Tag: devin singletary

Julian Edelman reacts to Patriots’ abysmal first half with spot-on tweet

Julian Edelman’s tweet will resonate with all Patriots fans following the brutal first half vs. Buffalo.

Everything went in the Buffalo Bills’ direction during the first half of the wild-card game against the New England Patriots.

Josh Allen threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 63 yards. Buffalo totaled 300 yards in the first half and even had 128 rushing yards — Devin Singletary had 58 yards and two scores. Mac Jones threw for 106 yards and an interception, while the rush attack was held to 33 yards.

The Bills finished the half with a 27-3 score and entered the second half of the game all the momentum. Julian Edelman, who bet $100,000 that the Patriots would make the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a tweet that resonated with all Patriots fans.

All Patriots fans are with on this, Julian.

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Bills want to keep run game rolling vs. Patriots: ‘Even the threat helps’

#Bills want to keep run game rolling vs. #Patriots: ‘Even the threat helps’

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The Buffalo Bills finally found a way to muster together a truly threatening rushing attack on their offense as of late. It might be the first time that was the case since LeSean McCoy was holding down shop in the backfield.

Running back Devin Singletary has emerged as the clear No. 1 choice for the Bills (11-6). Look no further than his past two games where he has two touchdowns in both.

It’s the first time since Fred Jackson in 2010 that this feat had been reached by a Buffalo running back.

Even just a slight emergence of a rushing attack will help Buffalo heading into the postseason against the New England Patriots (10-7) says center Mitch Morse. Good thing is, the Bills have one looking even better than that.

“I think when you’re able to put the ball on the ground and be productive, especially on first and second downs, it helps your offense,” Morse said via video conference. “If you’re being one-dimensional or you can’t really run the ball, it just opens the playbook for these coordinators to bring all sorts of stuff that offense linemen hate to see. So do quarterbacks. So even the threat of run helps.”

One thing really helping the rushing attack improve is the play of the offensive line. Morse & Co. deserve credit. The unit is getting itself downhill and making space for Singletary.

But the rusher himself is certainly catching attention for himself from those guys. Always candid, Buffalo lineman Dion Dawkins said he believes Singletary is only warming up.

“Motor (Singletary) is going off. It just means that Motor’s engine is started,” Dawkins said following the Bills’ win over the Jets. “Motor is a younger guy trying to find his overall rhyme and the fact that he’s found it, and I think that there’s way more.”

On the field, by comparison to other running backs the Bills have, Singletary looks more confident. He’s decisive with his runs and attacks a defense.

While it took him some time to get rolling in 2021, Singletary credits work done back in the offseason.

“I just felt like all the hard work that I’ve been putting in, it’s paying off,” Singletary said.

Not only is it paying off, it is at the perfect time for the Bills.

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Instant analysis: Bills defense dominates, offense sloppy in finale win vs. Jets

Some ups and down but there was no denying the #Bills defense was anything but great vs. the #Jets (via @jdiloro):

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The Buffalo Bills (11-6) concluded their 2021 campaign with a 27-10 victory over the New York Jets (4-13). The victory gave the Bills their second consecutive AFC East title.

Buffalo now slots in as the three-seed in the AFC playoff picture.

Defensively, there was a great deal to like about this game. Buffalo’s defensive talent was far superior when compared to the Jets offense. The Bills defense dominated, putting constant pressure on rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.

Wilson struggled when faced with any sort of hindrance by the Bills. By the end of the game, Buffalo put up their best sack total of the season, registering nine sacks.

Buffalo’s defense put the clamps on a lifeless New York offense. The stats from Sunday only further solidified the Bills spot as the top defensive in the league.

The Jets managed only four first downs in the entire game. Buffalo only allowed 53 total yards. Wilson threw for 87 passing yards. When factoring in sack yardage, the Jets managed only five net passing yards. The Bills won the battle in the trenches against the run all game. The Jets managed only 48 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Outside of the Jets sole touchdown, a 40-yard pass to Keelan Cole, New York had little positive to look back on offensively. The Bills were a bit too aggressive on fourth down, as Jordan Poyer just missed an interception. Cole gained a step of Taron Johnson, and sprinted to the end zone.

Outside of that, it was an ideal day for the Bills defensive unit. For Buffalo’s offense it was a bit of an uneven performance.

The game started well for Buffalo’s offense. Quarterback Josh Allen was locating Pro-Bowl wideout Stefon Diggs with ease. Rusher Devin Singletary was restoring faith in the Bills ground game, moving the ball with the offensive line plowing the path.

The Bills scored on their opening drive, with Allen escaping pressure and locating Diggs in the corner of the end zone on a spectacular play:

The Bills’ next drive would stall, ending with a field goal.

Up 10-0, the Bills offense would go into a bit of a cold spell. They would go on to punt three more times in the half, going three-and-out on three consecutive drives.

