Tag: bills vs. patriots

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky predicts Patriots’ defensive approach vs. Bills (video)

Orlovsky provides and early week #Bills vs. #Patriots preview:

Former NFL quarterback and huge Josh Allen fan from ESPN, Dan Orlovsky, provided viewers a glimpse on what QBs and offenses are doing right.

With the Buffalo Bills (9-6) playing the New England Patriots (4-11) this Sunday, Orlovsky joined the team’s radio show, One Bills Live, to predict what he expects the Patriots defense to do to keep Allen and the Buffalo offense at bay.

Orlovsky expects a bend, don’t break New England defense to mask their defensive coverage when the Bills reach the red zone. The multiple coverages the Patriots will show will aim to limit the Bills offense to field goals instead of touchdowns to give them a chance to win.

You can watch the full One Bills Live clip with Orlovsky here:

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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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Bills’ Von Miller on Ed Oliver: ‘One of the best guys in the league’

Von Miller called Ed Oliver one of the best in the NFL:

The Buffalo Bills defense was missing some key pieces in their loss against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

With several defenders added to the injured reserve list in the last couple weeks, it was compounded with news that starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver would be out in Week 7 due to a toe injury.

Oliver has been one of the best interior pass-rushers in the NFL this season. It was a difference-making blow for the Bills (4-3).

Drafted in 2019, he has consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks into mistakes, and in 2022 had the second-highest pressure rate among his position in the NFL. As for this season, Oliver is on pace to set his career-best sack mark. He had five all the way back in his rookie year, but already has four in 2023.

Teammate Von Miller (knee) is working through his own injury situation. But he knows rushing the passer and he thinks Oliver ranks among one of the best in football at it.

“He’s the point guard – it goes as Ed goes. He’s one of the best guys in the league.” said Miller via video conference.

The All-Pro edge defender recently rejoined Buffalo’s defense after being one of the key injuries at the start of the season–but his stemmed over from 2022 which ended his year.

Such a serious injury takes time to get back in form, but Buffalo will hope to see peak Oliver and Miller firing on all cylinders as soon as possible this season.

But will that happen on Thursday?

First, one step at a time.

With such a short turnaround between the loss on Sunday and Buffalo’s next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3), coach Sean McDermott said on Oliver’s return “it’s going to be close” in terms of Oliver being able to play.

So far this week, both Oliver and Miller have been listed as limited participants in practice on Monday and Tuesday, as Miller was held to only six snaps played last week.

With such a short timeline, they could go either way by Thursday.

Bills Wire will continue to provide all injury updates ahead of kickoff.

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Bills’ Dorian Williams on benching: ‘Have to do what they feel is best’

#Bills LB Dorian Williams is taking being benched in stride & what Sean McDermott said:

The Buffalo Bills have had a slew of injuries during the month of October which has put the spotlight on a few new faces, including rookie linebacker Dorian Williams.

The Bills’ injured reserve list has seen several players added to it such as linebacker Matt Milano (leg).

Bills’ third-round rookie linebacker Dorian Williams took on the role that Milano excelled in prior to his injury.

After Bills coach Sean McDermott assumed defensive coordinator duties the Tulane product has been trying to make the necessary jump to contribute. It made sense, as Williams was expected to be an instant impact player for Buffalo when he was drafted.

But the jump from college to the pros is tough, especially for defenders.

McDermott benched Williams during their 29-25 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 7. It was the second time Williams lost snaps to Tyrel Dodson, however, this time it was for the majority of the game.

In true McDermott form, he has done the expected since.

Following Pats loss, he expressed confidence in Williams. Even so, on Tuesday McDermott kept his secrets as usual.

When asked who would start between Williams and Dodson, the coach said “we’ll see.”

That we will, as the this position will catch the attention of many in Buffalo when the Bills defense take their first snap of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) on Thursday.

Regardless of the decision, Williams is taking it all in stride. He’s going to try and learn and move forward, which is the best choice he can make as such a young player.

“It’s definitely tough,” Williams said. “I know it’s all out of love–all the coaches want the best for me– but I mean, they have to do what they feel is best to put the team in a position to win.”

For more from Williams, see the attached WROC-TV clip below:

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WATCH: Bills running back Latavius Murray mic’d up in Week 7

Behind the scenes with Latavius Murray:

During the Bills’ 29-25 loss to the Patriots in Week 7, running back Latavius Murray wore an extra microphone and cameras followed him throughout the contest. From the groins of being hit between the tackles to Murray’s veteran experience put on display on the Bills sideline.

