Tag: Frank Gore

Report card: Bills top Broncos 20-3

The Buffalo Bills moved to 8-3 on Sunday, after beating the Denver Broncos 20-3.

The Buffalo Bills have now moved to 8-3 after beating the Denver Broncos, 20-3 on Sunday. It was a defensive battle throughout most of the game but, Buffalo generated offense in key moments late in the game. At 8-3 this is the best start Buffalo has had since 1996. The team is currently holding onto a wild card spot in AFC postseason.

With that being said, here are the positional grades after Buffalo’s win vs. the Broncos: 

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback: C+

We will start with the ugly, Josh Allen threw a bad interception in the second quarter, as the pass sailed over the hands of John Brown and into the arms of Justin Simmons. Allen also had some ugly passes in the third quarter that should have been intercepted, but the Broncos secondary couldn’t handle Allen’s passes. 

Outside of some ugly throws, Allen converted 15 out of his 25 throws, a completion percentage of 60 percent. On his 15 throws he had 185 yards, an average of 12.3 yards per completion. Allen also flashed his escape ability and mobility, he had multiple scrambles that resulted in first downs. This was shown by his 56 yards on the ground. 

Allen also threw for two touchdowns on the day. In the second quarter he found Cole Beasley from 18 yards out, who created separation with his quick burst speed off the line of scrimmage. In the fourth quarter Allen hit the deep ball to John Brown which gave Buffalo their 17 point lead. Allen ended the game with 241 yards, a very productive game for the quarterback. 

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PODCAST: Can Bills carry consistency vs. Broncos into Cowboys meeting?

Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 12 in over Denver Broncos, ahead of Thanksgiving meetings vs. Cowboys.

The Buffalo Bills won their second straight game to improve to 8-3 on the season for the first time since 1996. It was a remarkable game, with the team displaying proficiency in all three phases of football that put up points and yardage on a top defense, halting a strong run offense, and did it’s job on special teams.

Denver had played much better than it’s record until this point, and they hit an absolute brick wall at New Era Field. The Bills defense only allowed 167 yards of total offense in Week 12. Buffalo downed talented running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. In fact, it seemed that Broncos play calling didn’t aim to target Buffalo’s sketchy run defense in the second half, as they became very pass happy and one-dimensional.

In the Broncos closest venture towards the end zone, they could not get the job done as Tre’Davious White was essentially handed an interception and a broken route intended for Courtland Sutton, who was held for one catch in the outing.

The offense did well, aside from a bad Josh Allen interception that gave Denver some of the best field positioning that they had all day. 244 yards on the ground, again dominated by Devin Singletary.

However, the big news was that, Frank Gore, the journeyman running back, passed Barry Sanders to become third all-time in rushing yards. A tremendous accomplishment, and extra satisfying that it happened with him wearing a Bills jersey.

Buffalo prepares for Dallas on a short week for this Thursday, as the Bills play their first Thanksgiving game in several years. The quick turnaround has affected many teams this year, not being allowed to play to their full potential. Everyone is already hard at work at One Bills Drive to ensure the Bills are prepared for their latest National Spotlight opportunity.

Podcast Hosts Matt and Jeremy examine the win over Denver, and the road to Dallas:

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Things we learned from Sunday of Week 12 of NFL season

Touchdown Wire’s Pat Yasinskas shares 9 things we learned from Sunday’s Week 12 NFL games.

The NFL results from Week 12 were supposed to set up two huge matchups for Week 13. Umm, looks like that may not happen.

The big games were supposed to be Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in a rematch after the Week 11 game in which Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett clobbered Rudolph over the head with a helmet in a melee that caused Garrett to be suspended indefinitely and 33 players to be fined for their roles in the incident. Cleveland fans set the stage by hitting a Rudolph pinata with a helmet. That seemed to set up a monster rematch for next week.

The other huge game that seemed to be looming was an AFC West showdown between Kansas City and Oakland. The Chiefs, 7-4, were on bye Sunday. The Raiders entered the day at 6-4 and all they had to do was beat the lowly New York Jets to enter next week’s game in a tie with the Chiefs.

But, suddenly, some of the luster was taken off both games by what happened Sunday. Let’s take a closer look at that we examine nine things we learned from Sunday’s games of Week 12.

9. The Raiders aren’t as good as we thought

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders had seemed to turn the corner and had a shot at winning the division or at least making the playoffs. People were talking about Jon Gruden as Coach of the Year. Those things still could happen, but they’re not nearly as likely after a 34-3 loss to the Jets. Gruden, who seemed to have the perfect relationship with Derek Carr, benched his quarterback in the third quarter. Carr had thrown for just 127 passes and an interception. There’s no question Carr will be back as the starter against Kansas City. But things aren’t looking as rosy for the Raiders as they would have been with a victory over the Jets.

