Bills vs Cheats Part uno

[HipKat]

Bills notebook: Ed Oliver, Matt Milano return to practice; Buffalo prepares for Stefon Diggs

Oliver, linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) and right tackle Spencer Brown (calf) were limited on Wednesday. It was the first practice back for Oliver since Sept. 10, and the first for Milano since getting injured in the Week 2 game against the New York Jets.

buffalonews.com

When it came to Ed Oliver’s ankle injury, the Buffalo Bills’ defensive tackle heard some of the rumors off social media.

“I heard I fell off a horse, a horse hurt me, I heard all kinds of stuff,” Oliver said. “But I can promise you, somebody stepped on me at practice.”

Oliver wore a walking boot for a stretch before he was able to stop using it last week. On Wednesday, Oliver returned to practice.

Oliver, linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) and right tackle Spencer Brown (calf) were limited on Wednesday. It was the first practice back for Oliver since Sept. 10, and the first for Milano since getting injured in the Week 2 game against the New York Jets.


Bills linebacker Matt Milano practiced Wednesday for the first time since getting injured against the Jets in Week 2.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

Bills coach Sean McDermott said that group is “improving,” however, “all of them will take on a day-by-day basis at this point for the week.”

In addition, tight end Jackson Hawes (ankle) was limited and linebacker Dorian Williams (knee) did not practice. Defensive end Joey Bosa was limited for veteran rest.

As Oliver works his way back, his goal is to return to the player he was Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

“That’s the main thing, and that’s the only thing that’s really on my mind, is to come back and be dominant, how I was when I left,” Oliver said.
His strong start made the injury frustrating, but Oliver isn’t focused on that.

“It is what it is,” Oliver said. “It’s part of the game. Obviously, no one wants that to happen, but it is what it is.”
Oliver confirmed that he’s day to day, but he is “taking steps in the right direction.”

A date with Diggs​

Former Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is making his return to Orchard Park.

Diggs spent four years with the Bills before they traded him to the Houston Texans in 2024. He spent one season there, playing eight games before tearing his ACL in late October.

But Diggs has rebounded with the Patriots. He’s fresh off a game in which he had six catches on seven targets for 101 yards. That performance certainly caught McDermott’s attention as he prepares to go against his former receiver.

“Yeah, very impressed. Not surprised, but very impressed in terms of how he looks,” McDermott said Wednesday. “He looks great. Very few can come off of an injury like that from a timing standpoint, especially that first year, and look the way he looks. But I’m not surprised. He’s a heck of an athlete, and he works extremely hard.”

The Bills played against Diggs last year when the receiver was with the Texans. With that in mind, quarterback Josh Allen downplayed Sunday’s meeting.

“I mean, we played them last year, so I don’t think it’s anything super crazy,” Allen said. “But obviously, being back in Buffalo, who knows if the emotions are going to be heightened for him, or for the fans, or whatever it is. But we’re just gonna go out there and try to perform the best we can.”

Allen said the Bills’ defense is primed for Diggs. While Allen may know Diggs’ tendencies on the field, so do the Bills’ defenders.

“If they’ve got any questions, I can give as much as I can, but I don’t know how helpful it would be,” Allen said. “But he’s obviously still a fantastic player, and you got to kind of know where he’s at on the football field at all times.”

And the Buffalo defense is expecting a big game from the Patriots wide out.

“Just knowing who he is, knowing the competitor that he is, he’s gonna be amped up, excited,” Oliver said. “He’s probably gonna want the ball. He’s going to want to do Stef things: the special catches, the YAC (yards after catch) after the play, we’ll expect that out of him, just as when he was here, how special of a player he was.

“I’m pretty sure you’re going to get that Stef coming Sunday night.”

New England injury report​

For the Patriots, linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (knee) and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday.
The following players were limited: defensive tackle Christian Barmore (not injury related), defensive tackle Milton Williams (ankle) and guard Jared Wilson (ankle/knee).

