Tag: joe brady

Bills’ Josh Allen breaks down crazy touchdown with Amari Cooper

Bills’ Josh Allen breaks down crazy touchdown with Amari Cooper

The Buffalo Bills beat the San Francisco 49ers 35-10 on the nationally televised Sunday Night Football stage to improve to 10-2.

On a snowy night in Orchard Park, QB Josh Allen and the offense didn’t miss a beat, as he made good on making history in the game.

He even did something no quarterback in history has done before, scoring a receiving touchdown on a pass he originally threw.


Receiver Amari Cooper hauled in a one-handed catch while multiple Niners defenders wrapped around him when he pitched the ball back to Allen.

The QB put on his Superman cape and ran toward the left pylon before laying out to extend and get the ball in for the score as he flew through the air and landed sliding in the snow out of bounds.

“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said of Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. … It was dope.”

Cooper noted he made the heads-up play instinctually in a think-fast moment. He saw Allen nearby and thought he wanted the ball.

“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”

It was a historical day for the Bills as they won their fifth straight AFC East crown becoming one of the only clubs ever to do so with five games remaining in the regular season.

Allen made more history as well passing Hall of Famer and Bills legend Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244 total touchdowns with 247 of his own at only age 28.

He would finish 13 of 17 for 148 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards with a TD.

He is organically making a strong case for MVP candidacy along the way, though his focus is on continuing to pursue and hopefully surpass Kansas City (11-1) for the AFC’s top seed come playoff time.

“It’s a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said. “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”

He’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just that with road games against the Rams and Lions up next, followed by home games against the Patriots and Jets before a final road matchup with New England.

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How the Bills could make history after their bye week

How the Bills could make history after their bye week

The Buffalo Bills came soaring into their bye week during NFL Week 13 riding a six-game winning streak to a 9-2 record.

They are preparing to host the 5-6 San Francisco 49ers for Sunday Night Football, a team that has dealt with some injuries to key players throughout the season.

The Niners could be without stars like quarterback Brock Purdy, offensive tackle Trent Williams, and defensive end Nick Bosa.

While their squad is desperate for a win, a Buffalo victory could make history for the franchise.

In more ways than one.

The Bills are four games ahead of the second-place AFC East squad and division rival Miami Dolphins, who will be playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving Thursday. Buffalo beached them in both head-to-head matchups this season and owns the tie-breaker.

If Miami loses to Green Bay and Buffalo beats San Francisco, the Bills will also win their fifth straight division crown.

That would be something that has never previously been accomplished since the team was first founded in 1960.

The franchise did notably win four straight AFC East titles from 1988 to 1991, the final two of which included trips to the Super Bowl.

It’s also worth noting that the club has never lost coming out of their bye week under head coach Sean McDermott. And while a win is never fully guaranteed, the team does have a good prior track record in this situation.

That and their current regular season win streak aren’t the only ones on the line, however. Buffalo has also won six straight matchups against San Francisco.

QB Josh Allen will also have a chance to make more history in this game against a team he rooted for growing up in Firebaugh, CA.

Allen is currently tied with the Bills’ most storied quarterback in the team’s history, Jim Kelly, for the most touchdowns in the franchise’s history (244).

Per Tankathon, Buffalo has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule in the league this season, which means Allen will have plenty of time across the six regular season contests left to add to that number while entering his prime at age 28.

He’ll also have a chance to round out a strong campaign and potential MVP-caliber year just as the Bills will have a chance to bid for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC Playoff picture in facing the Niners, Rams, Lions, Patriots (twice), and Jets.

Bills’ Sean McDermott offers injury updates during bye week

Bills’ Sean McDermott offers injury updates during bye week

During NFL Week 12, the Buffalo Bills enjoy their bye week, offering an opportunity for some rest and extra advance preparation for their next game following a 30-21 home win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

They topped their AFC rival without several key starters including middle linebacker Matt Milano (bicep tear), wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist), tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), offensive lineman Spencer Brown (ankle), and defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) who were out with injuries.

