Tag: bills vs chargers

Bills’ Josh Allen sets another new NFL record, only player in history with this many TDs

#Bills’ Josh Allen sets another new NFL record, only player in history with this many TDs:

We know Josh Allen is good.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback will break a record one week and then break another record another week.

And against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday evening – yes, Allen broke another record.

Against the Chargers, Allen set a new record by being the only player in NFL history with four consecutive seasons with 40 or more total touchdowns:

The Bills’ 24-22 win over the Chargers featured two scores from Allen. He rushed two in on the ground and the other was a 57-yard pass to receiver Gabe Davis.

Allen has two more games remaining against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, respectively, to continue adding to his season totals.

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Bills’ Ed Oliver after Chargers sack: ‘Christmas gonna be good!’

Ed had a key sack late:

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Oliver had a resounding sentiment from the postgame press conference podium following Buffalo’s 24-22 road win over the Chargers in Los Angeles.

“Christmas gonna be good!”

Oliver and the Bills defense closed out the final 28 seconds of the game to seal the victory following a Tyler Bass field goal that gave them the lead.

The defensive tackle had a big sack on L.A.’s backup QB Easton Stick on first down during the Chargers’ final drive, followed by a deflected second down pass and a failed series of laterals as time ran out.

Oliver was able to break through the Bolts’ offensive front to get to Stick for an electrifying second sack of the game and of the fourth quarter.

“Coach [Sean] McDermott said we need a sack to end the game, I said ‘OK!’” Oliver shared. “I had already hit the dude with the move earlier … he fell for it again. Went with it, the quarterback tried to climb the pocket, I was already on him … Took him down, so that ran time off the clock. … I already knew once I got the sack that it was over.”

Consistency in closing out games has been an area Buffalo has looked to improve in.

For Oliver’s part, the No. 9 overall first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft has been under the microscope since the Bills selected him. Buffalo’s emphasis on player development has yielded yet another success story, as Oliver has taken the next step at the pro level to emerge as a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage.

In June of this year, the Bills signed the 26-year-old to a four-year, $68 Million extension, including a $500,000 incentive bonus in his contract if he gets eight sacks this season. An incentive he hit the play on Stick in the final minute of Saturday’s contest, making the game-closing impact the Bills need.

“Hit the incentive right before Christmas,” Oliver noted. “I told my family if I hit it, it’s going to be a nice Christmas. So, now I gotta go buy more Christmas gifts, to make sure everybody’s taken care of. … They’re going to come after Christmas, but just know, it is what it is.”

His head coach spoke highly of how the DT is handling the expectations of his contract as well.

“He’s taken it – and these are my words – but he’s taken like, ‘Hey, I’m going to show you how grateful I am for it, and I’m going to play up to that level,’” HC Sean McDermott said to the press. “And that just really says a lot about who he is as a person and how much pride he takes in his work and the job he does.”

Oliver himself was also to the point in describing his feelings on netting the game-clinching sack.

“That’s what they paid me for,” Oliver said. “Everybody, you know, when I got paid, they had a certain opinion. And I had my opinion by my own self, and I’m the type of guy who walks around with a chip on my shoulder 24/7. … I just keep on trucking.”

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Bills’ Josh Allen on Chargers win: ‘We found a way’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on #Chargers win: ‘We found a way’

The Bills shocked the Chargers in Los Angeles Saturday night, winning their head-to-head matchup 24-22 and eliminating the Bolts from playoff contention.

On offense, this was due in big part to the heads-up play of QB Josh Allen during the contest, which included a pass for 38 air yards downfield (the QB’s longest of the season) to WR Gabe Davis, which went for 57 yards total and a touchdown.

Allen went 15-for-21 for 237 yards with the touchdown, and one interception passing while adding two rushing scores on the ground. In the win, he became the first player in NFL history with four consecutive 40+ total touchdown seasons and extended his NFL record for consecutive games with a passing and rushing touchdown to 11.

