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'Don't feel like I left' | Two former Bills return to the defense ahead of Week 10 matchup at Colts

FTLR11.6

Heading into Week 10, the Bills sit at 7-2 and are atop the AFC East and sit at second place in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.

After their thrilling victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Bills held a walkthrough practice on Wednesday as they prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts.

Familiar Faces Return to Buffalo

On Wednesday morning it was announced that the Bills would be re-signing some familiar faces to their 53-man roster: DT Quinton Jefferson and DT Jordan Phillips.

When asked what they bring to the defense, QB Josh Allen said that he knows that they will make an immediate impact on the field.

"The familiarity with what we got going on here in Buffalo and the type of men that we have in this locker room, and they've been playing really good football," Allen said. "They've been good locker room guys for us and they'll make an immediate impact on the field."

Both Jefferson and Phillips spent time with the Bills in previous seasons. Phillips is in his third stint with the Bills, most recently in 2022-2023. He played in the first two games of the season with the Cowboys before being placed on injured reserve. He said that it felt like he never left.

"Don't feel like I left, so I'm happy about it," Phillips said. "Ready to get to work.

Not only was Phillips excited about his return to the Bills, his teammates were as well. LB Terrel Bernard said that it was, "like a breath of fresh air" to have Phillips back in the building as he was one of the veteran players that Bernard learned from and their lockers were right next to each other during training camp at St. John Fischer.

"Big Phil is awesome," Bernard said. "He's one of the first vets that kind of took me under his wing when I got here… He's been a lot of places. He's played a lot of good football, his physicality… And then, just his energy and who he is as a person, as a man, as a teammate. I think anytime you can get a vet like that in the room and in the building, it's going to be awesome for us."

Jefferson spent the 2020 season with the Bills and also expressed gratitude about returning to the Bills.

"Just gratitude, I'll say that. Grateful to come back to the organization, winning and just trying to fit back in," Jefferson said. "Just try to help out where I can and just play football again. It's been a few weeks, so I'm just blessed to be able to get the opportunity to get back on the field."

Preparing for the Colts

When the Bills travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts, they will see veteran QB Joe Flacco under center. Flacco, 39, has started three games so far this season and head coach Sean McDermott has high respect for the QB.

"One of the best to play the position," McDermott said. "There's not a defense he hasn't seen already from a disguise standpoint everything so he's on top of his game and we have respect for his game."

Along with Flacco, the Colts have a variety of weapons at their disposal on offense, including RB Jonathan Taylor.

"I think they're very efficient," Bernard said. "Obviously, with the running back, he's probably one of the best in the league… The quarterback, he's been around the league for a really long time, played at a high level for a really long time, seen everything, so, obviously, a big part of our stuff this week is going to be disguising and trying to not tip our hand early. And then, they've got threats on the outside as well. A couple receivers that can really fly, take the top off the defense… They're a really good offense. We're gonna have our hands full this week."

Allen also knows the challenge that their defense can create, saying that they're a good unit and have been in every game that they have played.

"I think they move around well," Allen said. "Their linebackers they flow very fast. A hard group to run on, and they play a lot of don't break defense… I think their pass rush unit is pretty dang good… You look at every game that they've played, they've been in every single one. And I think that's large in part due to their defense creating some takeaways and forcing field goals and not touchdowns down there in the red zone."

Special Teams Player of the Week

Bills K Tyler Bass was named AFC Special Teams Player of the week on Wednesday after his game-winning 61-yard field goal against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Bass, who had never won Player of the Week despite having multiple Player of the Month awards, said that he was grateful for the award.

"It's cool, I've never gotten it before," Bass said. "I would say it takes a little bit of luck to get that, because there are a lot of really good players in the league, and, you go out there and do your job, someone wants to go and do their job even better. So takes a little bit of luck, but I'm grateful."

McDermott also expressed pride in Bass in having a tough mindset.

"That was a big-time kick and in a big-time moment of the game and I think it just shows you what he's capable of and you've got to be tough-minded in order to do that and he executed so I don't think we need to think twice about where he's at or anything like that," McDermott said. "He just showed us where he's at and that was a big-time play for us and certainly the outcome was the outcome. So the journey continues, and we're moving forward, and so is he. So extremely proud of him and looking forward to more of him just being the player that he is and he's capable of being."

Injury Report

  • Did not participate: WR Keon Coleman (wrist)
  • Limited: WR Amari Cooper (wrist), CB Kaiir Elam (shoulder), FB Reggie Gilliam (hip), WR Curtis Samuel (pectoral)

Buffalo Bills Left Tackle Dion Dawkins hosted his second annual "Talent Shnow" charity fundraiser on November 4, 2024, at The Statler Buffalo. Inspired by his team's Karaoke Fridays, the event featured performances by Dion, his Bills teammates, and local talents like Cami Clune and the Buffalo Comedy Collective. Guests enjoyed a night of music, comedy, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres, all in support of Dion's Dreamers, a foundation focused on mentoring and supporting youth facing challenges. Funds raised from the event will help provide resources to young people in underserved communities, empowering them to overcome hardships.

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