Tag: Cole Beasley

Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ divisional-round loss vs. the Chiefs

Stock up, stock down following the #Bills’ divisional-round loss vs. the #Chiefs:

Following the Buffalo Bills’ 42-36 divisional-round loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, here’s how things shook out in Bills Wire’s final stock report:

ESPN analysts pose potential ways NFL could fix overtime rules

ESPN analysts pose potential ways NFL could fix overtime rules:

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The Buffalo Bills season ended suddenly on Sunday, thanks in part to the current structure of the NFL’s overtime rules.

The coin-flip winner in OT has a lopsided advantage, as the winner of that coin toss has a 10-1 record in the 11 playoff overtime games that have taken place under the current rules.

Sunday’s coin toss resulted in a Kansas City Chiefs possession turned-game-winning drive that has raised the question of parity, sparking conversation around the topic of the league’s overtime structure and whether it needs to change.

ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes shared her thoughts on the OT format, making a case for changing the length of the overtime period from 15 minutes to 10 (the length of regular-season OT’s), sudden-death-after-first possession, a spot and choose rule, and allowing the other team to choose whether they play offense or defense.

And ESPN’s Bill Barnwell did a full breakdown of potential OT rule changes also. His included playing out the full 15-minute overtime, deciding the first possession of overtime before the end of regulation by assigning the opening possession of overtime to the team that wins the pregame coin toss or to the home team, playing to eight points, and the spot and choose concept as well.

The spot and choose concept is one that the Baltimore Ravens proposed, in which the overtime kickoff is eliminated while a team gets to choose the yard line from which overtime will begin while the other team decides whether to begin overtime on offense or defense.

Despite the game’s outcome, Bills coaches and players aren’t ones to make any excuses, instead opting to take responsibility for what they could have done differently. QB Josh Allen did just that after the game, despite never making it back on the field after that fateful coin toss, bringing an end to a historic streak of play.

After all, a defensive stop on any of the Chiefs scoring drives in the final minutes of regulation would have given Buffalo the victory, just as one in OT would have given them possession. Similarly, had special teams not kicked the ball into the endzone with 13 seconds left in regulation, time would have run off limiting the Chiefs’ chances to tie to go to overtime.

The lack of parity in the coin-toss possession with the ability to end the game with a TD and eliminate an opponent’s chance to compete does present a problem, however. And while the league has been resistant to changes to the OT rules, even just eliminating the TD-wins rule and letting the teams play out the 15 minute overtime period the same as the rest of the game could be a simple enough fix.

The last time the postseason OT rules were changed, it was because the New Orleans Saints beat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings with a field goal in the 2009 NFC Championship game. That the Hall of Fame QB never made it back on the field motivated the league to make a change from a field goal being what wins to a touchdown.

The overtime rules are something the NFL may be more likely to once more take a look at after Josh Allen and the offenses’ memorable performance versus the ultimate outcome of Sunday’s game.

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Bills’ Josh Allen went on record-setting scoring pace in playoffs

#Bills’ Josh Allen went on record-setting scoring pace in playoffs:

Bills QB Josh Allen has been playing at a historic level this season and continued that trend in Sunday’s division-round game against the Chiefs.

Allen went 27/37 with 397 total yards four touchdowns and no interceptions.

In fact, between the Bills’ Wild-Card round win over New England and their Division-round game in Kansas City, the 25-year-old threw nine combined TDs with no INTs.

It marked the first time in NFL playoff history that a player had four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in back-to-back games.

“He’s The Best Quarterback In The NFL,” said Gabriel Davis of Allen via video conference. Davis caught all four of Allen’s TD passes, setting a single-game playoff record for receiving scores in a playoff contest.

Two of those four scoring throws came within the final 2 minutes of regulation, including one with only 13 seconds left on the clock.

The Bills defense, who had been the top unit in the NFL this season, was unsuccessful in stopping the Chiefs. Kansas City went 44 yards on two throws setting up a Harrison Butker game-tying kick to go to overtime.