Even with Buffalo dominating in total yards (236-to-68), the Bills carried only a 13-7 lead into halftime.

The opening second half drives for Buffalo would not inspire confidence with the offense. Allen and his receivers were out of sync, as the unit could not sustain drives. Buffalo’s first four second-half drives ended with punts.

Finally, the offense started clicking. With the Jets anemic offense, there was little concern that the Buffalo’s offense would have to face any pressure to score a bevy of points. It was only a matter of time before the Bills offense added to their lead.

Singletary broke through with a one-yard rushing plunge. On the next drive, Singletary added to the touchdown tally, scoring on a short five-yard pass from Allen. Buffalo would coast home for the division title from here.

While the offense was inconsistent at times, there are moments to shine a light on.

Singletary’s running plus the offensive line’s control in the trenches alleviates some pressure in the passing game. Allen is perhaps the best player in the league when throwing on the run. He extends plays, and Allen is a menace when he needs to break the pocket and run.

The special teams unit had quite the day as well.

Cam Lewis blocked a punt in the first quarter:

Punter Matt Haack, who had not punted in a game in three weeks, had some closing to his regular season.

In the first half, Haack shanked consecutive punts, giving the Jets great field position. He righted himself in the second half, ending the day with a long punt of 53 yards.

Buffalo will host a Wild Card game next weekend. For the first time, the NFL is holding Super Wild Card weekend, meaning games will take place Saturday afternoon through Monday night.

The outcome of the Los Angeles Chargers-Las Vegas Raiders game will impact who the Bills face.

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Bills on switch to run game vs. Falcons: ‘No problem doing it’

Devin Singletary has been #good for the #Bills:

Run the ball more? No problem.

If the situation calls for that, the Buffalo Bills have no problem doing so just like they did against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.

In that 29-15 win, the Bills (10-6) got a poor start from quarterback Josh Allen throwing the ball. Look no further than his three interceptions.

But there was a clear change from the top around halftime. It was time to run the ball and it led to the victory.

Now heading into the playoffs where the stakes are even higher, Buffalo would have no problem doing it again. That’s what Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said this week.

“Just trying to calm things down a bit,” Daboll said via video conference. “We were moving the ball and staying away from situations we put ourselves in earlier. Got no problem doing it.”

The changes did get some positive play out of Allen in the end. He did have two rushing touchdowns.

However, the focal point of the rushing attack was another two-score player: Running back Devin Singletary. Along with his double, Singletary had a season-high 110 rushing yards.

The plan was Sean McDermott approved, too.

“I liked how we were able to pivot a little bit yesterday and run the ball,” the head coach said via video conference. “I thought the offensive line played extremely well as well as the backs. That has improved and it’s good to have some continuity there. But I was pleased with what I saw.”

The rushing attack on offense has been a revelation for the Bills as of late.

It’s not a bad thing that it has gained momentum heading into the postseason. Despite that, behind closed doors, both the team and fans would prefer if the passing attack is able to lead the way. It’s been their bread and butter for years now.

Allen will be in search of a bounce-back performance in Buffalo’s season finale against the New York Jets (4-12) on Sunday… while the run game will look to tie together a positive finale as well.

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Every touch by Bills’ Devin Singletary from 2-TD game vs. Falcons (video)

Every touch by #Bills’ Devin Singletary from 2-TD game vs. #Falcons (video):

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The Buffalo Bills got rolling in a unique way for them on offense against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the 29-15 win in Week 17, it was the ground game the led the Bills (10-6) to victory. Naturally highlighting that was the backfield… but Buffalo does have another twist.

For the better part of the last few seasons, the Bills’ rushing attack is split up amongst a few different players. In recent weeks, things have mostly been turned over to Devin Singletary and he has thrived.

None more than the win against the Falcons (7-9).

Not only did Singletary have his first 100-yard outing of 2021, he had his first-career multi-touchdown game.

Such work deserves another look. Check out every one of Singletary’s touches against Atlanta in the video player above.

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Bills’ QB Josh Allen makes NFL history as first player to achieve TD feat

#Bills QB Josh Allen is the first in NFL history with this TD feat… is that good?

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen continues to etch his place in professional football history books.

Last week against the New England Patriots, Allen took to the air with three scoring throws to become the first player in league history with 100 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in their first four seasons.

Well this week, he did it again. This time, with his legs.

Allen became the only player in NFL history with 100 passing TDs and 30 rushing TDs in his first four seasons, and the first QB in league history to log four consecutive seasons with six-plus rushing TDs.

Allen ran for 81 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries in a 29-15 win against the Atlanta Falcons in front of the Bills home crowd. Those two touchdowns brought his career TD total to 101 throwing and 31 rushing.

His two scores with his legs brought the talented QB’s total TD count to 40 on the season, second only to Tom Brady’s 42.

