From the Locker Room

Presented by

Unsung heroes | Quintin Morris, Deonte Harty and Dorian Williams step up in Bills win over Giants

Oct 16, 2023 at 12:52 PM

Patrick Warren

Contributing Correspondent

Receivers Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs have accounted for nine of the Bills 13 receiving touchdowns, but it was receiver Deonte Harty and tight end Quintin Morris that found the end zone in a hard-fought 14-9 win over the Giants that went down to the final play.

After the offense stalled on their first six drives, with each ending in either a punt, turnover or missed field goal, the Bills finally found the end zone after a 17-play drive that started with just under 10 minutes in the third quarter and ended at the beginning of the fourth.

On the Giants 3-yard line and in desperate need of a score, Harty lined up on the line of scrimmage, motioned to the backfield and then ran forward as the ball was snapped, catching a short pass from Josh Allen for the walk-in score to put the Bills on the scoreboard and in the lead.

"Great, I mean, he's been working his tail off," Allen said on how it felt to see Harty find the end zone for the first time this season. "He's a guy that doesn't complain. He works extremely hard in practice. He's made some really big plays for us in the last couple games that have helped us out quite a bit. So as the year goes on, we got to find more ways to utilize him and his talent."

With rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid out with a concussion, Morris saw significant playing time in Sunday's game. Like Harty, he only had one reception, but it came in a key moment.

The Bills received the ball after the Giants went ahead by two points late in the fourth quarter. An offense that had struggled for most of the night needed to drive 75 yards downfield if they were to gain a somewhat comfortable lead.

Allen completed all six of his passing attempts and running back James Cook made modest but significant gains on each of his three touches as the Bills navigated down the field and into Giants territory.

On second-and-6 from the Giants 15-yard line, Allen bounced outside the pocket and threw a ball that, at the time, most of the stadium likely wished he hadn't until it sailed in between two Giants defenders and into the welcoming arms of Morris, whose first target of the season was good for a Bills touchdown.

"I saw that he turned up field and I saw the safety's back towards me and knew I could put the ball where he can catch it and he made a heck of a play," Allen said on the Bills' go-ahead touchdown.

Morris credited his quarterback, who is considered one of the best improvisers in the league, on fitting the ball in a tight window, one that most signal callers wouldn't dare target.

"It was just a busted play, of course we got Josh Allen on our team so a play's really never over. He started scrambling and he was able to find me there in the end zone and that's what Josh does and I'm just happy he trusted me to make a play," Morris said.

Fellow tight end Dawson Knox pounced on Morris after the play in jubilation as the Bills jumped ahead of the Giants with just under four minutes to go.

"That's my guy," Morris said. "Dawson has been a great leader in our room ever since I came in and he's just brought me along. … He's a great teammate, very unselfish. I mean, celebrating the whole room, Kincaid, Reggie, Joel. It's just a great room."

Head coach Sean McDermott appreciated Allen's ability to trust his arm despite facing tight coverage.

"It was gutty," McDermott said. "He was banged up a little bit and here's our third tight end with Dalton out, ready to play, stepped up in a critical situation and made a huge play for us."

Related Links

On the other side of the ball, rookie linebacker Dorian Williams got the start at linebacker after Matt Milano picked up an injury in last week's game against Jacksonville.

"I thought he had a hell of a game," said safety Jordan Poyer.

Williams finished with 10 tackles and a quarterback hit in his first start as a pro. He admitted that there were improvements to be made but appreciated the home crowd welcoming him to his first start.

"It was great, the fans kept giving us energy all through the game, you know, obviously got some things to clean up," Williams said.

Filling the shoes of 2022 First-Team All-Pro Milano is no small task, but McDermott was optimistic after Williams' performance.

"He plays extremely hard, he is only going to get better," McDermott said. "Like all young players, he makes some mistakes but it's important to him and he has the respect of his teammates and I think that's a step in the right direction for any young player."

The Bills will take on the New England Patriots in Foxborough next week at 1 p.m.