Tag: Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos

10 potential replacements for Joe Brady as Bills QB coach

10 potential replacements for Joe Brady as #Bills QB coach:

Following a 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, Bills head coach responded differently than he did a week prior and fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, albeit to mixed responses.

The Bills’ offensive struggles they’d experienced in execution, consistency, and rhythm in Dorsey’s tenure as offensive coordinator continued.

So did their propensity to turn the ball over.

The Bills are facing what perhaps is the most critical run of McDermott’s head coaching tenure, and he felt a change was in order.

Previously viewed as a Super Bowl contender ahead of their past several seasons, the club is currently on the outside looking as far as the postseason mid-way through their 2023 campaign.

Buffalo is 5-5 overall and 2-5 in AFC matchups this season and has gone 1-3 in road games. They will face the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the second half of the season including road games against the Eagles, Chiefs, Chargers, and Dolphins. That is in addition to home games against the Cowboys, Patriots, and the Jets who they’ll welcome to New York for a matchup on Sunday.

Shaking things up to right the ship is a change of pace for McDermott, and it raises the question of who might become the Bills’ new QB coach. There could be a lot of options given the appeal of working with Josh Allen, from younger coaches to former OC’s like Brady himself.

With that, here are 10 Potential Joe Brady replacements as the Bills quarterbacks coach…

Bills Wire Week 10 Player of the Game: Latavius Murray

Bills Wire Week 10 Player of the Game: Latavius Murray:

The Buffalo Bills had another disappointing performance and we’re defeated on a last-second field-goal winner against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

Buffalo (5-5) lost 24-22 in a contest that saw multiple turnovers by the Bills offense and a failure by the defense to prevent the Broncos (4-5) from going down the field at the end of the game to take the win.

This is one of the few weeks that only a handful of players on either offense or defense could have won this week’s Player of the Game, and they would be well deserved in an incredibly disappointing performance overall.

We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 10 to running back Latavius Murray, who had nine carries for 68 yards and a touchdown:

The Bills offense had multiple turnovers throughout the game and Murray was one of few bright spots on offense, not turning the ball over and scoring a touchdown to tie the game. Murray, who has been in the National Football League for a decade for six teams prior to arriving at Buffalo this year, helped establish the run against Denver with James Cook benched earlier in the game.

The rest of the Bills offense will look to use the rest of the week to reduce turnovers and reestablish their foothold in their division when they host their AFC East rival New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.

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Bills’ Josh Allen on loss to Broncos: ‘Lot of bad football’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on loss to Broncos: ‘Lot of bad football’

The Buffalo Bills lost a Monday Night Football matchup to the Denver Broncos 24-22 in a game riddled with costly turnovers and penalties.

In fact, the Broncos’ field goal in the final seconds missed giving the Bills the win- Until they were flagged for having too many men on the field (12), allowing Denver a second chance kick that netted the victory.

“Shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place,” Bills QB Josh Allen said at the beginning of his postgame press conference alongside center Mitch Morse. “Lot of bad football. A lot of bad Football.”

Buffalo turned the ball over on their two opening drives of the game. Allen is leading the NFL in total touchdowns but he is also leading the league in turnovers (13) and interceptions (11), throwing two and adding a fumble in the loss to Denver. The Bills now lead the league with eight first-half turnovers since NFL Week 5.

Allen finished the day with one of his worst outings of the season, going 15-of-26 passing with 177 yards despite having a season-low of only 19% pressures on his dropbacks.

“I’m still confident, but it’s no secret the clock’s ticking. Got to have some urgency now,” he added about the team’s playoff hopes.

When asked why he was confident despite how things have been going, the sixth-year pro knew where to draw hope from.

“Because we’ve done it before.”

He’s not wrong. In past seasons with Allen under center, the team has turned things around midway through the season and gone on a run. It’s worth noting those runs typically involved Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator and Leslie Frazier as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

Allen’s struggled with turnovers for much of his NFL career, and will often remark how he will “learn” from those mistakes and “get better” from that. 

The question is when will that happen?

Daboll successor Ken Dorsey has shared responsibility in his tenure for questionable playcalling, though there’s been a messy slide this season in discipline and execution in Allen’s game. That has raised questions about the root of the problem and how to fix it.

