.”

Fortunately for the Bills defense, a long-time star and NFL veteran like Miller isn’t staring anything down he hasn’t seen before.

“My perspective is a little bit different,” he continued. “I’m 12 years in and I’ve been here before, I was just here last year. Definitely not any panic from me.”

The Bills moved to 6-3 on the season, dropping out of first place in the AFC and AFC East division. They’ll have a chance to get back to their winning ways next Sunday November 11th against the Cleveland Browns.

“We lost, I’m a professional football player and it happens. I think the standard is so high we expect to win every single game, and that’s how it should be,” Miller added.

“I’m excited to see how we respond, we got a locker room full of great character guys, and adversity reveals character.”

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Bills’ Stefon Diggs reflects on overtime loss to the Vikings

#Bills’ Stefon Diggs reflects on overtime loss to the #Vikings:

The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings met for the first time since a trade between the teams brought WR Stefon Diggs to Buffalo.

For trades to be considered successful, they should offer an exchange that mutually benefits both teams involved.

In this deal, it’s hard to argue that either team didn’t benefit.

The Vikings used the first-round pick that came to them in the swap with Buffalo to select receiver Justin Jefferson, who has become a star in his own right.

The two wideouts both had a big game, with each turning in highlight-reel performances including catch-of-the-year caliber receptions.

Diggs reeled in a 25-yard one-handed catch on a pass from Allen and finished the day leading all Bills receivers with 128 yards, and 12 catches on 16 targets.

The Bills, however, would lose to the receiver’s former club 33-30 in overtime.

Buffalo committed penalties and turnovers that ultimately proved costly in the loss. Diggs was among those Bills players responsible.

With 2nd and 15 just under 4 minutes left to play in regulation, the WR was penalized five yards for a false start. They would not regain the yards and would punt a few plays later.

“We’ve got to continue to play sharp,” Diggs said to the press postgame. “I mean, I feel like we’re coming out in the first half, minds sharp, getting after it, and then we somewhat hit a little lull and then kind of got to get back in the groove. It seemed like when we’ve got to get in the groove, it’s always crunch time. And we always manage to kind of figure it out and make a way, but it’ll save us if we don’t take that lull, don’t take that little gasp of air. Von always say don’t blink and I feel like we might be blinking a little bit, especially when we come out trying to figure it out… This game has its ebbs and flows along with the season. I mean, we can’t ride a roller coaster, so chin up.”

He went on to talk more about his offside call specifically.

“No, I mean, if you look at the score, the score was still tight,” Diggs added. “When I think about a lull I feel like it’s more so not being as sharp. For example like me jumping offsides.”

“That’s more so like a lull, not so much about the other team because like I said every week the other team will give you their best shot and they’re always going to give us that. So all heavily anticipated never a lull, more so looking inward than anything.”

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Report: Stefon Diggs’ tweeting actually triggered Bills trade

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ tweeting reportedly triggered trade from Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo Bills.

Stefon Diggs has seen his name in headlines in both Buffalo and Minnesota in recent days. What Bills fans are loving is all the images surfacing of Diggs working out with his new teammates, namely quarterback Josh Allen.

His former backers, Vikings fans, have been hearing Diggs’ name throw around a bit by Vikings bench boss Mike Zimmer. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show last week, the coach said that Minnesota had “no intention” of trading him to the Bills earlier this offseason. Things just… happened.

But one thing did push the Vikes to make that deal, according to a new report from the weekend. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on the day of the Diggs trade, the receiver’s tweeting actually did push the Vikings to deal him to the Bills.

Per Rap Sheet on NFL Now:

“What triggered the trade more was Diggs kind of ambiguously tweeting earlier that day about potentially going somewhere.”

“What happens, as you know Mike, is when a player kind of brings up his own future and discusses maybe being traded, teams start calling and going, ‘Oh, could we trade for this guy?’ I know that the Buffalo Bills — I believe the Eagles were also a little bit kind of in the mix there — but the Bills were very serious about it, and it was more so them giving an offer the Vikings couldn’t refuse than the Vikings wanting to deal him.”

Just hours before being sent to Buffalo, Diggs sent out messages like “it’s time for a new beginning” and “something’s going to happen” via his social media page on Twitter. It had been a well-known thing that Diggs was hoping to get out of the Minnesota for some time. Following the trade, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane actually admitted that he had been pursuing Diggs since the trade deadline during the 2019 season, but he couldn’t get a deal done then. Instead, he waited until this past March and sent a slew of picks to the Vikings, including a first-round pick, for Diggs. The Vikings went on to use that first round to select LSU wideout Justin Jefferson at the 2020 NFL Draft.

In addition, Diggs deleted the Vikings logos from his social media prior to the trade day and he posted video of him working out in another team’s shirt. Not the Bills, rather the Cardinals. Many knew Diggs wanted out, and evidently the cherry on top was a few of his tweets from earlier that same day he was traded.

 

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Who the Vikings selected with Bills first-round pick

At No. 22 overall at the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills did not select anyone.

