The Bills coaching staff held their Monday evening press conferences following their 32-6 win over the Jets.
Buffalo is coming up on its bye week but face a tough test against the reigning NFC Champion Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Injury updates
It was another week with injuries on the defensive side of the ball as NCB Taron Johnson (concussion), CB Dane Jackson (concussion) and S Taylor Rapp (neck) all left the game and did not return.
Rapp was taken off the field in an ambulance but was able to go home and rest there overnight. Fortunately, the team received positive updates on his status Monday morning.
"According to our trainers, he's in a good spot and has a chance to play on Sunday," head coach McDermott said.
As for Johnson and Jackson, both players are in the concussion protocol; their status is TBD at this point for the Eagles game. S Micah Hyde (neck/stinger) and CB Cam Lewis (shoulder) are day-to-day to begin the week.
TE Dawson Knox is eligible to return from IR (wrist) but McDermott said "he doesn't appear ready at this point" to return to practice yet.
Joe Brady: "I believe in the guys"
In his first game as Buffalo's interim offensive coordinator, Joe Brady had a specific message and vision for Josh Allen going into Sunday.
"I just wanted him to be Josh Allen," Brady said. "The fun, the excitement that he kind of plays with — like I feed off of it. At the end of the day, man, this is a game we're supposed to have fun. I have a ton of fun coaching, I know our guys have a lot of fun playing."
Brady added, "Not that he wasn't having fun before, but I think you saw it a little bit last night. I think the guys obviously fed off of it as well."
The Bills won Sunday's coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. What they weren't expecting was that the offense would still see the field before their defense. Jets return man Xavier Gipson, the same player who returned the overtime punt in Week 1 for a TD, was met with force from fullback Reggie Gilliam at the 22-yard line and the Bills recovered the loose ball.
While they were unable to reach the end zone on Brady's first drive calling plays, taking a field goal to go up 3-0 gave the Bills something they'd only achieved three times this season prior to the game: a lead after their first possession.
"Reggie set the tone," Brady said.
From there, the Bills went with a balanced approach, leaning on both the abilities of Allen as well as their running game. Brady opened up the game with 18 straight plays out of the shotgun (11 pass, 7 runs).
"I think everything always starts with Josh, but it also starts up front and making sure that the protection matches up to the route distance and the routes and just in terms of being able to protect. And so it's just sometimes Josh sees things from the gun," Brady shared.
On their 19th play of the game, the Bills went under center and ran a play action fake to RB Ty Johnson. Allen eventually checked down underneath to Johnson and the former Jets RB picked up a gain of 15 yards. The two also connected in the third quarter on a fourth down play under center from the Jets 28-yard line that went for a touchdown.
"You get under center, it has a run feel, it has the potential of a play action," Brady elaborated. "(Josh) did a great job last night taking the outlet to Ty. And Ty did a great job of making the linebacker miss and get yards after the catch with it."
The Bills relied on shotgun formations most of Sunday, gaining 305 of their 393 total yards out of those sets. They were still effective when under center and picked up 4 of their 18 first downs that way.
"I know he's comfortable with both. I think there's a time and a place for both," Brady said.
When things really started clicking for Buffalo in the second half — they scored TDs on their first two possessions out of the break — Brady said the success came down to execution and the guys trusting in the plays.
"To me, it's about just that confidence, that confidence that everybody can play with," he said. "And I believe in the guys. So when they just do their job and I trust that the guys are going to do their job, they just kind of feed off one another."
Sean McDermott was ultimately impressed with the way the offense bounced back after two tough weeks.
"I think more than anything, the intangibles of the offense started to show up in the second half – the effort, the unselfish play – and I think that to me is the biggest step that I saw yesterday," he said.