Despite the QB’s legendary performance in a game many called “the Super Bowl before the Super Bowl”, Allen’s only chance to take the field again would be for the OT coin toss.

While the NFL extra time rules could rightfully be reviewed and rectified as needed, Allen took the high road after the game instead of voicing his frustrations. Choosing to be gracious in defeat, humbly demonstrating leadership and personal responsibility instead.

He also made it clear during a video conference with the press on Monday what he and the Bills focus truly is.

“It’s Super Bowl or bust around here,” Allen said. “We have to find a way to get through that barrier and bring one home to Buffalo.”

Game balls: Standouts from the Bills’ season finale

Game balls: Standouts from the #Bills’ season finale (via @jdiloro):

It was a disappointing end for the Buffalo Bills.

The team clawed their way back into a wild affair only to fall in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs, a 42-36 final. Even with the loss, we would be remiss without acknowledging two standout performers from Sunday’s contest.

Here are Bills Wire’s game balls from the AFC divisional round:

 

 

Bills’ Josh Allen on NFL overtime: ‘The rules are what they are’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on NFL overtime: ‘The rules are what they are’

Josh Allen had perhaps more right than anybody to voice his frustrations as he took the podium for his postgame press conference on Sunday.

The Bills QB had just delivered two what-would-be game-winning drives only to have those efforts dashed when the Bills defense was unable to get a stop.

They instead would allow two offensive drives by the Chiefs that would send the game to overtime, where Kansas City would win the coin toss and again go on an unstopped scoring drive. With the tap of a toe in the endzone, TE Jason Kelce would end the Bills season at Arrowhead for a second consecutive year.

And all Allen could do was watch from the sideline.

Current NFL overtime rules do not allow an opponent to respond once a touchdown is scored.

“The rules are what they are, and I can’t complain about that ’cause if it was the other way around, we’d be celebrating too,” Allen said while addressing the media. “So, it is what it is at this point. We didn’t make enough plays tonight.”

While the Bills defense and special teams may have put them in a position they should not have been in, to begin with, Buffalo would never get the ball back in OT, exposing the NFL’s overtime rules’ lack of parity in what was perhaps the highly visible example to date.

“It was tough to be in that moment,” Allen added. “Again, I have a lot of respect for Pat, he throws the winning touchdown, and he comes straight over and finds me. To be in that situation and to do that, that was pretty cool of him to do that. Obviously, it sucks the way it happened. We wanted to win that game. We had our opportunities. (I was) taking it all in and holding on to the feeling and making sure that we don’t feel like this again, like I said back-to-back years in the same spot. It’s tough to take in, but it’s part of the game.”

The two teams traded scores as Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered a memorable QB shootout, combining for 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation. Allen would finish 27/37 with 329 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Bills with 68 rushing yards on the ground.

After Allen found Gabriel Davis for impressive back-to-back touchdowns, the game appeared to be won. The Bills then elected to kick the ball into the endzone instead of going for a squib kick to run time off the clock. Their defense gave up 44 yards in 13 seconds allowing the Chiefs to kick a field goal to tie the score at the end of regulation and send the game to go to overtime. There they would again cease to stop Kansas City who, upon winning the coin toss, scored the touchdown that would seal the win.

In one sense, the Bills lost the game due to the flip of a coin.

Though the defense’s inability to stop the Chiefs, coaching decision not to squib kick and lack of OT rule parity were collectively things that each ultimately proved costly to Buffalo’s chance to find out which team would truly have come out on top and who the winner of the game’s quarterback shootout would have been. Not to mention a shot at an AFC Championship and Super Bowl.

OT Dion Dawkins spoke out on Monday about how the 50/50 coin toss carries too much weight. The offensive tackle went on to emphasize that the team needed to strive to keep it in their hands; That when it’s in their hands, their hand wins.