Next up the team will host the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium, and fans and media members have been wondering which players might return to the field in that contest.

Milano, who’s missed most of the season so far, has begun to practice again and could see a return to gameplay as early as Week 13. The rookie Coleman as well as second-year pro Kincaid received a positive update by way of ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler in terms of recovery this week.

While he did not definitely say whether the two impact players on offense would be back for the game against the Niners, he did share that neither player’s injury appears to be substantial or long-term.

Buffalo has notably never lost coming out of a bye week under head coach Sean McDermott, a trend they hope will continue and one they hope will extend to the postseason, as they pursue the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and first-round bye.

He had good news for the Bills and their fans following Sunday’s win over the Chiefs, sharing that the team didn’t have any new additions to the injury report. And there may be more good news on their existing injured players coming soon, though he made a point to manage expectations.

“There’s this pool of players that they’re kind of tiered as to when we expect to get each one of them back,” McDermott said.

“Again this week being kind of a rehab week for the players that are banged up, the message I’m getting from our training room is ‘hey we’ll let you know kind of how this week goes and then what that looks like for next week’ so you know the challenge is not really knowing as we start to game plan a little bit towards the end of this week who’s available, but certainly understand that the trainers need some more time with these guys and you know again it’s kind of like ‘hey who who are they going to hand us on Monday? Are we to get one player? Two players? More? Less what we have? So we just got to kind of take it one day at a time here, big picture coming out of the game without any serious injuries.”

They still have some challenges ahead in the remaining six contests on the regular season schedule, including road games against the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions right after the 49ers matchup.

But with a healthy roster, the Bills could make a push into the postseason and potentially lock up the No. 1 seed, allowing them to get even healthier headed into the playoffs.

GMFB’s Peter Schrager: No one made ‘louder statement’ last week than Bills (video)

GMFB’s Peter Schrager: No one made ‘louder statement’ last week than Bills (video)

NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” roundtable conversation on Monday following the Week 11 slate of games around the league included a take on which club among them made the “loudest statement”.

Analyst Peter Schrager chose the Bills following their 30-21 win over the Chiefs. He was complimentary of head coach Sean McDermott and pointed out that this regular season win over Kansas City felt different than past ones.

“I don’t think anyone made a louder statement made in the league than what the Bills did yesterday against the Chiefs,” Schrager said the morning after the matchup.

The segment can be found in the clip below:

Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down matchup vs. Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down matchup vs. Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

The Bills beat the Chiefs 30-21 at home on Sunday.

The contest that saw the teams’ final scores roughly on average for the season so far also had significant takeaways on and off the field.

But the biggest one belonged to Buffalo linebacker, Terrel Bernard.

With 1:07 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Bills’ defensive captain and play caller took away a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Kansas City tight end and MGMT “Electric Feel” fan Travis Kelce for an end-game interception.


The entire Buffalo defense ran down to celebrate with him in the end zone after getting in front of Kelce to grab the ball out of the air.

“The main thing is just having awareness of him, “ Bernard said about covering the Chiefs TE to WIVB. “Pre, post-snap, trying to get guys around him as much as possible, playing within our scheme and our system still but understanding he’s going to be one of the first options every pass play.”

It was the second interception for KC’s Mahomes, whose first and last throws in Sunday’s game were caught by Buffalo.

Bernard, who was out during the last meeting between the clubs in January’s divisional round of the playoffs, also had eight tackles and a sack on the day to go with the big-time turnover.

“I think having that awareness, [defensive coordinator] Bobby [Babich] did a great job in the gameplan, all the coaches did, putting him in our minds all week and knowing where he was at and where he was going to be, what he likes to do in certain spots. I think that was a huge factor, and everybody playing to the details of the defense.”

Everything has changed for Kelce since his last matchups against the Bills in which he seemed unstoppable.