Check out the YouTube player below for a full, on-the-field, game day experience with Murray:

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Bills Wire Week 7 Player of the Game: Dalton Kincaid

Dalton Kincaid is our Player of the Game:

The Buffalo Bills fell short in the 2023 NFL season as they lost in the final seconds of the game against the New England Patriots.

Buffalo (4-3) lost 25-29 in a narrow contest that came down to stopping the Patriots from scoring a touchdown in the final minute of the game. The Bills went ahead with a Josh Allen rushing touchdown to lead 25-22 with 1:58 minutes on the clock. The Buffalo defense did not stop New England as the Patriots scored the go-ahead touchdown with 0:12 on the clock.

A couple players on offense were in the running for this week’s Player of the Game, including previous winners. All of them would deservedly be there on merit.

We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 7 to tight end Dalton Kincaid, who had eight catches for 75 yards:

The Bills offense could have played better, as they started the game slow. The rookie tight end was the leading Bills receiver with four receptions that earned the Bills a first down, including catching a ball to put the Bills into first and goal territory on the Bills’ go-ahead touchdown.

The tight end performed well in the loss and will look to contribute next week when Buffalo head home to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday at 8:15 p.m.

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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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Bills Wire Week 6 Player of the Game: Taron Johnson

Bills Wire Week 6 Player of the Game: Taron Johnson:

The Buffalo Bills got back to winning ways in the 2023 NFL season as they took a close win against the New York Giants.

Buffalo (4-2) won 14-9 in a narrow contest that came down to needing to stop the Giants from scoring a touchdown on the final play.

With 0:00 on the clock, New York (1-5) was given a free play. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard was handed a pass interference penalty after time expired, which granted the G-Men the ball on the goal line.

A couple players on offense and several more on defense were in the running for this week’s player of the game, including previous winners. All of them would deservedly be there on merit.

We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 6 to cornerback Taron Johnson, who had 15 combined tackles and the game-winning pass deflection:

The Bills defense as a unit played extremely well, preventing former Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor and the Giants offense from entering the end zone all day.

Johnson had a physical presence all over the field, including playing near-perfect coverage on Giants tight end Darren Waller to secure the win.

Additionally, Johnson is the first Buffalo defender with 15 or more tackles in a game since London Fletcher in 2004 against the New York Jets. A player with 15 or more tackles has happened 30 times since 2001, with the most recent instance occurring last season when Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton logged 19 tackles in October 2022 against the Chargers. Taron Johnson, along with Bernard, our Week 3 Player of the Game, are part of the Buffalo Bills spine on defense that continue to make game winning plays.

Buffalo have a short distance to travel to play against their division rival New England Patriots next week on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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New quarterbacks have a bad time against Sean McDermott’s Bills

New quarterbacks have a bad time against Sean McDermott’s #Bills (via @TejasVemparala):

Recently drafted and new starting quarterbacks should fear starting against the Buffalo Bills.

At least according to the statistics.

Opponent quarterbacks who have played the Bills in one of their first five career starts have not had an enjoyable day.

Following Buffalo’s dominant win against the Washington Commanders, and with plenty of praise for the Bills’ defense who sacked quarterback Sam Howell nine times and generated five turnovers (including four interceptions), the statistic highlights how difficult the task is for new quarterbacks to the NFL:

The eight opposing quarterbacks who have faced the Bills in one of their first five starts are winless, throwing less than 200 yards per game. In total, the eight quarterbacks have thrown only three touchdowns along with 20 interceptions, and have been sacked 29 times.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell was drafted in 2022, but started his first game in Washington’s season finale against the Dallas Cowboys in January. The Commanders won Howell’s debut game, along with both games to start the 2023 NFL season. The loss against Buffalo highlighted Howell’s inexperience against an elite defense that is excellent at both pass-rush and coverage.

The Commanders will look to get back in the win column, but Howell will have another tough test against the Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 3. More importantly, the Buffalo’s next opportunity to play an inexperienced quarterback might come against the New England Patriots in Week 7 should Bailey Zappe have the opportunity to start ahead of teammate Mac Jones. If that is the case, look for the Bills defense to continue to make life miserable for the second year quarterback who will have started his fifth game against the Bills.

Maybe we will get an updated statistic of 0-9.

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