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Frank Gore moves to No. 3 on all-time rushing list

Frank Gore’s incredible career took another step forward when he moved to No. 3 on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.

Frank Gore moved into third place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with a 65-yard outing Sunday for the Bills in a 20-3 win over the Broncos. Gore is up to 15,289, and passed Barry Sanders who finished his career at 15,269.

Here’s what the top-five looks like after Sunday:

1. Emmitt Smith, 18,335
2. Walter Payton, 16,726
3. Frank Gore, 15,289
4. Barry Sanders, 15,269
5. Curtis Martin, 14,101

The only active player even close to cracking the top five is Adrian Peterson, who sits at 13,861 after rushing for 27 yards vs. the Lions on Sunday.

Gore began his career with the 49ers as a third-round pick out of Miami in the 2005 draft. He spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the 49ers and posted a franchise-high 11,073 yards while earning five Pro Bowl nods.

After departing from San Francisco, he spent three years with the Colts and one with the Dolphins before signing with the Bills this offseason.

While Gore hasn’t been with the 49ers since 2014, no player has worn No. 21 since he departed. His number should be retired in San Francisco after his career is over, and he should cap his stellar career with enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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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Frank Gore runs past Barry Sanders into third on all-time rushing list

Frank Gore moved into third place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, surpassing the great Barry Sanders.

Frank Gore moved into third place on the all-time NFL rushing list with 15,289 yards after gaining 62 on 13 carries in Buffalo’s 20-3 victory over Denver on Sunday. A look at the top 11 running backs by rushing yardage in NFL history.

11. Jim Brown

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The legendary Jim Brown played nine seasons and finished with 12,382 yards. Imagine how many more he would have had if he did not decide to retire at the age of 29.

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Instant analysis: Bills make easy work of Broncos

The Buffalo Bills had their way against the Denver Broncos, improving their record to 8-3 after a 20-3 victory Sunday afternoon. 

The Buffalo Bills had their way against the Denver Broncos, improving their record to 8-3 after a 20-3 victory Sunday afternoon.

You might wonder, “How could a team dominate but win by only 17 points?” In reality, the game was not really as close as the score indicated.

Buffalo’s defense dominated a weak Broncos offense. Denver quarterback Brandon Allen was under duress all afternoon. Shaq Lawson recorded two sacks, while Star Lotulelei and Ed Oliver each added a sack to the team total. Lawson was in Denver backfield all afternoon, blowing past the Broncos offensive tackles with ease.

Tre’Davious White was a blanket on the Broncos best player, Courtland Sutton, all afternoon. Sutton only reeled in one pass out of eight targets, a catch on Denver’s first drive. White was credited with five passes defended on the day.

Linebacker Matt Milano was all over the field as well, registering six tackles and three passes defensed.

As a unit, the defense completely shut down the aerial game for the Broncos, allowing the fourth-year pro to collect only 82 yards through the air. Erase the yards lost via sacks by the Bills, and the Broncos gained only 49 net yards through their passing game.

Offensively, it took some time for Buffalo to put some distance on Denver. However, they stuck to the plan, and it turned out favorably for the team.

The Bills ran wild on Denver’s defense, gaining 244 yards on the ground as a team. Devin Singletary totaled 106 yards on 21 carries, while Frank Gore gained 65 yards on 15 rushes. Josh Allen added 56 yards on nine runs on the day.

Gore, the consummate professional, added another record to a memorable career. On a six-yard carry in the fourth quarter, Gore passed Barry Sanders for third all-time on the career rushing list.

Singletary also reached a milestone, as he eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career.

Josh Allen had another solid game for the Bills, throwing two beautiful touchdown passes. He went 15-for-25 and 180 passing yards on the day. His streak of games without an interception ended with an errant pass in the second quarter. However, that miscue did not hurt Buffalo, as the defense eliminated any progress of the Broncos on the subsequent derive with a Tre’ Davious White interception.

Cole Beasley reeled in an 18-yard drive. His route was perfect and Allen put a throw on a rope to complete the score. The worries of Allen’s deep ball were put to rest in the fourth quarter, as the quarterback delivered a perfect pass for 34 yards to John Brown. The play initially was ruled incomplete, but the call was revered as Brown’s dive into the back corner of the end zone showed a clean catch.

Beasley led the Bills with six receptions for 76 yards.

Stephen Hauschka hit both of his field goals and point-after-touchdown attempts, helping put to rest some of his struggles from earlier in the season. Andre Roberts had a good day in the return game, averaging 8.2 yards on punt returns. He also returned a kickoff for 25 yards as well.

It was a complete game for Buffalo. The team followed the game plan by putting pressure on Denver through the Bills run game. They also played strong defense, forcing the Broncos to rely on their passing game, which was obviously not a strength this afternoon.

This are looking good for Buffalo, as they move to 8-3 for the first time since 1996.

