1 - Brian Daboll calls game from the sideline
Through the first six games of the 2018 season, Bills' offensive coordinator Brian Daboll called plays from the coaching box as opposed to from the sideline. This changed in Week 7.
Daboll stood on the sideline during Buffalo's matchup with the Colts, forgoing the aerial view in favor of calling the action up close. According to head coach Sean McDermott, the fact that Buffalo deployed a new signal caller in Week 7 played a role in Daboll's decision to coach from the sideline.
"A little bit of that," McDermott said. "A little bit from a leadership standpoint. Being able to look guys in the eye and communicate with the quarterback position, whether it's Derek [Anderson], Josh [Allen], or Nate [Peterman]. Some of those reasons."
Derek Anderson suited up for Buffalo on Sunday, starting his first NFL contest in nearly two years. Anderson's first start as a Bill came on just his 12th day with the team. Daboll decided to coach from the sideline in an attempt to help Anderson adjust not only to Buffalo's playbook, but to the speed of an NFL game, as well.
Anderson, who was also coached by Daboll in 2009 as a member of the Cleveland Browns, noticed growth in his offensive coordinator.
"It was good," Anderson said. "He and I, in the past, you know, he's been on the sideline with me. He was real good [Sunday]. He was positive, we had good talks on the sideline. I missed a couple of throws, (the Colts defense) rotated on me late a couple of times, and I went to the wrong guy to be honest. Back in the day he would've been all over me, but [now] he's like 'Come on dude, you know better than that.' And I know better than that. It was good to have him down there. We had good conversations."
2 - Kelvin Benjamin has best outing as a Bill
Kelvin Benjamin came up with a few big plays in Buffalo's Week 6 matchup with the Houston Texans. The wideout carried this momentum over into Week 7, putting together his best outing of the 2018 season thus far.
The 27-year-old caught four passes for 71 yards in the loss, including two that went over 15 yards. His longest reception came in the fourth quarter when he reeled in a 32-yard bomb from Derek Anderson. Statistically, Benjamin's Week 7 outing was his best as a Bill.
The man under center potentially had an impact on Benjamin's breakout performance. Anderson, who started in place of the injured Josh Allen, previously played for the Carolina Panthers, the team that drafted Benjamin in the first round of the 2014 draft.
The duo's familiarity with each other was obviously beneficial for both parties. However, the offense as a whole largely struggled, putting up only three points. Anderson is confident that the team will learn from the loss.
"Going forward, we've got to keep grinding," Anderson said. "We've got to take the positives, learn from our negatives. And then come back on Wednesday or Thursday and we'll just go on the practice field and continue to communicate and continue to work. I only know one way to do it and that's work. This week, I've only had 10 days with these guys, but I know they're going to work and we got a bunch of good dudes in our locker room."
3 - Stephen Hauschka closing in on milestone
Stephen Hauschka was the only Buffalo player to put points on the board in Week 7.
The veteran kicker gave the Bills their first points of the game midway through the third quarter with a 34-yard field goal. With the score, Hauschka's career point total increased to 996.
He's only four points away from the 1,000 career point plateau, and he could realistically eclipse this total next week.
The game will be played under the lights at New Era Field in front of a national audience when the Bills host the New England Patriots. The contest will serve as Buffalo's first home Monday Night Football game since 2008.
When he reaches the milestone, Hauschka will become the 59th player in NFL history to hit the 1,000 career point mark.