The 25-year-old had a rocky day passing that saw three interceptions, though it inspired him and RB Devin Singletary’s ground game to gain steam which allowed Buffalo to roll to a needed victory that clinched a playoff spot.

The team has won three straight games with a laser-like focus on winning out their final contests of the regular season to capture a second consecutive AFC East crown. They’ll have a chance to finish the job and do just that at home next against the Jets.

The first meeting between the division foes saw the Jets get blown out 45-17, with Allen going 21-28 for 366 YDS passing and 2 TDs. Yet the Bills scored 6 touchdowns that day, four of which were on the ground.

Buffalo may see some more opportunities for Allen and the offense to add to his total numbers in the regular-season finale, although the real prize they are focused on is making a Super Bowl run and winning a championship.

With a playoff spot locked in, they’ll look to secure a home playoff game along with their division with a win in Orchard Park against the Jets on Sunday.

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Josh Allen, Devin Singletary have record day in Bills ground game

Josh Allen, Devin Singletary have record day in #Bills ground game:

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The Buffalo Bills ground game took to new heights in Sunday’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

RB Devin Singletary ran for 110 yards on 23 carries with 2 TDs and QB Allen added 81 yards on 5 carries with 2 TDs himself.

The two combined for a Bills season-high 233 yards rushing.

What’s more, with Allen and Singletary each running for two touchdowns they became only the second Bills teammate duo to do so in franchise history (Curtis Brown and Terry Miller, 11/26/78 vs. NYG).

“We gotta be able to run the ball and there was a lot of situations tonight where they knew when we were gonna run the ball and we did,” Allen said while addressing the press. “When you can run it when they know you’re gonna run it that’s typically a sign of a good offense and we did a good job of that today.”

Sunday’s performance also brought Singletary’s rushing yard total this season to 782 and Josh Allen’s to 700. That’s only the third time in Bills history that the team has had two 700-yard rushers (O.J. Simpson and Jim Braxton in 1975 and C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson in 2013).

Allen knows it’s go-time with the postseason right around the corner following the Bills final regular-season game at home on Sunday against the Jets.

But he’s getting a head start.

“Every game from here on out is a playoff game. Not every game you win is gonna be pretty and that was the case today. I’m just fortunate enough we have teammates that step up in big situations like this, obviously, I’m sitting next to Motor who played an outstanding game, ran the ball hard, broke 100 yards, scored two touchdowns,” Allen added.

“Our o-line did a great job blocking, our defense stepped up, I put them in some tough situations early on but they had our backs, and no matter how we were gonna get this one we had to get it and we did.”

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Bills’ Devin Singletary feels hard work ‘is paying off’ with recent surge

#Bills’ Devin Singletary feels hard work ‘is paying off’ with recent surge:

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Buffalo running back Devin Singletary played a key role in Sunday’s playoff-clinching 29-15 win over Atlanta.

And it was one of his biggest NFL performances to date.

The third-year pro out of Florida Atlantic ran for 110 yards on 23 carries with 2 TDs as the Bills had a season-high 233 yards on the ground. His multiple scores in a game and 110 yards were career firsts, and it marked the third consecutive game in which he’s run for a TD, which is his longest streak since breaking into the league.

“It just felt like all the hard work that’s been putting in is paying off,” Singletary said during his postgame press conference. “And shoot like I told you before even though they was leaning on me, I wasn’t out there by myself. I had the linemen, tight ends, receivers making blocks, making plays down the field. It wasn’t just me, I had all my guys out there with me.”

QB Josh Allen backed him up, both on the field adding 81 yards and 2 rushing TDs, and also alongside him on the press conference podium.

“Every single play you see him doing the right thing,” Allen said while addressing the media. “And when you’ve got a guy that just wants to do the right thing and help the team win, typically those guys are gonna make the plays when they’re called upon.”

“He’s been really big for us the last few weeks and we’re gonna need him going forward,” Allen added. “He knows that, we know that but to see him kind of take the next step in his career you know catching balls out of the backfield and you saw him running the ball today, he runs extremely hard.”

With the win, the Bills punched their ticket to the postseason for the fourth time in Sean McDermott’s five first seasons as a head coach. A feat previously only accomplished by legendary Bills coach Marv Levy.

The Bills HC took time after the win to recognize Singletary.

“Devin came out and was just an animal that next series which I thought was a great momentum boost to our team,” McDermott said during his own media session. “It brings to the surface our two-dimensional offense. That type of offense is hard to defend.”

Singletary had a memorably breakout year in his 2019 rookie season, before taking a back seat to the Bills passing game and sharing carries with fellow Bills RB Zack Moss in the 2020 season.

The performance of the running back group over the past year brought the Bills’ ground game into question, leaving some to wonder why the 24-year-old had such a drop-off in productivity.

