1 - How Bills plan to rebuild confidence moving forward
Losing is always disheartening in the NFL. Losing by 32 points can be down downright devastating, if a team allows it to be.
The Bills dropped their Week 9 contest with the Bears by a score of 41-9. The team didn't find the scoreboard until the second half and didn't reach the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. The loss is Buffalo's fourth straight and its seventh of the season.
Though losses are never easy to swallow, they only become dangerous once a team starts dwells on them. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander knows that Buffalo can learn from its four-game skid, and he feels that winning would allow the team to regain its confidence.
"You've got to start just by getting a win," Alexander said. "We're not going to be confident until we figure out a way to win right now. Being 2-7 is not what anybody expected, so we have to get back to work. Get ready and try to figure out a way to beat the Jets next week away.
"That's how you build confidence, by going out, making plays, executing and winning games. You build that confidence that way."
The Bills will face off against the Jets in New York next Sunday before a Week 11 bye. Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin feels as though a win on the road would allow the team to enter their bye week with a renewed energy, something that could propel them to a strong second half of the season.
"Good thing is we have one more game coming up next week," Benjamin said. "[We'll] try to come up with that win before the bye and try to go off on that bye with that win."
2 - Julian Stanford describes 'great feeling' that came with first career sack
Veteran linebacker Julian Stanford started his first game as a Bill in Week 9, and he wasted little time in making an impact.
Stanford came up with a huge third-down stop on Chicago's first drive, recording a strip sack on Mitchell Trubisky early in the first quarter. Not only did Stanford notch his first career sack and forced fumble on one single play, but he also pushed the Bears out of field goal range. Chicago was forced to punt because of Stanford's sack.
Primarily a special teamer, Stanford hasn't received too many opportunities to sack opposing quarterbacks throughout his six-year career. Finally putting a sack on the stat sheet was the realization of a lifelong goal for Stanford.
"It was a great feeling," Stanford said. "Great third down stop. Great feeling, getting off the field and getting the offense the ball back, giving them a chance to score."
Stanford led Buffalo in tackles in Week 9, finishing the game with eight. The 28-year-old may be asked to start for the Bills once again next week, as starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is currently in the concussion protocol. Buffalo will face off against the Jets in Week 10, the team that Stanford started four games for throughout the past two seasons.
3 - Peterman: Logan Thomas is a fighter
Logan Thomas' pure athleticism has been a highly-touted part of his game since he entered the NFL in 2014.
The tight end put his talent on display in Week 9, reeling in a career-high seven receptions for 40 yards. The converted quarterback served as a reliable pair of hands for Nathan Peterman, as the majority of his yardage came off of short passes in which Peterman quickly got the ball to him.
Peterman feels as though Thomas was a huge asset to Buffalo's offense on Sunday, whether he was going out as a receiver or staying at the line of scrimmage as a blocker.
"Some of those, he's out, kind of the first guy in the progression," Peterman said. "When they're all dropping back, that's what you have to do, is just give it to him. Then other times, he's doing a great job in protection, where's he's chipping the defensive end and helping the tackle, then he's getting out late."
The second-year quarterback, who threw for a career-high 189 yards in Week 9, also praised Thomas' athleticism and playmaking ability.
"When they all drop back, he's great with the ball in his hands," Peterman said. "I mean, the hurdle. He's got a lot of talent and he's a fighter."