He may just want to shake it off, knowing all too well that Bernard and the Bills defense held him to only two catches for eight yards receiving.

But with the win the Bills now have a better shot at a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, the Chiefs do as well although they are not out of the woods yet.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was complimentary of the Bills when asked what his takeaways off the field were from the loss.

“Things you can learn, the main thing is that they’re a good team and, if you have a few mistakes in there, they can capitalize on them,” Reid said.

The teams could face off again in the postseason, and time will tell which club will play host to the other if they do.

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Bills’ Josh Allen plays it cool after Chiefs: ‘It’s another Week 11 win’

Bills’ Josh Allen plays it cool after Chiefs: ‘It’s another Week 11 win’

Buffalo beat Kansas City in exciting fashion on Sunday.

The club topped the Chiefs 30-21 at home in Orchard Park in front of Bills Mafia on the same field where KC ended its postseason run last year.

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen put his superhero cape on for the Bills offense when it mattered most, breaking tackles and shaking off defenders for a 26-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-2 with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

After the game ended thanks to a win-sealing interception by Terrel Bernard on defense, Allen was asked about his scoring play by CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson.

“Yeah, appreciate Coach McDermott for trusting the offense going out there,” he said. “We had a man play, they dropped out to zone and they had something good for it. I was just trying to make a play and help our team win a football game. You know, some things we need to clean up, some throws I wish I had back, but we’re going into the bye week 9-2…we’ll take it.”

Allen was sacked zero times for the first time against Kansas City since the 2021 regular season, and the team put up their 30 points without key players on offense in receiver Keon Coleman, tight end Dalton Kincaid, and offensive tackle Spencer Brown.

He finished the day Sunday 27-for-40 with 262 yards, a touchdown, and an interception passing to go with another 55 ground yards with the TD.

The scoring rush was his latest in a career highlight reel of making little-to-no/probability plays.

In fact, per NFL Next Gen Stats, there was only a 1.2% chance of scoring a touchdown on the play once he tucked the ball to run.

The Bills hosted their AFC rivals for their fifth regular-season meeting with the QB under center.

The club is now 4-1 in those matchups, becoming the only team in the NFL to log four victories against Chiefs QB and State Farm insurance enthusiast, Patrick Mahomes.

The squad improves to 9-2 overall headed into their bye week. It’s the franchise’s first time at 9-2 since the 1992 NFL season.

The Bills have treated division games as “counting double” but had previously struggled to translate that in conference matchups that could have a bearing on No. 1 seeding and a first-round bye come playoff time.

But not this time.

The final points were roughly on average for what the two teams have put up throughout this season thus far, and it was the Chiefs’ first time giving up more than 28 points in 31 games and the first time allowing 30 points on offense since 2022.

And while Buffalo continues to have success against Kansas City during the regular season, Allen knows they need to beat them in the playoffs and spoke to that while answering whether it was just another Week 11 win for Buffalo.

“It is, it’s another Week 11 win,” he added. “Knowing how things usually play out we’ll probably see this team again at some point. We’ve got to get there first so like I said, we’ll enjoy this bye week and go into the next week after that and put together a good game plan and try to go 1-0.”

Darren Rizzi could be a full-time Saints head coach candidate

Darren Rizzi earning another year as the full-time head coach of the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t be the worst thing. He’s a legit candidate for the job:

It’s an overreaction to say Darren Rizzi should remain the New Orleans Saints’ head coach after this season just because he beat the Atlanta Falcons. But continued success should mean he gets a real look, and the Saints will have to hire someone for the job. Rizzi turning a lost season around and earning that opportunity wouldn’t be the worst thing.

For one thing, he’s already a popular locker room presence. Special teams coaches like Rizzi are the few coaches who interact with players in every phase of the game. Whether he’s taught quarterbacks to hold a snap, told linemen how deep to set up for a field goal, or instructed safeties on shedding blocks as gunners, he’s worked with everyone, and he commands a lot of respect inside the building and around the league. He interviewed for the job when it opened up last time, too.