“It’s tough because when you’re playing a team with nothing to lose, that’s a dangerous team. We gutted it out and we found a way,” Allen said to the press. “This is our playoffs. It didn’t matter how we get them done, just get them done.”

And the Bills did just that, though it wasn’t easy.

L.A. had a new coach and backup quarterback, which made it a challenge to prepare for and defend their own respective attack.

“(The Chargers) were doing some things that they hadn’t shown (this season). They came in well-prepared,” head coach Sean McDermott said. “I thought our guys settled in and responded. We did a good job in the red zone and had some big plays on third down to help us out.”

Ultimately, the Chargers got the short end of the stick thanks to a four-minute drill to run the clock down, with all three phases executing to secure the win. The offense did their part managing the clock, and K Tyler Bass secured the winning points on a field goal. Buffalo’s defense then sealed the victory by closing out the Chargers on their final drive with a sack by safety Ed Oliver followed by a failed lateral attempt to end the game.

“Just trusted our guys go make big plays,” Allen noted, via NFL Network. “Stefon Diggs on third down making some big conversions, Tyler Bass kicking a field goal in the end, and then Ed Oliver with the sack to end it, essentially. So, just trusting our guys to make plays, and we did tonight.”

Buffalo moved from the eighth playoff spot up into the sixth spot in the AFC playoff picture, thanks to their win and a loss by the Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If they win out in their final two games against the Patriots and Dolphins, the team will punch their ticket to the postseason. If the Dolphins lose just one of their remaining games against the Cowboys, Ravens, and Bills, Buffalo wins the division.

 

Bills’ Gabriel Davis on Cole Beasley TD pass: ‘I knew it was going to work’

Buffalo Bills WR Gabriel Davis, Cole Beasley on trick play vs. Los Angeles Chargers.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, 27-17, thanks to a good performance by the Buffalo defense, run game, and some career firsts.

While big plays are not uncommon for wide receiver Cole Beasley, an unexpected one came in the second quarter. The Bills receiver has had the NFL buzzing with catches on third down and plays in the red zone since signing with Buffalo (8-3), but beyond his clutch grabs he possesses another skill that helped the Bills earn a victory: His quarterback arm. 

Beasley threw his first NFL pass, and first since he was a high school quarterback, on a trick play with about 10 minutes left in the first half vs. the Chargers. Left wide open, rookie Gabriel Davis caught the 20-yard pass for a touchdown: 

The trickery was too much for the Chargers (3-8) defense to handle, and onlookers weren’t sure what was going to happen at first, as Beasley took an odd looking move into the backfield when he was called into motion by quarterback Josh Allen. 

Even with all the complexities going on, the Bills were confident the play was going to connect, especially Davis.

“It was great, I knew it was going to work. We run a lot of those bubble screens,” Davis said via video conference following the game. “Cole was able to put ‘a dart,’ he said he threw it kind of hard to get it in there… but it was a soft ball, an easy catch, glad we could make that connection.” 

Reflecting after the game, Beasley was also able to admit it maybe wasn’t much of a bullet pass. 

“It was really ugly, but it got there, I’ll take it,” Beasley said. 

Regardless, the biggest takeaway from the play wasn’t the velocity of the ball, it was the execution. Perfect down to a tee. Davis said the Bills had been practicing the play for a couple of weeks in practice and the gun-slinger on the play gave all the credit to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. 

“The timing in which (Daboll) calls [trick plays.]… Dabs has done a good job of mixing it up. He does a good job of keeping them off-balanced and that was one of those times right there,” Beasley said. 

Buffalo sports a number of players with past experience at the quarterback position, or at least an ability to throw the ball, offering possibilities for the type of “position-less football.” Daboll’s four passing touchdowns by non-quarterbacks since his first year with Buffalo in 2018 is tied with the Miami Dolphins for the most in the NFL.

