JOSH ALLEN AND BILLS BEAT THE LIONS IN DETROIT
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills cruised past the Detroit Lions yesterday with a 48-42 win on the road, in front of a national television audience.
From their first drive of the game, Buffalo’s offense was dialed in, moving the ball with precision and elite execution. Buffalo’s fast start gave them a cushion that ballooned to a two-score lead numerous times throughout the game. With Buffalo playing with the lead, it eventually would catch up with the Lions, who were constantly forced to ask Jared Goff to equal the MVP level play that Josh Allen brought to the table. Goff is a decent quarterback, but he’s nowhere close to the raw ability that Josh Allen has.
Allen was on a mission, playing with immense poise and confidence each play. His demeanor is what stands out the most from years past. He never felt like the clear, undisputed leader of the team until this season, and it's that level of leadership that has been on full display these last couple of months. Allen put up statistics in the first half that would be elite performances for a number of other starting quarterbacks to post in a full game. At the break, Allen had nearly 270 yards and two touchdowns. Allen would end the day with over 400 total yards and four touchdowns.
This was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview, and the game certainly lived up to the hype. Allen’s 64 yard improvised pass to Keon Coleman aided Buffalo in the first half, then fireworks went off for the Lions on a 66 yard Touchdown pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown that brought the Lions back within two scores late in the third quarter.
Despite multiple injuries on the back end, Buffalo’s defense stepped up when called upon. Without starting safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, outside of that St. Brown touchdown, the Bills kept the lid on Detroit’s offensive attack, a credit to the depth at the position, and the coaching staff putting them in the position to succeed.
Once the Lions made it a ten-point game in the fourth, Detroit attempted an onside kick, but with the new kicking rules in the NFL this season, there wasn’t much surprise about it. In years past, an onside kick in an attempt to steal a possession could prove valuable when the opponent doesn’t expect it. But with the new rules, the kicking team needs to alert the officials and the receiving team, which gave Buffalo the chance to put their hands team onto the field and make the return much easier for Mack Hollins. That kick return was handled and taken down to the five yard line, one play later, Allen flipped it to Ray Davis for Buffalo’s seventh score of the game, putting the Bills up 45-28 with twelve minutes left. The new kicking rules are said to make the play safer and limit injuries, while allowing for more explosive plays, favoring the return team, but that onside kick felt so unnatural because of the lack of the element of surprise. It was my first experience of truly wishing the rule hadn’t been changed before this season began.
With the win, Buffalo moves to 11-3 overall, and throughout the day, they got even more help from across the league. The Eagles won the battle of the Keystone state, dropping Pittsburgh’s record to 10-4, which gives the Bills a full game edge over the Steelers for the second seed in the AFC. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the number one seed is still in striking distance for Buffalo, even though Kansas City defeated Cleveland yesterday, moving to 13-1. The Chiefs have Houston, Pittsburgh, and Denver, to end their season, each of those opponents currently sit in a playoff spot in the AFC.
The Bills turn their attention back toward the AFC East Division, welcoming the New England Patriots to town next week.
RUFF ALMOST AT A LOSS FOR WORDS AS SABRES LOSE TENTH STRAIGHT
With losses in Washington on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday, the Buffalo Sabres extended their losing streak to ten consecutive games, the longest any team has suffered this season.
On Saturday, the Sabres scored first. For my money their most consistent player, Jason Zucker, netted his eighth goal of the season to put Buffalo on the board less than two minutes into the game. A pair of Tom Wilson goals for Washington gave the Capitals the lead, but before the halfway mark of the second period, Jiri Kulich cashed in for his fourth on the year, tying the game at two. Again, the Sabres didn’t get nearly enough pucks on net, getting outshot 31-21 on the game, that caught up with them in the third, when Dylan Strome got past Buffalo’s defense to deflect a shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, giving the Capitals the 3-2 lead. An empty net goal sealed the 4-2 victory for Washington.
Just yesterday, while you may have been watching the Bills run amuck in Detroit (I don’t blame you), the Sabres got out to another good start, better than good, they were playing so well during the first period in Toronto. Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead under three minutes into the game, firing shots from all over against the Leafs’ young goaltender Dennis Hildeby. Jack Quinn buried a power play goal for his first non-empty-net goal this season, in his first game back into the lineup after getting scratched for the last handful. Alex Tuch scored the Sabres’ second tally, finishing off a nifty breakout pass from Tage Thompson and primary assist from Zach Benson.
All things were going well, until Toronto had Buffalo hemmed into their own end, and with the Sabres defense scrambling, Max Domi got a wobbly shot to beat Devon Levi to cut the Sabres lead in half. That’s right, the Sabres recalled Levi from Rochester so that he could start this game, but the eventual loss proves, goaltending hasn’t been the problem this ten-game stretch, it’s a much bigger issue than blaming a goalie would be.
