11-06-2018, 06:28 AM
Josh Allen The Buffalo Bills lost their third preseason game of the season Cheap Tre'Davious White Jersey , dropping their record to 1-2 after a 26-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. But that’s not the big story from the game, as rookie Josh Allen made his first start. It was not one to remember.Here are the takeaways from Sunday:Good Lord, offensive lineThe offensive line was brutal against the starters. They were called for penalties and allowed five sacks of Josh Allen and a couple more hits.Buffalo rotated the interior offensive line, with Ryan Groy playing two positions, Vlad Ducasse playing both right and left guard, and John Miller moving out of the lineup in the first three drives. Miller returned and was called for multiple fouls and allowed a sack.Passing offense in reverse under AllenLast week, the Bills starting offense got a shot in the arm when Allen came in after AJ McCarron couldn’t get anything moving. This week, Allen was under constant duress and even with his escapability, he took five sacks and lost as many yards as he was able to pass for. Receivers dropped passes and didn’t fight for balls, and Allen even underthrew a pass. They were out of sync.Injuries opening doors for othersMarcus Murphy has definitely played his way onto the roster, and took several first-team reps alongside Chris Ivory as LeSean McCoy sat with a groin injury. At defensive end, Shaq Lawson once again showed up and did okay in relief of an injured Trent Murphy. Harrison Phillips was largely neutralized in place of Kyle Williams.Cornerback changesLast year, the Bills tended to keep the rookie Tre’Davious White and the other cornerback on specific sides of the field, but today against the stud A.J. Green, White shadowed the perennial Pro Bowler. It could be something they are planning on doing going forward. Even on the other side http://www.officialbillsfootballstore.co...rsey-cheap , Vontae Davis was benched for three series and replaced by Phillip Gaines. Davis allowed a 59-yard touchdown on the first play of the game.Colton Schmidt opened the punter competition doorThis week, the Bills added former Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan. How did incumbent Colton Schmidt respond? By launching four bad punts under 40 yards. He eventually clobbered a 59-yarder and ended the day averaging 41 yards, but it wasn’t a great day. Ryan only punted once from the 41, and while he was able to drop it in the field of play at the one, the coverage team wasn’t able to keep it from going in the end zone. The match is not over yet.NotesThree different tight ends saw snaps on the first three offensive plays; Charles Clay, Nick O’Leary, and Jason Croom. Logan Thomas played most of the second half while Croom punched in a touchdown in the third quarter. Khari Lee was the notable odd man out.Lots and lots and lots of penalties.The Bills’ first-team defense was gashed through the air, which is a departure from last week when they were gashed on the ground.Five Buffalo Bills players to watch this week against the Minnesota Vikings The Buffalo Bills will square off with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday— in what could be the toughest game of the year for the Bills. The Vikings are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Minnesota might just be the most complete team the Bills face all season. Each of the five players below have the potential to make a lasting impact on Sunday’s game. QB Josh AllenAllen is going to be on this list more often than not throughout the year, and for good reason. In his first NFL start last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, he struggled. That’s to be expected with a rookie quarterback as raw as he was coming out of college. There were some bright spots that got people excited for the future, and those moments will need to become more routine as the season progresses. For now, he must try to accomplish that task against the Vikings, who arguably have the best defense in the NFL.WR Ray-Ray McCloud IIIMcCloud has yet to play a regular-season snap for the Bills. With the random release of Jeremy Kerley, McCloud has a chance to get a lot of playing time on Sunday if his knee doesn’t keep him off the field. Since Allen worked with the second- and third-team offense most of training camp and preseason, McCloud and he have established the most chemistry out of the group of the receivers. It’s no guarantee he plays this week with his knee keeping him a limited participant in practice but Authentic Josh Allen Jersey , if he does, I’d expect Allen to look his way more than expected. McCloud also has that spark to bring to the special teams unit as a returner after Marcus Murphy looked like a liability returning punts last week. CB2Last week it was Vontae Davis for almost two full quarters before he called it quits on his career in the most unorthodox way possible. Now, who does that spot go to? Phillip Gaines?He looked like a lost puppy on the field when he got the start against the Baltimore Ravens. Maybe it’s Lafayette Pitts, who subbed in for Davis after his mid-game retirement against the Chargers. The second corner spot is a mammoth of an issue for the Bills this week as they face two top-15 receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, with Kirk Cousins throwing them the ball. DT Star LotuleleiThe 50-million-dollar-man hasn't recorded a single tackle this season. I know, he takes on double teams and clogs the middle, but not having a single tackle through the first two games is not what you want to see from the anchor of your defensive line. I don't want to say he's played poorly, because he hasn't—but he hasn't played like you'd expect someone signing a monster free-agent contract. LB Lorenzo AlexanderAlexander was, without a doubt, the Bills’ best defensive player against the Chargers. His tenacity to get after the quarterback in pass-rush situations is unlike anyone on the Bills defense, including Jerry Hughes. Alexander lines up in a lot of different spots on the front seven, but as an edge rusher he seems to be the most effective. The Bills’ pass rush will need to come alive like it did in the second half last week, if it’s going to make Cousins uncomfortable and throw the timing off for the Vikings receivers.