Beasley joins fellow receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who threw a 12-yard TD pass back to Allen in the Bills’ game against the Cardinals, as only the second pair of non-QBs in franchise history to throw touchdown passes in a season.

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Los Angeles Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills live stream, how to watch, NFL football predictions, odds, tv channel, start time

The (7-3) Buffalo Bills will host the (3-7) Los Angeles Chargers in week 12 from Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, stream it here.

The (7-3) Buffalo Bills will host the (3-7) Los Angeles Chargers in week 12 from Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.

The Bills are coming off of a bye week and will be going for their eighth win when they take the field on Sunday. The Bills have been almost perfect at home, winning four of their last five home games. Meanwhile, the Chargers are looking for back to back wins for the first time this season but will have that cross country travel to deal with.

This should be a fun one to watch between Justin Herbert and Josh Allen! Don’t miss this game, here is everything you need to know to stream the action on Sunday.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills

  • When: Sunday, November 29
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Live Stream: CBS All Access (stream for free)

Prediction: I’m rolling with the Bills in this one. They are coming off of a bye week and they have won their last four of five at home. I can see this turning into a shootout so I’ll also sprinkle some on the over.

Bet: Buffalo Bills -4.5. Over 52.5

How to watch the NFL this season

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NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Buffalo Bills vs. Arizona Cardinals (-3)

O/U: 54.5

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Power Rankings: Some go up, some go down for Bills following bye

Buffalo Bills power rankings polls following Week 11 bye.

Six games remain in the regular season for the Buffalo Bills, who are on track to win the AFC East and earn a playoff spot. But this is a story about the national power rankings heading. 

The biggest factor in that? Week 11, naturally. 

But here’s the twist, the Bills didn’t play a game last weekend as their yearly bye week rolled around. Despite Buffalo sitting last weekend out, other teams played and that still causes the Bills’ position to fluctuate in the polls.

Each week, such polls can be taken with a grain of salt. After a week the Bills don’t even play? A massive one. Still, let’s have some fun.  

Here are this week’s power ranking poll roundup for the Bills as they head into Week 12: 

USA TODAY

9. Bills (12)

Pretty good bye week given their AFC East lead on Miami grew to a full game. But defense that didn’t give up more than 31 points in 2019 is still a concern given Buffalo has been burned for 32+ four times already in 2020.

Touchdown Wire

7. Buffalo Bills (7-3. Week 11 Bye. Last week: 6)

During last week’s thrilling game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills, I saw a tweet that got me thinking. There is some truth to that declaration. After all, if you think back to last year’s Wild Card game between the Bills and the Houston Texans, there was a whole mess of crazy in that game from Josh Allen. Laterals on plays like the above, downfield scramble drill vertical routes to double-covered fullbacks, and much more.

So the question facing the Bills in the second half is this: Will Josh Allen avoid the big mistake?

Allen has been a bit of a roller coaster at times, at least in previous seasons, but as D’Andrea points out in the above tweet, Allen has largely avoided those head-scratching moments we are used to seeing from him this season. He has taken care of the football, not made crazy mistakes, and right now the Bills have the upper hand in the AFC East with a game in hand over both the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

Provided Allen continues to avoid the big mistake, that might keep them atop the division.

Sports Illustrated

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Josh Allen’s rise to stardom has masked a struggling defense, but the fact that they lost their No. 2 and 3 corners 24 hours before the trip to Arizona and still came within a Hail Mary of winning counts as encouraging. And with the Dolphins losing in Denver and struggling to figure out their quarterback situation, the likely worst-case scenario for the Bills is an AFC East championship game against Miami during Week 17 in Orchard Park.

NFL.com

7. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Previous rank: No. 7

The weather is about ready to turn in Western New York, which means it’s time for the Bills to finally figure out their running game. It’s been a near-constant issue this season, and it puts too much pressure on Josh Allen and the passing game on a week-by-week basis. Sean McDermott told reporters at the beginning of the Week 11 bye that he wants to find ways to improve the ground attack, and you have to expect that might mean more opportunities for third-round rookie Zack Moss. Devin Singletary’s high-end abilities as a pass protector will keep him in the mix, but Moss deserves a shot to show what he can do in early-down situations. A subplot to watch Sunday against the Chargers.