“We should never let a football game be determined by a coin. I think that’s the craziest rule in sports,” Dawkins said while addressing the press. “This ain’t Vegas,” he added, “we’re not at a casino table.”

Ironically, the Chiefs organization proposed a rule change to allow both teams to get possession in OT at the 2019 NFL owners meeting. They experienced the losing side themselves in the 2017 AFC championship.

It is tough when one of your three phases of football turns in a historical effort the way the Bills offense did, only to have the other two phases and a rule that lacks parity affect a game outcome.

And none of that was lost on head coach Sean McDermott.

“Chiefs are a good football team,” McDermott said while addressing the media. “And we knew it was going to take a heckuva effort coming out here. And I thought the guys gave us that effort. Starting with Josh and all the way down the line. Obviously, we got to do some things we gotta do better. Those guys, they’re hurt, they’re disappointed. We’re all disappointed, we’re all hurt, sick to our stomach. So, you move on and try to get yourself to learn from it, but it stings. It stings. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It stings.”

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Bills WR Gabriel Davis makes history in loss to Chiefs

#Bills WR Gabriel Davis makes history in loss to #Chiefs:

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The Buffalo Bills turned in a memorable offensive performance during Sunday’s divisional-round playoff matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

And Bills WR Gabriel Davis made NFL history in the process.

He became the first player ever to have four touchdown receptions in a single game. As the Kansas City defense was focused on Stefon Diggs, it opened up opportunities for the second-year receiver out of UCF.

Davis and QB Josh Allen were electrifying.

Each of the 22-year old wideout’s touchdowns came from at least 18 yards out and he accounted for eight catches with 201 of Allen’s 329 passing yards as well as all four of his TD tosses.

The tandem connected for Davis’s first score of the day on an 18-yarder with under a minute to play in the first half, tying the game at 14-points apiece.

Then in the third quarter, Allen found Davis again for a 75-yard rocket that was the Bills’ longest play from scrimmage this season and one that tied the QB’s career-long for a pass.

The third scoring catch of the day was a 27-yard toss that came just under the two-minute mark giving Buffalo the lead.

Then, with only 17 seconds left in the game, Allen would hit Davis for 19 yards and another TD to take the lead, breaking the NFL mark for TDs in a playoff game.

With that fourth scoring catch, the wideout broke what had previously been an 18-way tie for the league record of three TDs in a playoff game. The old record holder group included the likes of Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald, Western New York’s own Rob Gronkowski.

The Bills defense would give up 44 yards in the final 13 seconds of regulation, allowing the Chiefs to kick a field goal to tie the score and send the game to go to overtime. There they would again cease to stop Kansas City who, upon winning the coin toss, scored a touchdown on an offensive drive ending the game.

While the loss is a difficult one for the Bills, the young core of talent they have in players like Davis and Allen, performing at the elite level they did, projects favorably in the team’s ability to compete for years to come.

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4 comparable contracts for a potential Braxton Berrios deal

Jets WR/KR Braxton Berrios could earn a big payday this offseason. Here are four contracts that could help determine Berrios’ market.

Braxton Berrios’ impending free agency will be one of the Jets’ bigger storylines this offseason.

Berrios was arguably the Jets’ third-most important skill position player in 2021 behind Elijah Moore and Michael Carter, and he was certainly their most important scoring threat over the final three games. Berrios affected the game on the ground, through the air, and on special teams. He finished the season with 471 offensive scrimmage yards, four offensive touchdowns, 852 kick return yards and one kick return touchdown.

So, what could the Jets offer Berrios if they want to keep him around? What could another team offer in free agency?

It’s a hard question to answer given Berrios’ unique usage. While he’s an All-Pro kick returner, those types of players rarely break the bank. His receiving and rushing numbers haven’t been otherworldly throughout his career, either. Altogether, however, Berrios brings a ton to the table, and he could do even more as a starting slot receiver. The Jets’ incumbent, Jamison Crowder, will also be a free agent.