 

[HipKat]

Patriots’ Stefon Diggs looking like a No. 1 WR again ahead of return to Buffalo

The 31-year-old receiver got off to a solid start but picked it up last week against the Panthers. Can he become Drake Maye's go-to option?

www.nytimes.com

Stefon Diggs heard the criticism of how he was handled in his first training camp with the New England Patriots.

He had been the marquee free agent the team added this offseason. Not the one signed to the biggest contract, but the one arriving with the most name recognition and history of success. The Patriots signed Diggs to halt their run of poor wide receiver play after the team ranked last in the NFL in production from that position a year ago. But they also wanted him to help elevate Drake Maye’s play, similar to what Diggs did with a young Josh Allen in Buffalo.

But this summer, Diggs wasn’t involved every day in every drill of training camp. It was part of a regimen designed by the team to get Diggs ready for the season after he suffered a torn ACL late last October while playing for the Houston Texans.

The 31-year-old receiver was healthy and ready for Week 1, and he was solid but unspectacular in New England’s first three games, totaling 13 receptions for 112 yards.

Now, one month into the NFL season, the slow ramp-up for Diggs is paying dividends. In the Pats’ Week 4 win over the Carolina Panthers, he had his best performance in two years, a six-catch, 101-yard output in which he looked like the former star receiver who made four straight Pro Bowls with the Bills.

His emergence comes just in time for Diggs’ first trip back to Buffalo since the Bills jettisoned him to Houston via trade. If Diggs is, indeed, back to playing like a No. 1 receiver, that will go a long way toward ensuring Maye’s hot start to the season is sustainable.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973397973875728630

The optimistic outlook is that Diggs needed a few games to trust his surgically repaired knee, and he’s ready to build off his breakout performance last week. The more pessimistic one is that it was simply a one-game outlier against a bad team, not a predictor of future success.

“I’m not scared at all,” Diggs said of running on his rehabbed knee. “I trust that I put the time in. … Everyone wasn’t too happy about camp. But they managed camp, knowing that I needed a short leash. If you gave me too much leash, I was just going to run myself into the ground. So I feel like I’m in a good spot. I try not to talk about injuries too much, but put on the tape, I look halfway decent.”

The numbers back that up. Even though the Patriots have limited Diggs to a No. 3 receiver role — at least based on the number of snaps he’s getting, where he sits behind Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins — his stats look good on a per-route and per-catch basis.

Among wide receivers with at least 60 routes run, Diggs ranks first in the NFL in receptions per target, nabbing 87 percent of the balls thrown his way without any drops. His reliability is important for Maye, following the Patriots’ receiver struggles a year ago. Diggs also ranks eighth in the league in expected points added per target, 11th in yards per route run and 17th in yards per target.

Essentially, the efficiency numbers support the idea that Diggs is getting back to being a No. 1 wide receiver, even if the production stats aren’t there yet.

Still, last week, Diggs drew attention when he said after the game that his comfort level in Josh McDaniels’ offense was a five out of 10.

“When I said it was a five out of 10, obviously I was being facetious or sarcastic in a way,” Diggs said. “Just because I look at it like I never want to get too comfortable. I said five out of 10 because if it’s eight out of 10 or nine out of 10, then I don’t really have to look over my notes and look at it multiple times. For me, I’m trying to keep it at a level of being hungry and humble. Not going in thinking I’ve got it all figured out.”

Diggs didn’t get into his frustration with the departure from Buffalo — “It’s the nature of the business, I guess,” he said — but said this trip back for a prime-time showcase on Sunday night is going to be “hard and emotional.”

“To me, it’s really sentimental,” Diggs said. “I spent a lot of time there, and I’m really familiar with the staff and the guys there. … I’m going to try to keep the main thing the main thing, but it’s going to be a hell of an atmosphere and I was a part of that for a long time.”

The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Tom Brady left, with Julian Edelman the last to accomplish that feat in 2019. Diggs is on pace for 906.