Sporting News

6. Buffalo Bills 7-3 (6)

The Bills enjoyed a bye week by seeing both the Dolphins and Patriots lose behind them as favorites in their games. Buffalo, with the AFC East in hand and little chance to climb up in seeding, needs to just work on fine-tuning with Josh Allen and the defense. Finding a running game for December and January would help, too.

Yahoo! Sports

8. Buffalo Bills (7-3, LW: 10)

The Dolphins loss was a big one for the Bills, who are back to having some breathing room in the division. The Bills want to make sure a Week 17 game against the Dolphins doesn’t have any impact on the division race.

CBS Sports

8. Buffalo Bills (-3)

They come off the bye with a little breathing room in the division with Miami losing. They have to be better on defense down the stretch.

Bleacher Report

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

High: 5

Low: 9

Last Week: 8

Week 11 Result: Bye Week

The bye week came at an inopportune time for the Buffalo Bills, in that it gave them an extra week to stew while watching replays of the “Hail Murray” play that brought about their third loss of the season.

Despite that heartbreaker, the Bills are 7-3 for the second year in a row and come out of the bye in first place in the AFC East.

The schedule sets up relatively well down the stretch for the Bills. Only two of the team’s last six games are against teams that sport a winning record—a prime-time tilt with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 and the season finale against the surprising Miami Dolphins. Both of those games are in the friendly confines of Bills Stadium.

Part of the reason the NFL schedules so many intradivisional games on the last weekend of the regular season is to add some drama to Week 17.

With the Bills and Dolphins locked in a battle for a division that has belonged to the New England Patriots for the past decade-plus, that one could be for all the marbles.

Pro Football Talk

4. Bills (No. 8; 7-3)

 A showdown with the Steelers is looming, and a division title is waiting.

ESPN

5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)

Week 11 ranking: 7

What they’re thankful for: A franchise quarterback

Although he improved drastically in his second year, the jury was still out on Josh Allen being the Bills’ franchise quarterback. The thought was, by the middle of the 2020 season it would be clear whether he was worthy of the title. Ten games in, he has the Bills at 7-3, in position to win their first AFC East title since 1995, and ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards. He is a legitimate MVP candidate at his best and a good starter at his worst. After nearly two decades of below-average play at the position, Buffalo fans can sit comfortably knowing Allen will captain this offense for years to come.

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How much have the Bills struggled in the third quarter?

Breaking down the Buffalo Bills’ second-half stats and in the third quarter in 2020.

2020 has been all over the place and, at times, the Buffalo Bills have done the same. But while the year that’s eventually coming to a close in the next couple of weeks has been unpredictable, observers of the Bills know exactly where Buffalo’s football team has struggled. 

In somewhat of a role-reversal, the Bills offense has led the way for the team this season, carrying the Bills to a 7-3 start and first-place standing in the AFC East going into Week 12. Still, obstacles remain.

Both the Bills offense and defense has had their share of struggles in the second half of games, and more specifically, the third quarter. 

Though often the Bills have built a good lead early, at halftime their opponents make adjustments which Buffalo has struggled to counter adjust to. This allows those teams to score their way back into games and threaten victory or, in some cases, win. 

In terms of how much Buffalo has struggled in the third and fourth frames of games, it comes down to simple numbers. 

The Bills are being outscored 76-30 in the third quarter over their first 10 games of this season. Buffalo’s loss to the Cardinals saw the Bills outscored 17-7 in that stanza. But that isn’t just a 2020 problem like most things in life seem to be… For the Bills, it dates back to 2019, too. 