The issues in his execution and gameplay decision-making could raise valid questions about whether a new position coach could help him get back to form and develop in the right direction, and whether a change is in order from QB coach Joe Brady to improve.

Whether a change off the field takes place, a change on the field is needed.

The Bills are second in the AFC East behind the Dolphins and ESPN analytics gives Buffalo a 33% chance of making the playoffs.

In the past, they’ve played best at times when they’ve been viewed as underdogs or had their backs against the wall, and with a less talented roster than they have now.

Can they do it again?

These questions will be answered in their next seven games.

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Bills’ Sean McDermott on any change to offense play-calling duties: ‘No’

#Bills’ Sean McDermott on any change to offense play-calling duties: “No”

The Bills struggle with offensive consistency this season has raised questions about whether there will be a change made at the coordinator position or playcalling on offense.

Head coach Sean McDermott was to the point responding to just that line of questioning after Sunday’s 24-18 loss to the Bengals.

“No,” the coach said to the press. “Well, I get it. I understand everyone’s frustration, I absolutely do, and we’re working extremely hard to make the adjustments we have to make. And Ken is doing the same. So I remain confident in Ken and our offensive staff, and we continue to work hard at improving and getting the results we need.”

Dorsey responded to questions about Sunday’s performance as well, citing field position as part of the reason for a lack of tempo.

“We were in some backed-up situations so we couldn’t quite get into the tempo stuff at times there,” he said. “We definitely started off in it this past game. We realized it was effective for us, but at times the crowd noise became a factor with the communication in some of those backed-up situations.

It’s something we want to continue to utilize, we just have to make sure we’re effective in what we do and stay on the field. The big thing for us is when we start racking plays together, then you start getting into that rhythm. We need to find a way to get into that groove, however it is.”

Between the numbers, there’s been a different start for Dorsey than his predecessor, Brian Daboll.

Daboll had several stints as a coordinator for college and pro-level offenses before calling the Bills offense. He had a creative touch, tailored scheming, and a balanced approach that first-time OC Dorsey has, at times, lacked.

He acknowledged after the game it was important they “Make sure we’re balanced in our approach. The big thing for us is not to become one-dimensional and predictable. We’ve got to be able to do that to keep the defense off balance and we have to do that in a way that’s efficient for us while still being able to generate some explosive chunk plays. We’ve got to find ways to do that.”

Doing so successfully on the field and not merely in press conferences or in hindsight is what will matter.

No public indication has been given by the Bills front office or coaching staff that a change is imminent. Though since the offensive roster has gotten more talented players success will be expected.

One of the most successful coordinators in the NFL, Josh McDaniels, is available due to a recent exit from the Raiders. Some may start to draw attention to that or a need for change should Dorsey’s struggles continue.

Time will tell, beginning next Monday night against the Denver Broncos.

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Bills’ Ken Dorsey: ‘Got a lot of faith in who we are’

#Bills’ Ken Dorsey: ‘Got a lot of faith in who we are’

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s message remained steadfast mid-week ahead of their next game against the Denver Broncos.

At a 5-4 record trailing the AFC East-leading Dolphins, with one more loss than their 2022 season total, and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, he believes in his team’s ability to rise to the challenge ahead.

“I feel like these guys know what’s ahead of us, but they also know we got to take it one game at a time,” McDermott said. “I think they’re ready for the challenge. I know they’re ready for the challenge. And, you know, that’s what the Buffalo Bills do.”

In fact, in one word he expressed just how he feels about the team he has.

“Confident,” he said to the press. “Confident in our team. Confident in our coaches. Confident in our players. Confident in our staff. It doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do. It doesn’t mean we don’t have a gap to close.

“And there’s different things that make up that gap,” McDermott added. “And so we’ve got to continue to drill down on those areas and play better as an overall team, complementary-wise, and reset some things that we need to reset. You go back and re-teach certain things or re-establish certain things this time of year when you’re going through things. Even when you’re not going through things, it’s the right thing to do. But my confidence remains high in our group.”

Lack of execution and consistency across all three phases, along with some costly turnovers culminated in a loss last Sunday night to the Bengals.

Shoddy officiating and injuries didn’t help, but the coach has made no excuses, and instead taken responsibility for what he says they can correct.