The promising part for Diggs and the Patriots is that the efficiency has existed all season, even as the coaching staff limited him to less than 55 percent of the offensive snaps in the first three weeks. On Sunday, Diggs played 63 percent of the snaps (and it probably would have been more if the game were not a blowout), and the results were great.

Now, as Diggs prepares to face the team he once starred for, he seems on the cusp of an impressive comeback season. But remember, it was just 11 months ago that Diggs tore his ACL. And questions come with a significant injury like that, especially for 31-year-old receivers.

Yet if last week was any indication, Diggs might be on his way back to being a high-end wideout — and helping out a resurgent Patriots offense.

“I feel like we got a lot of the bad stuff out in the beginning when we fell on our face a couple times with self-inflicted wounds and penalties,” Diggs said. “But you see the recipe works when everyone is doing their job and playing clean football.”

 

[Victor7]

Its weird with Diggs you know. He was an absolute beast for us. Straight up baller. And yet ... like most great WR's he became a me first asshole diva. And he shit on Allen. You do not do that. So as much as I enjoyed his time here and thank him for it. He can also eat a bag of dicks.

 

[HipKat]

https://www.reddit.com/r/buffalobills/s/nG57tRwjpj

 

[Victor7]

At the risk of being called a hater I have a bad feeling about this one dudes. I cant exactly pin point as to why. I think we play down to our opponents far too often. Fish and NO being examples. And this will be no exception aside form the fact that Vrabel is a good coach unlike McDaniels (too early to tell on Moore). They have a good defense and special teams. The offense is ok I guess under Maye. I'm still gonna go with a Bill W, but I'm just telling ya I have a weird feeling about this one.



Bills 33

Cheats 17

 

[Bill Polar]

The running into the punter penalties we have benefited from twice tell me that Miami and New Orleans are sloppy, but they also tell me other teams have dialed in to a weakness in our punt protection. Someone is going to cleanly block a punt and its going to suck.

Also, I just do not like playing Vrabel. With Tennessee he always seemed to have our number. I will be very happy if we get to 5-0 and stay healthy

 

[sukie]

Bills by a lot and bringing pride to the Cold Front uniforms… I voted 5-9 due to a late Pats garbage TD

 

[HipKat]

Four keys for the Buffalo Bills to beat the New England Patriots

Buffalo News sports reporter Katherine Fitzgerald examines four keys to a Buffalo victory over the New England Patriots.

buffalonews.com

Bills running back James Cook beats Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez on his way to the end zone for a touchdown on Dec. 22 at Highmark Stadium.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

1. Every yard counts​

The New England Patriots have a special-teams unit that Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott is watching closely. The Patriots are first in the league in yards per punt return.

“They’ve built a really explosive roster,” McDermott said. “They’ve got a lot of team speed, in particular at the returner position. I think they’ve got three or four returns for touchdowns, if you include the preseason, as well. So, very impressed by what they’ve done, and we’re going to have to play a great game on special teams, for sure.” Meanwhile, the Bills are last in average opponent starting field position on punt returns, with 33.4 the average yard line.

2. Learn thy opponent​

The Bills are still getting a feel for AFC East opponent Drake Maye. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who got to know Maye through their shared agency, has been impressed with the second-year quarterback. “He spins it as good as anyone in the league, his mechanics are really good, and to be that big and move the way he does, it’s impressive,” Allen said. Still, Maye is 23rd in completion percentage under pressure, at just 42%. The Bills' defense currently leads the league with a 46% pressure rate. New England has found its guy in Maye, but if the Bills' defense can affect him, it could be a long day for the Patriots' quarterback Sunday.

3. Eyes on the corners​

The Patriots' defense has Allen’s attention, particularly the cornerbacks.

“Christian Gonzalez and (Carlton) Davis out there, they’re really good at what they do,” Allen said Wednesday. “Bigger, physical corners. Not afraid to get up to the line of scrimmage and press you. So, again, we’ve got to have a good week of practice, and game plan extremely well, and go out there and execute.”

