1 - Rivers, Ingram call Josh Allen 'special'
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen made the first start of his NFL career on Sunday. Aside from a few expected rookie mistakes, Allen played well, completing 18 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Some key players from Allen's Week 2 opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, had high praise for the signal-caller following the contest. Defensive end Melvin Ingram already feels that Allen is a solid player, and he knows that his ceiling is incredibly high.
"He's a good quarterback," Ingram said. "He's got a chance to be special in this league. We just tried to throw a lot of stuff at him and confused him, try to get him on his heels. That's what I feel like we did (Sunday)."
If Allen does reach his "special" potential, he could be Buffalo's quarterback for the next 15 years. Coincidentally, the former Wyoming Cowboy went up against a 15-year vet in quarterback Philip Rivers on Sunday. Rivers talked about Allen's development after Sunday's game.
"I was able to meet Josh last year, I can't say I know him well, but I know him a little bit," Rivers said. "I was just telling him, it's your first start of a long career. You're only going to improve. Each and every week he's going to improve. One thing he's got is he can throw it a long way. I know he has a great passion for the game. There's going to be some ups and downs there always is. There still is for me in year 15. I think he's got the right approach."
2 - Improving red zone strength on top of defenders' priority list
Throughout the early part of the 2018 season, stopping opponents in the red zone hasn't been one of the Bills' strong suits. The team has allowed their opponent into the red zone 10 times this season. Buffalo's opponents have found the end zone on nine of those occasions.
The Bills' defensive players know that they have to get stronger in the red zone. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams commented on the team's red zone woes following Buffalo's Week 2 matchup.
"We definitely have to be better down there," Williams said. "There are things that we'll play and defenses we may give some yardage up, but we have to limit the points. That's definitely the most important thing when it comes to defensive statistics."
"We've just got to play tighter," defensive end Jerry Hughes added when asked about the red zone defense. "Up front we've got to make tackles and get to the quarterback and move him off his spot and put him under pressure and help out our secondary. We've got to regroup and understand how we can play for four quarters like we did in the second half."
Buffalo's red zone defense, and defensive unit as a whole, showed signs of improvement in the second half of the team's Week 2 loss to the Chargers. The Bills held Los Angeles to a field goal in the second half and recorded their first red zone stop of the campaign. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander thinks that Buffalo can strengthen its red zone defense moving forward.
"The biggest thing that we need to work on is situational football, and that's really the red zone," Alexander said. "That's been the biggest difference from last year to this year for us, is making teams kick field-goals instead of allowing them to score touchdowns. Making them kick field goals makes games a lot tighter . . . So, that's the biggest thing that we need to work on moving forward."
3 - Stevie Johnson surprises fans at Bills tailgates
When Buffalo selected Stevie Johnson in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, nobody expected him to become one of the most beloved Bills of the 21st century.
However, more than one decade later, "Yeevie" is still a fan-favorite in the city of Buffalo.
Throughout his six seasons with the Bills, Johnson totaled 301 receptions for 3,832 yards and 28 touchdowns. He constructed three consecutive 1,000-receiving yard seasons from 2010-2012. Like many players before him, Johnson formed a bond with the people of western New York, becoming part of the community rather than a person who simply played for the city's football team.
Johnson returned to Buffalo to "Lead the Charge" before the team's Week 2 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Before the game, however, Johnson interacted with the Buffalo faithful like only he can, crashing a few tailgate parties.
On Saturday, Johnson even took part in a Bills-themed wedding.