It would appear that more carries are helping him re-gain form, but also that there is something different in what he’s brought to the field this season.

“This year specifically, when he came back to training camp, you could tell he really worked his tail off and I think he inspires the guys by his style of running,” McDermott added. “You could tell there was something more he was giving there.”

Singletary is bringing that something more to his gamedays as well, and more of his teammates are noticing.

“Devin has really taken advantage of his opportunities, and he’s made our lives a lot easier,” center Mitch Morse said during his media session. “I think there were some muddy holes in there and he made us right a few times. That’s all you can ask for in a running back.”

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Report card: Bills’ playoff-clinching victory over the Falcons

Report card: #Bills’ playoff-clinching victory over the #Falcons (via @NateMendelson):

Welcome back to the playoffs, Buffalo.

Sunday’s victory against the Atlanta Falcons put the Bills at a 10-6 record and into the playoffs for the third-straight season and fourth time in five seasons. Now just a win against the New York Jets next weekend separates them from consecutive AFC East titles.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded the Bills’ positional groups after their 29-15 victory:

Instant analysis: Bills find enough footing in win vs. Falcons

Instant analysis: #Bills find enough footing in win vs. #Falcons (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills kept their divisional champion hopes alive with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Buffalo’s victory keeps the Bills (10-6) ahead of the New England Patriots in the AFC standings. The Bills hold the divisional tie-breaker. In addition, Buffalo clinched a playoff berth with the victory.

Buffalo’s performance against Atlanta (7-9) was a bit uneven, to say the least. The game started inauspiciously for the Bills, as Buffalo gave up a safety on special teams after the Falcons opening drive.

Returner Marquez Stevenson fumbled a punt return. The ensuing scramble pushed the ball into the end zone, which was recovered by Buffalo. Atlanta opened with a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Buffalo responded by scoring two touchdowns on the next two drives. The Bills aerial attack was inconsistent, so quarterback Josh Allen put the ball in his hands and rushed for the two touchdowns. With the Bills up, 14-2, by the conclusion of the first quarter, it seemed Buffalo would be moving easily throughout the game.

Instead, the Bills offense had some trouble keeping the ball in their hands and prolonging drives. Allen threw two interceptions in the first half. Atlanta scored 10 points off of the turnovers and entered halftime with an improbable 15-14 lead.

For the majority of the season, many wondered if Buffalo’s run game could support the offensive attack if the aerial game did not lead the way. The Bills running attack showed they could shoulder the load. After Allen threw his third interception of the day on the opening drive of the second quarter, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll put an emphasis on the ground game.

Running back Devin Singletary pounded out 110 rushing yards on 23 carries. He added two touchdown scores in the second half. Zack Moss ran the ball five times for 39 yards. Moss saw the majority of his game action late in the game as the Bills ran the clock down in the fourth quarter, solidifying the win.

Allen, for his part, was effective on the ground, rushing 12 times (before kneel-downs) for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

It was relieving to see the run game work efficiently with the passing attack sputtering. Allen was 11-for-26 with 120 passing yards and three interceptions. However, the run game was dominant, racking up 233 rushing yards.

Buffalo’s offensive line won the battle in the trenches. In addition to the stellar run blocking, the unit allowed only one sack. Interestingly enough, that sack occurred when wide receiver Stefon Diggs attempted the pass on a flea flicker.

Buffalo’s defense played well, putting the most pressure on a quarterback that they’ve had all season. The Bills recorded five sacks on the game, with defenders Taron Johnson, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Mario Addison, and Harrison Phillips bring down Ryan on the afternoon for sacks.

The defense limited the explosive Corderelle Patterson, the Falcons do-it-all running back-wide receiver. Patterson, the best option for Atlanta, gained 28 yards on nine rushes. He caught two passes for 24 yards. Standout tight end Kyle Pitts caught two passes for 69 receiving yards.

Matt Ryan was 13-of-23 with 197 passing yards. Ryan thought he scored late in the game, rushing for a touchdown. However, the touchdown was overturned as he was short of the goal line.

To make matters worse for the veteran quarterback. Ryan was called for taunting. Buffalo’s defense defended the fourth-down toss-up that Ryan threw, ultimately giving the ball to the Bills for good.

While Buffalo’s defense stood strong, it was the offense that required some in-game modifications to gain control of the game.

Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll attempted a couple of trick plays, both that fell short. A pass to offensive lineman  Dion Dawkins failed in the red zone, and the flea flicker with  Diggs as the thrower did not materialize. With the issues in the passing game, Daboll put the ball on the ground and it worked well.

Buffalo closes their season against the New York Jets (4-12) next Sunday at Hallmark Stadium.

A victory will give the Bills their second consecutive division title and place Buffalo no lower than fourth in the AFC standings entering the playoffs.

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