Jack Quinn scored again to open the second period, giving the Sabres a 3-1 lead halfway through the game. It was at this point when the floodgates opened, and Buffalo couldn’t seal up the cracks. John Tavares scored a hat trick en route to Toronto erasing the two-goal deficit and beating the Sabres, 5-3.
Ten straight losses.
After the game yesterday, Alex Tuch said that the effort wasn’t good enough against Toronto. My question in response is simple, but both point directly to the General Manager who told the fanbase not to overreact to a couple losses, when Kevyn Adams had his infamous presser, a week and a half ago:
Why is the effort not good enough at this point? If the players on the ice are giving 100% effort, (which I’d like to think they are), then the roster is simply not good enough to win and you need to get better players from other teams. If there are players who are not giving 100% effort, the General Manager needs to move on from them immediately. I tend to believe that the players are trying their hardest, especially given this quote from Head Coach Lindy Ruff after last night’s loss to the Maple Leafs: “I’m almost lost for words…It’s on me to solve this, this is the toughest solve I’ve been around.” That quote, and Ruff’s somber demeanor, leads me to believe that the players are giving their best, and that the Coach is having a difficult job getting his players to play better than they are capable of. They might just not be good enough to make the playoffs, let alone compete for the Stanley Cup.
At what point do changes come? To the roster, to the management staff… When will the evaluation of either be thorough enough to make a change?
The Sabres (11-16-4) are in Montreal Tuesday night for a meeting with the (11-16-3) Canadiens.
BANDITS BEAT OTTAWA TO START 2-0
The Buffalo Bandits are off to a terrific start to the new season, as they defeated the Ottawa Black Bears 18-7 on Friday night.
Ottawa struck first, just over two minutes into the game, but Buffalo quickly returned to championship form, outscoring the Black Bears 9-3 in the first half. With a comfortable, 12-6 lead heading into the final fifteen minutes, the Bandits would only add to their lead in what is becoming their best quarter. Buffalo scored six consecutive goals in the final nine minutes of the game, securing the 18-7 victory.
Last week, Buffalo dominated the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Rochester Knighthawks 8-1 in the final frame. That’s a veteran-laden, two-time defending champion team turning into a super-squad when the game matters most.
The Bandits (2-0) will raise their 2024 Championship Banner ahead of their home opener this Friday night at KeyBank Center, when Buffalo holds host to the (1-2) Rochester Knighthawks.
ST BONAVENTURE MBB & BUFFALO WBB STAND OUT ABOVE THE REST IN WNY
In an area with a dozen college basketball programs, two stand head and shoulders above the rest this year, a month and a half into the season. St. Bonaventure University’s men's hoops and the University at Buffalo’s women’s program are not only the top teams in the region, but very well could be two of the best Mid Major programs in the country when it’s all said and done.
The Bonnies men defeated Providence on Saturday, 74-70, in an upset to move St. Bonaventure to 10-1 to open the season. It’s the second win over a power four opponent in the last two seasons for the Bonnies, with a narrow victory over Oklahoma State in November of 2023.
With four players averaging double digit scoring per game, and the next highest scorer at 9.5 points per game, the Bonnies are balanced. Their “top” dog is Chance Moore, a 6’6 senior guard who transferred from Missouri State. Moore leads the Bonnies in scoring and rebounding, with 15 points and 7 boards per game, posting his second double double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Friars. Despite Moore’s performance, the Bonnies standout in their win over Providence was Rochester native Melvin Council, Jr. The U-Prep grad, and now-senior, led the game in scoring with 24 points.
St. Bonaventure will wrap up their non-league slate with two games against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. The Bonnies are at Siena on Tuesday night before hosting the Niagara Purple Eagles this Saturday at 1PM.
Before I dive into how impressive the University at Buffalo Women’s Basketball team has been, it should be noted that I serve as the radio voice for the team on the UB Bulls Network.
The UB Bulls are 9-0, one win away from their best start in program history. After sweeping through the Big Four, Buffalo has proven their worth against the next step up in competition, with wins over Binghamton and Stony Brook in the last week.
Similar to St. Bonaventure’s men’s team, the Buffalo women have four players scoring double digits on average, with a fifth player sitting at over nine points per game. The Bulls are led by reigning Mid American Conference First Team member Chellia Watson, who is posting 19 points and 5 rebounds per contest. In their 72-55 win over Stony Brook on Saturday, UB was led by Gowanda native Noelani Cornfield. The Lake Shore High School graduate notched thirteen points, six rebounds, and four assists against the Seawolves, helping Buffalo avenge a 30-point loss from a season ago.
UB hosts one final non-conference game this Thursday, as they welcome the Vermont Catamounts to Alumni Arena. Vermont made a run to the WNIT Fab Four last season. Tip off from Amherst this Thursday afternoon is at 1PM.