Gonzalez will play in just his second game this season after he missed the start of the year with a hamstring injury. He is a game-changer when he is on the field, so Allen will have to stay aware of the third-year corner.

4. Ready for Vrabel​

The Bills are familiar with Mike Vrabel, who took over as Patriots head coach this offseason. Vrabel spent 2018 to 2023 as coach of the Tennessee Titans, but McDermott also coached against Vrabel when he was still a player in Super Bowl XXXIX – Vrabel a linebacker with the Patriots, and McDermott the safeties coach of the Eagles. McDermott can already see Vrabel’s fingerprints on this version of the Patriots.

“They always play like he played, very physical,” McDermott said. “And we know that. And so, it's whenever you go against one of his defenses, you got to make sure you bring that part of your game.”

 

[HipKat]

Bills-Patriots numbers to know: These 4 stats could shape AFC East matchup​

Bills-Patriots numbers to know: These 4 stats could shape AFC East matchup

Here are four key stats to know before the Buffalo Bills take on the New England Patriots on Sunday.

buffalonews.com

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will enter his second season with a new coach (Mike Vrabel) and offensive coordinator (Josh McDaniels).
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

80.65​

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has completed 80.65% of his passes on third down for 298 yards and three touchdowns. New England is fourth in the NFL in expected points added per third-down pass, according to Next Gen Stats, even though Maye has been pressured in those situations more than all but nine quarterbacks. The Buffalo Bills' defense ranks 25th in third-down defense, though they are eighth in EPA per pass allowed.


Bills center Connor McGovern blocks for Josh Allen against the New York Giants during the first half of an NFL preseason game on Aug. 9.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News

21.7​

New England's defensive line looks improved with the addition of Milton Williams, but this matchup will be the most difficult it has faced. Josh Allen has been pressured less than any quarterback in the NFL, in large part due to an offensive line that is also responsible for blocking for the league's best rushing attack. The Bills rank first in rushing yards per game (163.5) and rushing touchdowns (9), while their 16 rushes of 10-plus yards are tied for fourth-most in the NFL. James Cook has 401 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries.

1​

Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell, the fourth pick in the draft, has allowed just one sack on 159 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. His run-blocking grade on the website, however, ranks 25th among 58 offensive tackles who have played at least 50% of their team's snaps. None of the Patriots' offensive linemen have a run-blocking grade higher than 67.2%. The matchup in the trenches will be important to watch this week.

40​

Special teams is an area of focus for the Bills as they prepare for this game. The Patriots are the only NFL team to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown this season. Cornerback Marcus Jones had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in Week 4, and running back Antonio Gibson had a 90-yard kickoff return in Week 2. New England has two kickoff returns of 40-plus yards, and Jones has two punt returns of 40-plus yards. The Bills will use their third punter this season on Sunday night. They are 25th in net yards per punt, but only two teams have punted fewer times than Buffalo.

 

[HipKat]

Bills-Patriots: Who you got? Buffalo News writers make their predictions for Sunday's game​

Bills-Patriots: Who you got? Buffalo News writers make their predictions for Sunday's game

Here are predictions from The Buffalo News sports staff for Sunday's Bills-Patriots game.

buffalonews.com

Jay Skurski​

Talk about a home-field advantage: Dating back to Week 11 of the 2023 season through today, the Bills have become just the fourth team in NFL history to win 14 consecutive regular-season home games while scoring at least 24 points in each. The Patriots have been game opponents for Buffalo in recent seasons, so it’s fair to expect a close game. The Bills have shown an ability to pull out victories recently, and they do so again Sunday night. Bills, 27-23.


Bills center Connor McGovern pass blocks against the New England Patriots during last year's game in Buffalo.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News

Katherine Fitzgerald​

The Bills are rolling, but the New England Patriots could be feisty. Coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye will have New England competitive, but it's too early for the Patriots to really make a splash against the Bills. It would be big for the Bills if they're able to get defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano back, but if not, the defense can still get the takeaways it continues to need. The Bills win this one under the Sunday night lights. Bills, 28-24.