“I think it starts with our level of execution, our level of complementary football,” McDermott said. “As I mentioned (Sunday) evening, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over twice and you lose the field position battle by 12 yards approximately. There’s a formula here we’ve used for winning and we’ve got to execute that.”

While Allen and McDermott sounded like they may have felt unhappy with some of the offensive gameplan and overall inconsistency after the loss, McDermott has continued to throw support and place confidence behind coordinator Ken Dorsey.

Standing by personnel is nothing new for Buffalo’s head coach.

He did so early in his Buffalo tenure for both former Bills starting Quarterback Nathan Peterman as well as former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier when questions arose about their performance.

Dorsey is confident in their team moving forward as well.

“I think they’ve got a lot of faith in who we are and what we’re about,” he said. “We’ve got a mentally tough group, a group of guys who have been through things together, been through some ups and downs and good and bad. We’re able to come together for one common goal and that’s win a football game.”

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Bills’ Case Keenum took ‘professional approach’ before bounce-back effort

#Bills’ Case Keenum took ‘professional approach’ before bounce-back effort:

Bills backup QB Case Keenum had a rough outing to start the year, committing three turnovers during Buffalo’s preseason Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts. 

After Keenum focused all week since then on ball security, he looked to bounce back in the team’s second matchup against the Denver Broncos this past weekend.

He had the chance to do just that when he entered Saturday’s contest, taking the field with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter after Josh Allen completed a successful scoring drive in limited action.

Keenum would go 16 for 18 with 192 yards and a TD pass in the Bills 42-15 victory.

After the game head coach Sean McDermott was asked if it was nice to see Keenum bounce back from his struggles in the previous game.

“Yeah it was, and I mean really when he came in the day after the game last week you could just tell,” McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “And again, it wasn’t an overreaction, but it was a professional’s approach and not that it wasn’t before, but you could just tell he was dialed in on what he wanted to get done this week.”

Though he had only four snaps with the first team offense Keenum made it count, connecting right away with Gabriel Davis on the first play of his drive for 19 yards before connecting with his old Minnesota Vikings target Stefon Diggs for another deep 26-yard toss.

Though Diggs day concluded after his big catch from Keenum, Davis continued to play sharing the field a bit more with the team’s QB2.

“I know me and Diggs were excited,” Davis said while speaking to the media regarding playing time with Keenum.

“I know Case was excited as well to get out there with him. We don’t get as many reps with Case. So to be able to go out there and see how ready and prepared he was, it was a lot of fun.”

The deep threat receiver, who’s developed a good connection with starter Josh Allen, threw his support and vote of confidence behind Keenum as well.

“And I know whenever 18’s out there, we can trust them and I’m glad he’s on our side of the ball.”

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Bills WR Gabe Davis breaks down scoring play against Broncos

#Bills WR Gabe Davis breaks down scoring play against #Broncos:

The Bills put on an offensive display over the weekend, racking up a high-scoring 42-15 win against the Denver Broncos

It included a big scoring catch by WR Gabe Davis on an extended play and a rocket throw from QB Josh Allen.

The toss kicked off an effort that saw the team’s offense score touchdowns on each of their first six offensive drives on their way to a victory that now brings their preseason winning streak to 10 games.

The play looked like it might fall apart or that Allen might go in another direction initially, before hitting Davis with a dart reminiscent of the connection the two demonstrated in last season’s playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen could be heard in the background playfully affirming Davis when the WR was asked during the post-game press conference about the trust involved between him and his quarterback, saying “I run fast, I catch ball, touchdown”, causing the WR to grin and chuckle as he answered the question.

“Yeah as soon as I saw the safety down I was like oh this might be a touchdown, hopefully, 17 sees the same thing,” Davis shared with the media alongside Allen. “He did, but when I was running and I saw him spin I thought he was going to go the opposite way, but luckily he stayed back in and came my way and I just kept running and knew I was gonna get the ball and there’s gonna be a touchdown.”

His QB broke down the play and his read on the coverage, echoing the read on the defensive backs.

“You know we just had like a little high low concept and they pushed the safety to the three-man side leaving Gabe one-on-one,” Allen said. “Didn’t get to it right away, again the ball’s got to go to there or Diggs right now early and it didn’t get to Diggs early. So I just kind of put my head down and did a little 360 and wasn’t really meaning to do that but I knew I didn’t want to run so I was just trying to find some space and get the ball off, and again he does such a good job at continuing the play and running when maybe some of these DBs are looking back in their zone coverage and allowing him to get some separation.”