At No. 22 overall at the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills did not select anyone.

That pick moved from the Bills to the Minnesota Vikings in the trade heard round the world: Stefon Diggs landing with Buffalo. So for those wondering, the Vikings did, in fact, select a player eventually at No. 22.

It ended up being… a wide receiver. LSU’s Justin Jefferson was the move.

Jefferson ended up being the fifth receiver selected at the draft after Henry Ruggs (12), Jerry Jeudy (15), Cee Dee Lamb (17) and Jalen Reagor (21). Jefferson, a 6-foot-4 target, saw his stock shoot up draft boards when he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash time at the recent scouting combine. Size and speed.

The Bills and Diggs were going to be connected to whoever the Vikings selected to an extent, regardless of the pick. Now we have a straight wideout-to-wideout comparison. Let the fun begin.

 

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VIDEO: PFF on how Stefon Diggs changes Bills’ shot at AFC East title

Pro Football Focus breaks down Buffalo Bills’ acquisition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Of course, quarterback Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots will have a huge affect on the outlook of the AFC East next season. In terms of ranking roster moves made across the division this offseason that will do just that, the Buffalo Bills acquiring wide receiver Stefon Diggs is a close second.

Buffalo’s defense was status quo last season as one of the NFL’s best. Their offense made some smaller steps forward. Quarterback Josh Allen improved and the quality of the players around him did as well. But the Bills still had a big hole to fill in terms of having a true game-breaking playmaker on offense.

Enter Diggs.

But exactly how big of an impact could Diggs have on Buffalo’s future? The football analytics folks at Pro Football Focus complied all their data on the Bills’ new No. 1 wide receiver and put into… focus… exactly how much of a difference Diggs could make in Orchard Park.

Check out their full video breakdown here:

 

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Vikings’ Dalvin Cook says it ‘hurt’ seeing Stefon Diggs traded to Bills

The Buffalo Bills are ready to unleash wide receiver Stefon Diggs on the AFC. But Diggs’ former teammate in running back Dalvin Cook recently revealed he wasn’t happy to see him go. 

The Buffalo Bills are ready to unleash wide receiver Stefon Diggs on the AFC. But Diggs’ former teammate in running back Dalvin Cook recently revealed he wasn’t happy to see him go.

The two were much closer than teammates.

“[I] just told him, ‘That’s my brother for life and I’m still here with you,’’’ Cook said. “And he was the same. Vice versa.’’

“It hurts because you spend so much time with a guy,” Cook added. “It hurt a lot of guys in the locker room but it’s part of the business. We’ve got to accept that Diggs wanted to be happy and be happy for him as a player.’’

Diggs comes to Buffalo on the heels of back-to-back 1,000-yard plus seasons of receiving. He’ll be added to the top of the Bills’ depth chart, right ahead of John Brown and Cole Beasley who both had profitable 2019 seasons with quarterback Josh Allen.

Diggs penned a note to Buffalo in The Players’ Tribune last week, expressing how excited he was to get going with his new team.

But he also discussed his former team, and tipped his cap to his Vikings teammates.

“The texts started coming in, and I remembered what I was leaving,” Diggs said. “You get to someplace like Minnesota, and you realize that it’s so much more than that. More than you ever even imagined.”

What’s important to note here is that Diggs, who wanted to leave the Vikings which prompted the trade, mentioned several teammates in his note via the player-run outlet. Among those was quarterback Kirk Cousins.

No one knows for sure why Diggs wanted out, and some speculation said it had to do with Cousins. But Diggs was very complimentary of Cousins and several other teammates. That, combined with Cook speaking out, indicates Diggs had an issue with the front office and not any individual players. Perhaps a good silver lining here for Buffalo in terms of their locker room culture with Diggs’ addition.

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Bills-Vikings in 2018 has Stefon Diggs excited to play with Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs recalls playing against QB Josh Allen and his new team while with the Minnesota Vikings.

Stefon Diggs got a front row seat to Josh Allen in 2018. He was sold right then and there.

The Buffalo Bills entered Minnesota in Week 3 of that season, they were massive underdogs. High double-digits in some sportsbooks.

The Bills won 27-6 over the Vikings.

That game Diggs remembered fondly in a message he penned to Buffalo via The Player’s Tribune on Friday. In the game came Allen’s biggest highlight of his career. Little did he know, the quarterback apparently recruited Diggs right then and there.

Allen famously jumped over linebacker Anthony Barr for a first down. The scene was wild, and Diggs loved it even as an opponent:

The Bills came to Minnesota a couple of years ago and spanked us. It was Week 3 back in 2018, and it was the kind of upset that you’ve seen the Bills pull off a lot over the past few years. It’s like even though they’ve been on the rise for a minute now, it somehow seems like people are always sleeping on them.

We were favored in that game. Heavily. But Buffalo was ready. They beat us, 27–6, and one play really stands out to me. It was late in the first quarter. Josh dropped back, then took off running up the middle. About 10 yards down the field, our defense closed in on him. And just when it looked like he was dead in the water, he leaped over one of our linebackers — I mean hurdled the guy. He flew like five yards through the air, and he got the first down.