Buffalo has a quick turnaround, as the team will get ready for their Thursday night Thanksgiving tilt against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. It will be a big game for both teams, as the Bills are working toward solidifying their second playoff berth in three years while the Cowboys are facing a challenge from the Philadelphia Eagles for the top spot in the NFC East.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 20-3 win over the Broncos

Five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 20-3 Week 12 win over the Denver Broncos.

The Bills continued their winning ways against the Denver Broncos at Week 12. After letting the Broncos stick around a little early, things were heavily in Buffalo’s favor when things were all said and done as the Bills took a 20-3 win at New Era Field.

Here are five takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Broncos:

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Big day for Beasley

The Bills offense is usually led by No. 1 receiver John Brown. Instead, Cole Beasley took the reigns against the Broncos.

Beasley led the Bills with six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Beasley had a 30-yard grab, which was his longest catch as a member of the Bills since his 51-yard catch against the Giants in Week 2. Beasley came in handy over the middle of the field and the gameplan that unfolded was one many expected of him throughout the season.

Beasley has heated up as of late. He had scores in three-straight games from Weeks 7 to 9, but his catches as Josh Allen’s “security blanket” out of the slot haven’t been there with the scores. It’s been one or the other.

Both were on display against the Broncos.

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Report card: Bills win 37-20 vs. Dolphins

The Bills came out swinging against the Dolphins, who took an early lead and never looked back.

The Buffalo Bills continued their strong road performances this season with 37-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Bills are now 7-3, sitting pretty for a wild card spot.

After their loss against the Browns, the Bills offense was called into question by both their fans and the media. The Bills responded by pouring on 37 points against a poor Miami defense.

The Bills defense also came out and stopped the run, as well as getting pressure to the quarterback. It wasn’t a perfect game from Buffalo, but a step in the right direction after the disappointing loss to Cleveland.

After the victory in Miami, here’s how the Bills graded in this week’s report card:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Quarterback: A-

This was possibly the best performance by Josh Allen in his young career. Allen started the game strong, but on the first two drives he couldn’t create touchdowns, only field goals. On the third drive Allen found receiver John Brown for a 40-yard touchdown strike. Allen hit Brown who was streaking down the sideline, and Brown bumped off a defender before heading into the end zone.

After a drive that led to just a field goal, Allen worked some red zone magic and found tight end Dawson Knox who shrugged off a defender after the catch to walk in for the score on an all-out blitz from the Dolphins defense. In the third quarter Allen had an eight-yard scramble where he used his speed to reach the outside and hurdle for the score.

It wasn’t a perfect game for Allen, he didn’t complete many deep shots, and had some head scratching throws. Ultimately, Allen had one of the best games of his career. He completed 21 out of his 33 passes, a 63.6 completion percentage, he threw for 256 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

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Dolphins Dive: Storylines for Week 11 versus the Bills

What are the key storylines to watch this week for the Miami Dolphins in Week 11?

The Miami Dolphins have gone from a winless tank job (or so many would have you believe) to holding back-to-back victories. And if the Dolphins can come back home this week and prevail in their second matchup of the year against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins will officially be streaking with three straight wins for the first time since the beginning of the 2018 season.

The Bills represent a winnable game for Miami, based on each team’s play at this time. In fact, in the 31-21 decision on October 20th earlier this year in Buffalo, they played each other fairly close. The Dolphins were better on third down with fewer penalties. But unfortunately, the Bills didn’t give the ball away — while Miami had two turnovers. Step one to achieving streaking status will be protecting the football.

Ball security will be something to watch — but here are three more storylines in this week’s Dolphins Dive for NFL Week 11.

Mike Gesicki heating up

While critics have called tight end Mike Gesicki a late bloomer, since the departure of running back Kenyan Drake the second year tight end has become more involved when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to check down from a primary target.

In this past two games, Gesicki has caught 9 passes for 123 yards — but he also logged a fumble against the Colts. Can we see Gesicki log a touchdown next?

 Jerome Baker has been on a roll

There have been signs of improvement from the Miami Dolphins as the year has gone on. This is in part thanks to the consistency of linebacker Jerome Baker.

Turning in eight tackles and a forced fumble last week against the Colts, Baker recorded his third straight contest with seven or more tackles posted. His communication and versatility are proving to be key as the Dolphins bank on him to cover a lot of ground and fill a lot of roles. Continuing this pattern would be helpful in securing the ‘W’ over Buffalo.

 Frank Gore needs 73 more

 In addition to facing his former team for the second time this season, future Hall of Fame running back Frank Gore is close to beefing up his resume for gold jacket glory. Should he gain 73 yards on Sunday in South Florida, Gore will have passed former Detroit Lion and NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for third-highest career rushing yard total. Gore has slowly been phased out of the Bills offense in favor of Devin Singletary — but he’s one big run away from third place on the all-time rushing list.

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