1. Sean McDermott on moving past an uncharacteristic game
Everybody around the Bills organization knows that their best football wasn't played on Tuesday night. With a short week, the Bills will not have time to grovel over the loss but will have to learn and grow from it. The reigning Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs, are coming to Buffalo and are coming off their first loss of the season as well. Sean McDermott touched on how they need to prepare this week in order to bounce back against the Chiefs.
"I think at the end of the day there's a benefit if you're wired the right way and how you handle the week-to-week approach of the NFL," McDermott stated. "You get in a position where we were 4-0 and we have a game that was uncharacteristic of ourselves but at the same time, there are certain things kind of underneath that we have to get fixed. That was brought front and center to our attention, so we have to pay attention to those things. Make sure we continue to improve and make the adjustments we need to make. As you mentioned, turn the page, it's on to the Kansas City Chiefs, which is a very strong football team and a team that I think the whole NFL is chasing right now."
2. Former NFL executive gives praise to Cody Ford
When the Bills drafted Cody Ford with the 38th overall pick in the 2019 draft, they knew they were getting a versatile offensive lineman. Ford started at right tackle, then right guard, and now is playing left guard, so he has shown he can play along the line at a high level. Former Giants VP of player evaluation and now NFL Network analyst Marc Ross praised Ford for his hand strength and toughness.
"Cody Ford is a Bills second-round draft pick two drafts ago," Ross said. "All players have strengths and weaknesses and let's start with his weakness. … For Cody his exceptional strengths are he's very smart and aware, but most of all, he plays with technique. That's the ability to get his hands on the defender in the proper spot and his hands are extremely strong and powerful. Once he clamps onto a defender, Cody Ford likes to bury people. You hear the term, pancake people, and that's the ability to drive a person off the ball and put them into the ground. Most offensive lineman now just position or get in the way of a defender, let the running back go by, or let the quarterback let go of the throw. Cody Ford stays after plays and he finishes plays."
3. The Bills remain in the top 10 in NFL.com power rankings
The Bills climbed as high as No. 4 in last week's NFL.com power rankings written by Dan Hanzus. After their first loss of the season, the AFC East leaders dropped three spots to the No. 7 spot. The Bills are the fifth-highest ranked team in a stacked AFC. Kansas City (2), Baltimore (3), Pittsburgh (4) and Tennessee (5) all rank ahead of the Bills.
The Bills had been so stellar this season that it was jarring to watch them struggle so mightily on Tuesday night in Nashville. Ill-timed penalties, killer turnovers, defensive lapses; Buffalo was not nearly sound enough against a Tennessee team that played crisp football despite a long layoff. Josh Allen made his usual collection of big throws, but was held back by accuracy issues that recalled his first two seasons. The defense struggled mightily in the red zone, playing without starters Tre'Davious White, Matt Milano and Levi Wallace.The Titans scored a touchdown all six times they entered inside Buffalo's 20-yard line. A night to forget.