For another, the Saints aren’t set up rebuild on the fly. Annual contract restructuring has made it tough to trade off a bunch of veteran players and sign replacements in free agency. They aren’t resting on a stockpile of draft picks, either. That could make it tough to lure a hot up-and-comer in demand like Ben Johnson to town, and veteran coaches who have seen a thing or two like Mike Vrabel may want more resources to work with.

If the Saints are going to be working under tight salary cap constraints in 2025 anyway, the best approach might be to stick with Rizzi. See if he can weather that storm and field a competitive team with the pieces already in the building. If he can, great — he’ll have a clean slate to work with in 2026 after hurdles like the dead money left over from Marshon Lattimore’s trade and Derek Carr’s contract guarantees have been paid out in 2025. If he flounders?

No harm, no foul. More aging players will have bowed out, the salary cap bookkeeping will be in order, and the next coaching cycle will present more options. Maybe someone already being linked to the Saints coaching search like Aaron Glenn or Joe Brady will be ready to take over with more experience, fresh eyes and plenty of tools, cap space, and draft picks to build their own team.

But we’re really putting the cart before the horse here. Rizzi passed his first test by beating the dirty birds. Now he needs to win back-to-back games and knock out the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. That would do a lot to keep the season alive in a still-weak NFC South. At this stage all we can do (and all Rizzi and the Saints can do) is take things one day and one week at a time.

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Bills’ Josh Allen says teammates ‘stepped up’ vs. Colts

Bills’ Josh Allen says teammates ‘stepped up’ vs. Colts

A win is a win.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Bills won in all three phases 30-20 on the road against the Colts in Indianapolis.

Buffalo got the job done despite turning the ball over multiple times, which left much to improve upon.

Few knew that better than quarterback Josh Allen.

“We’ve got to have a faster start. We didn’t play our best today, but we’ll take the win,” the QB said. “Four forced turnovers — we’ve got to hold onto the ball a little bit better. We’ll take them how we can get them, and we’ll turn the page tomorrow.”

Allen would go 23 of 37 for 280 yards in the air with 50 yards on the ground.

He also threw a pair of interceptions, putting him at four in the span of the last three games after a stellar start to the year in which he didn’t throw any at all in his first seven contests.

“Guys stepping up, knowing they’re knowing their job, knowing their assignment, and going out there and executing can be cleaner,” he added. “That’s that’s me. So again, just making sure we’re communicating well, and just try again, just trying to hold on to the football. And, you know, we got to play better on offense.”

Playing in front of so many Bills fans in attendance it was practically a home game in the stands, Buffalo was missing receivers Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman. Their scoring got done by way of kicker Tyler Bass’s field goals, along with rushing touchdowns by Allen and starting running back James Cook, and a pick-six interception by corner Taron Johnson.

 

“Just all hands on deck,” head coach Sean McDermott said to the press postgame. “I mean, what else can you say? I would say (offensive coordinator) Joe (Brady), the (offensive coaching) staff, they didn’t flinch. They just kept dialing it up, trying to adjust. I thought the communication at halftime was great by the entire staff.”

This ahead of one of their biggest tests of the season next Sunday, a home game hosting the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park.

For four-straight games and in seven of their 10 games this season, the Bills have scored 30 points or more, which could matter next week against a Kansas City team that’s only scored that much once this season.

The win against the Colts was the Bills’ first in Indianapolis since 1998, their fifth consecutive win, and they improved to 8-2 overall, their best start since 1993.

And they might possibly have been at 9-1 if not for clock management and playcalling near the end of the club’s matchup against the Houston Texans.

Nonetheless, things remain in perspective for Allen.

“It’s awesome to get eight wins through 10 games. Still got a lot of season left, so we’re not really looking at it as that. It’s just really on to the next one.”