Lance Lysowski​

After missing the playoffs four seasons in a row, New England is trending up. Drake Maye is one of the NFL's best young quarterbacks. His left tackle, rookie Will Campbell, looks like a franchise bookend. Mike Vrabel is a good head coach with a reputation for instilling physicality into his teams. The defensive line is improved, though defensive tackle Milton Williams may not play, and cornerback Christian Gonzalez is excellent. But the Patriots don't have the depth yet to win on the road at Highmark Stadium. This one will be close because of Maye, but Josh Allen will ensure that Buffalo improves to 3-0 against divisional opponents. Bills, 30-24.

Steve Trosky​

It kind of feels like Old Home Week with the Patriots bringing former Bills receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins back to Buffalo. It looks like New England got it right by taking quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick last year. Maye ranks first in the league with a 74 completion percentage, he is sixth with 988 passing yards and is among the top 10 quarterbacks in rushing yards. But he isn't Josh Allen. The Patriots rank 25th in the league in rushing yards per game (101.3). The Bills' defense gets it done. Bills, 31-21.

 

[HipKat]

I think this game is a tough one. Pats are great on 3rd down, Bills can't get the defense off the field on 3rd down, which will be key.
Overall, Pats D is weak, Allen will have a lot of time

BUT, the Bills have some home-field mystique going on.

Bills - 31
Pats - 23

 

[sukie]

I think this game is a tough one. Pats are great on 3rd down, Bills can't get the defense off the field on 3rd down, which will be key.
Overall, Pats D is weak, Allen will have a lot of time

BUT, the Bills have some home-field mystique going on.

Bills - 31
Pats - 23

Bills have had issues on 3rd down… doesn’t mean that is going to continue tonight. Just like the Pats run offense is terrible but it doesn’t mean it will be tonight.

 

[HipKat]

First; Sean Hoculi. It was the exact same with his father, Ed the musclead POS.
Always the same; He calls enough flags in the first half to keep the other team in the game and kill the Bills' drives that could be scoring.
In the third quarter, he puts the flag away. The ones he called on NE, those were calls you couldn't not call. Obvious.
And then in the 4th, he inserts his will into the game again.
I know decorum prevents the team from filing an official complaint, but enough is enough with this POS. The NFL needs to hear from people that matter: the people who spend money. Refs do NOT generate revenue. Players generate revenue. Coaches generate revenue, and the Bills generate a hell of a lot for the league in TV time, merchandise, and sold-out stadiums. McDumbass shyould have reminded Hoculi about who brings in the money and who makes to much to do his job poorly. I f'n promise, I would have.

Other than that, McDipshit better get this defense in line. We have the easiest schedule in the NFL for the first time in many years, and he cannot get teams off the field. This is HIS defense that the team has over spent on while buying cheap cast-offs, mostly, on Offense and he has notyhing to show for it. Granted we have players coming back over the next two weeks, but enough is enough. Not stopping the run will not win a Superbowl.

The Bills should have dominated this game but those two "goats" were the difference.

 

[sukie]

Defense not the issue…

Bills statistically dominated winning every stat category except passing (by 22 )
oh and turnovers

Bills sacked 1 time. Pats 4
Bills punted 2 times. Pats 4
Bills 3rd down conv. 5/9 (Pats 3/9)
Rushing Bills 118 to 71

total yards Bills 363 to 338

ToP. Bills by 9 minutes

 

[HipKat]

Three questions after the Buffalo Bills fall to the New England Patriots

What we learned, what's trending now and what's coming next after the Buffalo Bills took their first loss of the season Sunday night, falling 23-20 to the New England Patriots.

buffalonews.com

1. What did we learn?​

The Buffalo Bills have some cleaning up to do. They had eight penalties in the first half totaling 65 yards and 11 accepted penalties in all. They were sloppy in other ways, with turnovers and drops, but luckily for them, the Patriots eventually had some key undisciplined plays of their own, allowing the Bills to get back in the game. The Patriots are a team on the rise, but this was still an uninspired outing from the Bills. Buffalo’s first-half possessions went like this: fumble, punt, fumble, field goal, punt. The messy first half proved to be too much to overcome, as the Bills took their first loss.


Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman fumbles the ball during the first quarter Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

2. What's trending now?​

Stefon Diggs. The former Bills receiver was electric in his return to Orchard Park for the first time since he was traded in 2024. Diggs is less than a year removed from ACL surgery, but that didn’t show on Sunday night. Diggs had 10 catches on 12 targets for 146 yards. He’s had 100-plus yards in back-to-back wins for New England. Contrast that to the Bills' receiving corps. Tight end Dalton Kincaid had a strong day, and wide receiver Keon Coleman bounced back from a shaky start to the game. Still, the group wasn’t productive enough to give Josh Allen what he needed.

3. What happens next?​

The Bills get an extra day to prepare for the Atlanta Falcons, whom they face on the road next Monday night. The 2-2 Falcons had a bye this week. The Bills will hope to get defensive tackle Ed Oliver back in the lineup. He has now missed four games. There are lingering questions around linebacker Matt Milano, who was able to start Sunday but reaggravated his pectoral injury during the game and did not play in the second half. Shaq Thompson came in for Milano and had a huge sack on third down during the fourth quarter on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

 

[HipKat]

Defense not the issue…

Bills statistically dominated winning every stat category except passing (by 22 )
oh and turnovers

Bills sacked 1 time. Pats 4
Bills punted 2 times. Pats 4
Bills 3rd down conv. 5/9 (Pats 3/9)
Rushing Bills 118 to 71

total yards Bills 363 to 338

ToP. Bills by 9 minutes

See part 1 of my post....

 

[sukie]

Just stop arrogant complacent offensive game plans. This loss is on the O.

Bills need a move at corner. Get it done.
Get your 58 signed merchandise now. It’s rare and he won’t play in the new stadium unless he’s a visitor

 

[HipKat]

Observations: The Bills' home winning streak is over, thanks to a sloppy loss to the Patriots​

Observations: The Bills' home winning streak is over, thanks to a sloppy loss to the Patriots

The Bills shot themselves in the foot continually Sunday, losing three turnovers and committing 11 penalties in falling to 4-1 on the season.

buffalonews.com

And then there were none.

The Buffalo Bills entered their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday night as the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL.

About three hours after the 8:23 p.m. opening kick, that was no longer the case as the visiting Patriots left Highmark Stadium with a 23-20 victory.

Buffalo’s streak of 14 straight home wins in the regular season, dating to 2023? Finished.

The NFL-record run of 26 straight games without losing the turnover battle? Done.

The Bills shot themselves in the foot continually, losing three turnovers and committing 11 penalties in falling to 4-1 on the season. The Patriots improved to 3-2 and are now just a half-game back in a suddenly competitive AFC East.

“Got to take care of the football,” wide receiver Khalil Shakir said. “It’s proven that turnover battle, when you win or lose it – it swings either way, depending on that. Got to get back to the basics, the fundamentals, and really locking into all of the details of just taking care of the ball.”

Losing the turnover battle was bad enough, but those problems were intensified by the team’s penalty problems – 11 accepted for 90 lost yards and a few more that were either declined or offsetting.

“Just didn’t seem like we were into a rhythm offensively enough,” coach Sean McDermott said. “And when we did, we had penalties, self-inflicted wounds, early on in the game.”

Penalties have been a problem for the Bills at times in recent seasons, but rarely have they been as glaring as they were in the first half Sunday, when the count was eight against the Bills and just two against New England. That played into the Bills trailing by three points, 6-3, at the break.

“It just comes back to practice, comes back to fundamentals, comes back to what we’ve been doing since OTAs and training camp,” Bills safety Taylor Rapp said.


The Buffalo Bills and running back James Cook struggled to get much going Sunday night against the Patriots in a 23-20 loss.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

1. Dalton Kincaid came to play.​

The Bills’ tight end had a career day, finishing with six catches for 108 yards. Understandably, he wasn’t in the mood to do much celebrating after the game, instead lamenting the number of penalties taken by the team.