Davis has officially taken over the WR2 role behind top receiver Stefon Diggs following in the footsteps of veteran receivers who played in that role during his development such as John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

His breakout performance in the postseason against Kansas City and the electrifying connection he and Allen demonstrated during that game may have been only the beginning for the duo.

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Power Rankings: Are Bills-Chiefs on collision course for rematch?

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos convincingly, 48-19, during the Week 15 slate of NFL games to improve to 11-3, all while winning their first AFC East divisional title since “Wonderwall” was a hit. With another loss this week by a …

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Denver Broncos convincingly, 48-19, during the Week 15 slate of NFL games to improve to 11-3, all while winning their first AFC East divisional title since “Wonderwall” was a hit.

With another loss this week by a previous opponent for the Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo is currently in possession of the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture as well. As the second-place team, that brings the No. 1 crew to the forefront for many in Buffalo: The Kansas City Chiefs. 

Could these two teams be on a collision course for a rematch in the AFC Championship game? In terms of the standings and power rankings alike, it’s looking like they could be.

With that, here’s a rundown of where the Bills sit in the national power rankings polls following Week 15: 

USA Today

3. Bills (4)

QB Josh Allen spreads wealth nicely, Buffalo’s 13 players with TD grabs tying league record … though one of those scores belongs to Allen himself.

Touchdown Wire

3. Buffalo Bills

(11-3. Last Week: 3)

The Buffalo Bills last secured the AFC East in 1995. Back then, you would have been reading this through either America Online or Prodigy, as that was the first year the internet became fully privatized and those two companies released web browsers to the general public. Bill Clinton was President of the United States, and Jim Kelly was taking the snaps for the Bills.

Of course, that changed this weekend. With their win on Saturday over the Denver Broncos, the Bills earned the AFC East title, dethroning the New England Patriots.

Sure, there is time to talk about how Buffalo might be the most dangerous team in the AFC right now. Time to talk about how the defense has improved in recent weeks to become the unit most were expecting to see when this year began. Time to talk about what the acquisition of Stefon Diggs has meant to this offense and its quarterback. And of course time to talk about that quarterback, Josh Allen, and what his growth and development this season means for the organization, the future in Buffalo and how quarterbacks will be evaluated in years to come.

But for now, from someone who grew up a Patriots fan: Congratulations Bills, and to all the Bills fans out there.

Sports Illustrated

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Last week: Win at Denver 48–19
Next week: at New England (Mon.)

Josh Allen’s all grown up, and so is this Bills group—and it’s no mistake they’re here. Four years of building has manifested in an AFC power that looks like it could be Kansas City’s long-term foil in the conference.

NFL.com

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Previous rank: No. 4

When you haven’t won a division title since “Wonderwall” was on the charts, you don’t go in through the back door. The Bills announced themselves as AFC East champions with authority, bludgeoning the Broncos in a 48-19 coronation at Mile High. Josh Allen accounted for four more touchdowns in his latest superstar-level performance, while the rising Buffalo defense continued its December surge. Buffalo piled up 534 yards of total offense, led by playmaking wideouts Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley, who will soon become the first Bills receivers to go over 1,000 yards in the same season since Peerless Price and Eric Moulds back in 2002. The Bills are a rising tidal wave headed for the great wall that is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sporting News

3. Buffalo Bills 11-3 (3)

The Bills are locked in offensively because of Josh Allen doing everything well again. For a second straight game, their defense played off that prowess to make big plays to finish off teams. They have developed as the best AFC threat to the Chiefs.

Pro Football Talk

2. Buffalo Bills (No. 2; 11-3)

If anyone from The Field is going to beat the Chiefs, it’s the Bills.

Yahoo! Sports

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3, LW: 3)

The Bills get a small bump up the power rankings, not because of the Packers but because Buffalo continued to get better as the season goes on. This is an impressive team without one bad loss all season.

CBS Sports

3. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

They are flying high on offense now. The Bills have already won the AFC East, which is the first time since 1996. They will be dangerous come playoff time.