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Bills’ Taron Johnson credits studies for pick six: ‘I’ve seen that play before’

Bills’ Taron Johnson credits studies for pick six: ‘I’ve seen that play before’

The Bills beat the Colts 30-20 on Sunday, thanks in part to an early defensive takeaway by nickel Taron Johnson.

Buffalo had a strong day on defense, and the effort was highlighted by an early pick-six by the corner.

 

Johnson helped to set the tone for the game on the defensive side of the ball with the big play, but also in his overall performance.

He had three tackles, a sack, one tackle for loss, and two pass deflections as well.

“I’m not sure what he was seeing,” Johnson said of opposing QB Joe Flacco’s read on the pick. “But I’ve seen that play before . . . against a different team, and I played it differently. I mean, we [were] in a different call too. In the game I’ve seen it, I played it differently, and I feel like they were expecting me to play it a different way. And, I took the ball. After that, I scanned the field and took it to the house.

I’ve seen that play before
 I feel like they were expecting me to play it a different way and took the ball.”

They were also without receivers Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper on offense, so the defense stepped up.

“I know we’re banged up on offense, but the defense came out, and especially in that second half, made a lot of plays, and I feel like that helped us win,” Johnson added.

On the day, the Bills offense had three interceptions total, along with four sacks and two forced fumbles.

Much to the approval of head coach Sean McDermott.

“I thought that the defense and the takeaways was a big time difference in the game, and then also getting momentum back after our turnovers with some key stops and fourth down stops”, McDermott said. “We were able to make them (Colts) one-dimensional, which was important for us. It was a resilient win overall. Very resilient win.”

With Tyler Bass going a perfect six for six, special teams and defense held up their end.

“I think they’re just a very competitive group,” McDermott added. “They take a lot of pride in not letting each other down.”

Dolphins’ Jordan Poyer calls hit on Bills’ Keon Coleman ‘clean’

Dolphins’ Jordan Poyer calls hit on Bills’ Keon Coleman ‘clean’

The Bills were charging downfield on offense in the final minutes of their matchup against the Dolphins Sunday, aiming to score the winning points to break a tie and win the game before the end of regulation.

Buffalo did just that, winning 30-27, and a former Bill even helped them get the opportunity for the victory, albeit at a cost.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the offense were making their way downfield in the final minutes of the contest after Miami tied the score at 27 when Allen threw a deep pass toward the left sideline targeting rookie receiver Keon Coleman.

While the pass was incomplete, Dolphins safety and former Bill Jordan Poyer, who returned to Orchard Park for the first time since his seven-year run with Buffalo ended, was whistled for a personal foul as he made helmet-to-helmet contact on the play. The flag kept the drive alive and led to Buffalo winning the game on a 61-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Bass.

Poyer’s helmet crown made contact with Coleman’s facemask, and his helmet also came into contact with the rookie’s right hand during the hit as well, and he appeared to motion toward his arm on his way to the sideline after the play.

Per Syracuse.com, Coleman had a brace on his right wrist and left the game late after the injury.

Poyer said postgame that he believed at the time that the play was clean.

“I’m just playing football. I thought it was a clean play, felt like I put my helmet right into his chest,” he said to the press. “I’m just playing football, it’s tough. … What can you do? I don’t know. I had a great post-break, he went up for the ball and I literally didn’t stop my feet. I felt like I hit him where I was supposed to hit him. Apparently, the ref didn’t think so.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that their goal is to play aggressively, though he did not disagree with the penalty call.

“It takes it out of everyone’s hands when you go helmet to helmet,” McDaniel said. “I didn’t see it live, but if there was helmet-to-helmet contact, it is what it is. You have to go strike zone, which is below the neck. So they’ll call that every time if that’s the case.”

Buffalo was down a receiver as recent trade acquisition Amari Cooper had been ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game with an arm injury of his own.

Coleman has been a top receiver for the Bills this season with 22 catches for 417 total yards and two touchdowns.