“Just shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said. “We’ve got to make those corrections and move forward.”

Kincaid, who has been a steady contributor through the first four weeks, came through on a night when the production from the rest of the Bills’ pass-catchers could best be described as uneven.

Kincaid nearly outgained the five active receivers on Buffalo’s offense all on his own, consistently finding holes in the Patriots’ defense. Although he didn’t get into the end zone, he easily set his career high in receiving yards, which was 87 yards, also against the Patriots in the 2023 regular-season finale.

Kincaid’s role looks like it will continue to grow in the Bills’ offense in his third season. With a decision on his fifth-year contract option looming after this season, he’s picking a good time to show he can be a problem for opposing defensive coordinators.

Fellow tight end Dawson Knox added two catches for 15 yards as all eight of Josh Allen’s passes intended for tight ends were completed.

2. Landon Jackson made his debut.​

The team’s rookie third-round edge rusher had been a healthy inactive the first four weeks of the season. That proved to be a challenge, but Jackson finally got his jersey on game day against the Patriots. He did have any defensive statistics.

“Kind of just mentally been up and down throughout this whole process, but the past few weeks, been positive about everything going out there, working my hardest every day, so finally got an opportunity today,” Jackson said. “Felt like I played all right. There (are) some things I could have cleaned up, but definitely felt like I was playing a lot faster, getting my feet in the ground quicker. So yeah, overall, it felt good for a debut but would have much rather come out with win.”

Veteran A.J. Epenesa’s advice to Jackson before the game was to play fast.

“There are going to be times where you might not hear the call,” Epenesa told Jackson. “That’s just circumstance. Situationally, like it sucks, but you’ve got to make a decision and just play fast, because if you’re sitting there thinking, you’ve got some gray area, you start making mistakes and then you start thinking about those mistakes.”


Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau celebrates a tackle during the first quarter against the Patriots on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Rousseau finished with six tackles and a sack. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News

3. Greg Rousseau stepped up.​

The Bills’ well-paid defensive end had not provided a great return on investment entering Week 5. Rousseau had eight tackles, two passes defensed and a half-sack for the Bills in their 4-0 start. While any defensive lineman’s production shouldn’t be measured solely through statistics, it was clear the Bills were expecting more from Rousseau.

Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said last week he challenged Rousseau. While the exact details of that challenge were kept private, the message was clearly received. Rousseau came out like his hair was on fire against the Patriots, with four tackles in the first half, one sack and two quarterback hits. He finished with six tackles, which tied linebacker Terrel Bernard for the team lead, and three quarterback hits. Of the Bills’ six total tackles for loss, two were by Rousseau.

It’s exactly the kind of impact the Bills were expecting when they gave Rousseau a four-year extension worth up to $80 million in the offseason.
The Bills have leaned heavily on Rousseau and Joey Bosa at the start of the season, but the starting duo did get some help in the first half when Epenesa participated in a sack on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

4. A pair of starters returned.​

Linebacker Matt Milano and right tackle Spencer Brown returned to the lineup for the Bills.

Milano has been out since suffering a pectoral injury in Week 2 against the Jets. His return comes at a good time, because linebacker Dorian Williams was declared out for the game on the final injury report because of a knee injury.

Milano, 31, had nine tackles and one sack in the first two weeks before getting hurt against the Jets. The linebacker, who is in the final year of his contract, has struggled to stay on the field in recent years because of various injuries. Milano practiced on a limited basis all week and was officially listed as questionable for the game on the final injury report.

But Milano left the lineup in the third quarter Sunday night because of a pectoral injury. He was replaced by Shaq Thompson, and when the Bills went to three-linebacker looks on defense later on, local product Joe Andreessen entered the game.

“It was his pec at halftime,” McDermott said of Milano. “I don’t have any more details right now, but I’ll probably have something next day or two here for you.”