You just don’t see a lot of quarterbacks do stuff like that.

I remember being on the sidelines thinking, O.K. … this guy’s got some moxie. He just had a ton of energy and played with so much passion. And anybody who knows me knows that I’m a passionate guy. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I give everything I got every time I step onto the field.

I could tell right away that Josh Allen was the same type of player.

So once I found out about the trade, I couldn’t wait to go to work with him.

A massive upset and Allen turning heads nationally with a ridiculously crazy play appears to have come full circle now for the Bills.

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Bills’ Brandon Beane explains Stefon Diggs trade

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is excited about his team’s first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, Stefon Diggs?

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is excited about his team’s first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft.

Technically, he doesn’t have an actually selection, but while speaking to reporters on Thursday via video call, Beane called his new No. 1 receiver just that.

“The way I’m treating it is, that’s our first-round pick,” Beane said.

As free agency started on March 16, the Bills lost their first rounder in a trade with the Vikings, along with a slew of other picks, but gained Stefon Diggs. Beane confirmed earlier speculation that the deal was a long time in the makings.

Reports indicated during the 2019 trade deadline that the Bills were interested in adding Diggs, but the price was too high at the time. Beane then reached out, and also confirmed what Saints wideout Emmanuel Sanders said this week. The Bills’ GM was looking into adding other piece via free agent signings, but he clearly reached out to the Vikings that day too, and felt more comfortable with the trade route.

Speaking of price tag, Beane also compared the price he paid for Diggs to the price he’d pay to move up in the draft. Beane said that he believed it would have cost Buffalo more to move up in the draft and find an immediate impact player such as Diggs.

Buffalo originally held the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the upcoming draft. The Bills sent that pick, along with a fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and 2021 fourth-round pick for Diggs and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.

 

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PFF on Bills’ Stefon Diggs trade: ‘Fully worth it’

Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to think so. The football analytics outlet pegged the trade as “fully worth it” for the Bills.

There’s been a bit of a divide on opinion with the Bills’ acquisition of Stefon Diggs. The wide receiver cost the Bills a slew of picks, and even their upcoming first-round pick.

Did Buffalo pay too much?

Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to think so. The football analytics outlet pegged the trade as “fully worth it” for the Bills when recently naming the move the team’s best move of the offseason:

Buffalo traded 2020 first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks as well as a 2021 fourth-round pick for Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick — and it was fully worth it. With the addition of Diggs, the Bills now own three of the 35 most valuable wide receivers from the 2019 season and are the only team in the NFL to be able to say that. One of the more underrated aspects of Diggs’ play is how great of a receiver he is against tight coverage — an area Buffalo’s receivers badly struggled in this past year, as their wideouts were 28th in receiving grade on contested targets. Since 2017, Diggs is among the 10 best receivers in grade on contested targets. This move puts the Bills another step closer to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find larger praise than PFF’s on the trade. When was the last time “Super Bowl-caliber roster” and “Bills” were in the same sentence?

That’s what the Bills might have. Diggs is not the physical beast type of receiver some pegged for the Bills. Standing at six-feet tall, the Bills didn’t get the big-bodied target. They still could, but as mentioned, Diggs does what the big boys do: make contested catches.

Diggs joins John Brown and Cole Beasley in Buffalo’s wideout room. So now this deal’s success comes down to one man: quarterback Josh Allen. There’s no reason Allen shouldn’t take a step forward in his third season under center for the team with the acquisition of Diggs. There’s plenty of reason to believe he could do just that, too.

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Bills’ Josh Allen still on ‘cloud nine’ with Stefon Diggs trade

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is still jazzed up about his team’s trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

On Thursday, new Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs still expressed some excitement about his new team. During a live stream, Diggs was very complimentary of his new quarterback, Josh Allen.

“I think he a baller, I think he’s a dog, too,” Diggs said.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is still jazzed up about his team’s trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs too, and returned the compliments this week despite the initial shock of the trade wearing off.

“I’m still pumped about it. I am still floating on cloud nine. I just can’t wait to work with him,” Allen told SiriusXM’s MadDog Radio. “We’ve been staying in contact and trying to devise a plan to get together. The things he can do on a football field are unbelievable – the route-running, the way he can make contested catches. I’ve talked to him on the phone a couple of times and [it’s great to see] just how cool of a dude he seems. He’s going to mesh in very well with our wide receiver group. He’s going to mesh well within our locker room.”

Some may worry with Diggs’ past, he might not sit well in Buffalo for long. With the Vikings, he became expendable because of off-field issues with the team. The Bills still paid a premium price for the two-time 1,000-yard receiver though, and we won’t know for years how things will pan out, but it appears Diggs is already trying to build a solid foundation with his new quarterback.

Unfortunately for Allen and Diggs, it’ll be unclear as to when the two will be able to start working with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But it sounds like as soon as the new teammates get the green light, they’ll be meeting up.

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