Bleacher Report

3. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

High: 3

Low: 3

Last Week: 3

Week 15 Result: Won vs. Denver 48-19

The last time the Buffalo Bills were champions of the AFC East, Bill Clinton was in his first term as president. The top grossing movie that year was Batman Forever (the Val Kilmer one). The highest-selling album was Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish. Bills quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t even born yet.

In other words: 1995 was a long time ago.

Twenty-five years later, the Bills are kings of the division once again after blasting the Broncos in Denver. But as Allen told his teammates after the game, the Bills have their sights set higher than just an AFC East title.

“We did something that nobody’s done in a long time,” Allen told reporters. “Understand what’s at stake, though. Understand what there is out there more for us. This hat’s fine and dandy. This hat and shirt’s fine and dandy. I want the one that says Super Bowl champs.”

Given that the Bills are playing arguably their best football of the season as the postseason nears. Allen’s aspiration isn’t unreasonable.

ESPN

2. Buffalo Bills (11-3)

Week 15 Ranking: 3

Most underrated star: WR Cole Beasley

While most of the focus on the Bills’ wide receiver corps has deservedly been on Stefon Diggs, Beasley has put together the best season of his career. He has set personal highs in receptions, yards and yards per catch, and with two games left, he is just 50 yards from his first 1,000-yard season. Beasley is a safety net for quarterback Josh Allen, and this offense would have a difficult time moving the ball without him — even with Diggs’ spectacular numbers.

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PODCAST: Takeaways from Bills’ easy win over Broncos

Kyle Silagyi is joined by Rich Kowalski and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the Buffalo Bills’ 20-3 win over the Denver Broncos.

The Buffalo Bills took care of business in their Week 12 matchup with the Denver Broncos, handily defeating the inferior opponent by a score of 20-3.

It was a total team performance in the win. The defense halted Denver’s struggling offense, holding the 3-8 team to just 134 total yards. Buffalo found success on the ground, with rookie back Devin Singletary accounting for 106 of the team’s 244 rushing yards.

On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi is joined by BillsWire staff writers Rich Kowalski and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the Bills’ decisive win. They also talk about the latest happenings in the world of English football and a potential professional soccer franchise coming to Buffalo.

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Players, media react to Frank Gore becoming NFL’s third all-time rusher

NFL alumni and media members react to Frank Gore becoming the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher.

The run itself was anything but astonishing.

It was one that fans of Frank Gore have seen hundreds of times – a fourth-quarter handoff up the middle that ‘the inconvenient truth’ took for six yards.

There wasn’t any fanfare following the rush; barely any indication that Gore had just surpassed Barry Sanders to become the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher.

A few moments later, the stadium’s PA system announced that Gore had run into the NFL’s history books, prompting an eruption from the New Era Field crowd and the Buffalo Bills’ sideline.

“I’m blessed, I’m happy,” Gore said. “For me, it was tough to get to here. It wasn’t an easy road to get to the NFL. I’ve been doubted my whole career. Not just the NFL, college, I tore my two ACLs.

“A lot of people said I won’t even be here two or three years. Now, Year 15, still having fun, still making plays, still helping the team win games. [I’m] blessed.”

Gore’s record-breaking run accounted for a fraction of his 65 rushing yards in Buffalo’s Week 12 win over the Denver Broncos. It accounts for an even smaller fraction of his 15,289 career rushing yards, an astonishing feat that only two other players in the history of the NFL have been able to accomplish.

Only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton sit above Gore on the list of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers.

A 15-year veteran, Gore once served as a role model for many of the players he now shares the field with. In fact, the person who handed the ball to the 36-year-old on his record-breaking run grew up a fan of the mid-oughts San Francisco 49ers teams, rosters that Gore was an integral part of.

“I told him it was an honor to be in the backfield with him,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “A guy that just comes and works and doesn’t say anything, and puts his head down, doesn’t care about stats or numbers, he wants to help his team win football games.

“At 36 years old, how well he’s playing, how well he hits the hole, how physical he is, it’s unbelievable.”

Both former and current players, as well as media members, took to Twitter to congratulate Gore following his achievement.

Here’s some of the reaction:

Buffalo Bills/ Barry Sanders

Trey Wingo, ESPN

Thurman Thomas

Quinton Spain

Fred Jackson

Barry Sanders

NFL

Adam Schefter, ESPN

Field Yates, ESPN

Rich Eisen, NFL Network

Bleacher Report

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