Brown, meanwhile, was back after missing the Week 4 win over New Orleans because of a calf injury. He was also questionable on the final injury report and practiced on a limited basis all week.

5. A pair of defensive tackles sat.​

Ed Oliver and rookie T.J. Sanders were declared inactive by the team ahead of Sunday night’s game.
Oliver missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury, which he’d suffered ahead of the Week 2 game against the Jets.

Oliver practiced on a limited basis all week, offering some hope he’d be able to return, but that will have to wait at least one more week.
“That’s the only thing that’s really on my mind is to come back and be dominant, how I was when I left,” he told reporters during the practice week.

Oliver was indeed dominant during the Week 1 win over the Ravens, finishing with six tackles, including three for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in the win. The Bills’ defense has missed that production since Oliver has been out.

Sanders, meanwhile, missed his first game this season with a knee injury. Both players were listed as questionable on the final injury report. Sanders was limited Thursday and Friday after getting hurt in practice.

Sanders, who showed a knack for being an interior pass rusher in college, has gotten off to a fairly slow start to his career, with just two tackles and one quarterback pressure through the first four games.

 

[Victor7]

Goats

Sean Hochuli. As predicted this POS "stole" the show. Just like his dad used to. Flag happy, wanting that valuable national audience TV time. What a shit show of a ref. Bills are 2-7 in game officiated by this dude. for a team that wins about 70% of their games this is wildly suspicious.

Defense. Did anyone really think we were gonna stop that game winning drive? lol ... I know I didn't. As soon as we missed on the 3rd down I knew it was over. Never mind allowing a less than 12 month removed from ACL surgery 30+ year old Diggs own you. Or making Maye look like prime Tom Brady. It wasn't that bad of an effort compared to other games. But make no mistake this D was bad again

Offense. Aside from Kincaid and maybe Samuel everyone else was not ok. Force feeding Coleman, he also fumbled, despite having time to throw no receivers open (but its ok, we have 854 DT's!!), no run game, stupid pick in the red zone. You name it.

Joe Brady. A jet sweep to Dawson Knox should not be on your playbook. Period. End of discussion.

Sean McDermott. Did anyone else notice this ?? ... Pats driving late in the 1st half. We burn a couple of timeouts on 1st and 2nd down to try to save some time. That's all good We want the ball back to try to double dip. But then the Pats got a 1st down. At that point, we only have one TO left and they have a new set of downs with under a minute. McD still took the TO. Why? All we did was save one of theirs or at least save them some seconds. They kicked a fg with one sec left. This fucking guy never learns.

Honorable mentions to Tre White, Terrel Bernard, Joey Bosa and Taron Johnson. Tre is cooked. I love that man but he's done. Its sad really. I'm not quite there yet with TJ but it appears that he might also be on his way to being done. Bernard with a stupid 15 yard gift and Bosa was a no show.





Balls

Kincaid had a solid game

Prater is money

Special Teams. Gotta say I was afraid we would fuck it up there. Not at all. They were great in coverage. Even forced a fumble.

Teams with a baller WR. Diggs owned, JSN owned, Egbuka or whatever owned. Amon Ra owns every week, as does Jefferson. Even Chase balled in a loss and with a shit QB. We have a lot of ok guys who never own. But don't worry. We have 456 defensive linemen. Michael Hoecht!!



That's all I got man

 

[Victor7]

Defense not the issue…

Bills statistically dominated winning every stat category except passing (by 22 )
oh and turnovers

Bills sacked 1 time. Pats 4
Bills punted 2 times. Pats 4
Bills 3rd down conv. 5/9 (Pats 3/9)
Rushing Bills 118 to 71

total yards Bills 363 to 338

ToP. Bills by 9 minutes

They were not that bad yesterday for sure. But with the game on the line they allowed the game losing drive. As we all knew they would.

It also happened in the way we all knew it would. By passing to Diggs. Who we had no answer for despite knowing him well and him being less than 12 months removed from ACL surgery while being 30+ years old.