All that creates a wide spectrum for Berrios’ next contract. He could earn as much as Cole Beasley because of his speed and slot skills, or as low as some of the best return specialists in the league.

Let’s look at a few existing contracts that could help determine Berrios’ market.

Bills vs. Patriots: 3 keys to a Buffalo wild-card win

Bills vs. Patriots: 3 keys to a Buffalo wild-card win:

If there is still any question as to who the top team in the AFC East is, it will be answered this weekend.

The No. 3 seeded Bills will play the No. 6 seed Patriots who earned a Wild Card spot despite dropping three of their last four games. Buffalo, meanwhile, is riding the momentum of a four-game win streak that includes a victory in Foxborough and three wins at home in Orchard Park.

The teams meet there in Western New York this Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET, with the chance to have the final say as to who the better squad is.

With that, here are three keys to a win for the Bills (11-6) against the Patriots (10-7):

Bills’ Josh Allen made NFL history again in regular season finale

#Bills’ Josh Allen made NFL history again in regular season finale:

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On a chilly Sunday night in Western New York, the Bills got a warmup for next Saturday’s first-round playoff game.

They clinched the AFC East beating a division rival in the Jets, and QB Josh Allen made some more NFL history in the process.

The Bills QB became the first player in NFL history to have over 4,000 passing yards and 750 rushing yards in a single season.

Allen finished the regular season with 4,407 passing yards and 763 rushing yards.

In Sunday’s win over the Jets, he also broke his own previous single-season franchise record for completions (401).

Making history has become a regular part of the fourth-year QB’s repertoire.

He even had his game jersey and cleats from his Week 16 win over New England exhibited in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he became the first player in NFL history with at least 100 touchdown passes and at least 20 rushing touchdowns in his first four seasons.

He’d add to both numbers in the games that followed.

In Sunday’s game alone he threw for 239 passing yards and two TDs along with 63 yards rushing on five carries.

What drives Allen to play at the level he does, and to rack up these numbers and historic achievements along the way is his focus on getting to and winning the Super Bowl.

“Nobody at the end of careers looks back and really figures out how many times you won your division,” Allen said to the media after the game.

“I think the main goal is the Super Bowl and winning the division just gives you an opportunity to do that. So that’s really our focus. It’s great, it’s fine, hats and shirts are cool, but at the end of the day, we got a lot more work to do.”

Bills’ Stefon Diggs makes NFL history vs. the Jets

#Bills’ Stefon Diggs makes NFL history vs. the #Jets:

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The Bills clinched their second consecutive division crown, winning the AFC East in a 27-10 victory at home against the Jets.

WR Stefon Diggs played a big part in the win as well. He had nine receptions on fourteen targets for 81 yards and an impressive toe-tap touchdown catch on the sideline of the endzone

But that’s not all.

During the contest, the wideout caught his 224th catch since joining Buffalo in a 2020 trade with the Minnesota Vikings.

That was the most catches by any player in their first two seasons with a team in NFL history.

 

Diggs would finish the day and the regular season with 230 total catches as Bill, setting the new league mark in the newly extended 17 game season.

The previous record was 223 catches, set by WR Wes Welker while with New England in 2007-08.

Diggs had some more career numbers on the day, hauling in eight receptions in the first half alone which was a new career-high. In his seven years in the league, the Maryland product has had three previous occasions in which he finished the first half with seven catches.

He also finished the day with 103 catches on the year to become the first player in franchise history with 100-plus receptions in consecutive seasons.

Diggs had his QB’s full support both on and off the field as well.

“Throughout the year, he didn’t have as many targets and receptions as he did last year,” Josh Allen said while addressing the media after the game. “And maybe that was a little bit by design just to try to keep him fresh in the hopes that we have an opportunity to be in the playoffs. But he looks really good. And I want to try to throw it to him as much as possible because again with the ball in his hands, you never know what’s going to happen.”

The Bills and their pro bowl receiver will now turn his focus towards their first-round playoff game against the Patriots on Saturday in Orchard Park.

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