Since the start of last season, the Bills have given up 142 points (6th most) in the third quarter, while that 76 in 2020 leads the NFL. This season in the fourth quarter they’ve scored the most points (93) but they’ve also given up the fourth-most points (91.) It’s a tough formula to maintain, and a volatile one for success.

Head coach Sean McDermott is taking note and appears ready to tackle the third-quarter issue head-on.

“I am aware of it. I think that’s a study for the off week coming up here in the bye week to really dive down and into that and look into it and make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure that gets better,” McDermott said prior to the bye while addressing the media.

With the 13th-most difficult remaining schedule, making adjustments to improve third-quarter performance will be important to the team’s success.  From an on-field perspective, Allen said last week he knows a response is needed to how opponents are adjusting as well. 

“Late, third quarter, early fourth quarter, we got to be better and find ways to move the ball,” Allen said via video conference. “If I knew I think it’d be better, it’s just game-plan adjustments the defenses are making and we have to find ways to figure it out faster… So I can have a better sense of what to do and how to get into our answers.”

In the NFL a top defense alone no longer offers the guarantees it once did, and the Bills have embraced a modern offense-heavy approach of outscoring opponents early and often, hoping to put the game out of reach. 

But even if that’s the way the Bills want to continue approaching games from the onset, changes have to be made in the second half prior to the postseason. Not only do the Bills still need to string together some more wins just to get there, in the playoffs, tougher opponents will expose this. 

Look no further than the Bills’ last trip to the playoffs in January. After shutting out the Texans in the first half, Buffalo surrendered 22 points in the second half and in overtime to cut their playoff dreams short in a hurry. 

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Bills want improved run game post-bye: ‘It takes all of us’

Buffalo Bills’ Brian Daboll, Sean McDermott address running game struggles in recent games.

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Prior to Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Bills’ running game appeared to finally be showing some signs of life. The rushing attack has been slow to develop this season for Buffalo, but in Week 8, it had a 190-yard outing against the New England Patriots. 

But instead of growing on that, the work on the ground has stalled again. 

Bills quarterback Josh Allen led all rushers with 38 yards in the Bills’ Week 10 32-30 loss to the Cards. He was followed by rookie running back Zack Moss with 20 and back Devin Singletary with 15. Suffice to say this is not the run offense the team imagined when they added Moss to a backfield with Singletary and Allen. That has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff and with the weekend off en route for the Bills, the ground game will be something Buffalo’s offense will be focusing on. 

“We need to do a better job,” offensive coordinator Brian Daboll while addressing the media on Monday. “Starts with me. We need to do a good job of designing things for those guys… It takes all of us to get that job done, we’re not where we need to be in regards to the running game, we acknowledge that and we look forward to working on it particularly in this bye week and getting ready for the Chargers.”

The Bills are currently among the worst teams in the NFL at rushing the ball at 29th overall in terms of rushing yards per game (97.6). A year ago, the Bills averaged the eighth-most (128). 

“It’s something we have to take a look at, particularly this week as a staff, and work hard to correct the things that we know we can correct,” added Daboll.

Much of the playmaking that has moved the ball downfield for the Bills offense this season has been in the air. Buffalo averages 278.9 yards per game via the pass attack, the fifth-most, but being a one-trick pony is not a good thing in the NFL. 

While Daboll is calling the shots on offense as Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has a background as a defensive-minded coach, the bench boss still feels similar. McDermott has often said during his tenure that finding a franchise quarterback is among the most important things for a club, but complementing a QB with an established run game is of the upmost importance to McDermott currently. 

“It certainly hasn’t been good enough, for us to move forward as a football team and continue to evolve and grow, and try to win the games that we have to win, going forward here we’ve got to make sure that we get that better,” McDermott said. 

The Bills will have the week to re-evaluate the run before facing a former Buffalo coach and running back in his own right, Anthony Lynn. He returns to Bills Stadium as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers where Buffalo will look to bounce back from a loss in Arizona in Week 12. 

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