Bills Today | Could this be Buffalo's breakout player in 2021?
3 HRS AGO - Three things to know about the Bills for Thursday, Jan. 28.
Bills 2021 free agent list led by Milano, Norman
20 HRS AGO - Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
The Buffalo Bills enter free agency in 2021 with Expand
20 HRS AGO - Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
The Buffalo Bills enter free agency in 2021 with several holes to fill. Before they can talk about getting better, they need to focus on not getting worse. The offensive line, cornerback, and linebacker, in particular, have several openings that will need to be accounted for over the next few months.
Here is a list of all the Buffalo Bills free agents with their 2020 annual average salary listed:
QB Matt Barkley ($2 million)
RB Taiwan Jones ($1.75 million)RB T.J. Yeldon (1.6 million)RB Devonta Freeman (Practice squad)
WR Andre Roberts ($2.3 million)WR Isaiah McKenzie ($962,500)WR Kenny Stills (Practice squad)
TE Tyler Kroft ($6.25 million)
OT Daryl Williams ($2.25 million)OT Ty Nsekhe ($5 million)
OG Jon Feliciano ($3.625 million)OG Brian Winters ($3 million)OG Ike Boettger ($570,000) - Restricted Free AgentOG Jordan Devey ($910,000)OL Jonotthan Harrison (Practice squad)
DE Trent Murphy ($7.5 million)
LB Matt Milano ($665,377)LB Andre Collapse
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Rookie review
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
Despite chances, Epenesa and Davis fail to make an Expand
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images
Despite chances, Epenesa and Davis fail to make an impact The Buffalo Bills’ postseason ended abruptly against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team did slightly better in their second attempt at taking down the defending champs, but found themselves looking at the same result in a 38-24 loss. Both the offense and defense seemed to be caught off guard and disjointed, and that description also perfectly encapsulates the performance of the team’s rookies. More about how each rookie performed against the Chiefs below.
DE A.J. Epenesa
Watching each of Epenesa’s 20 snaps, you can see just how close he was to making a positive impact on the game. Ultimately, he was held back for various reasons. Take his first play of the night: After rushing upfield, the rookie managed to keep his body free from the grabbing left tackle, dipped and earned a free run to the quarterback. If Mahomes doesn’t choose that exact moment to escape the pocket, it’s a Collapse
Jamie D and Big Newt: Capping Off a Great Bills Season
23 HRS AGO - Podcast art for Jamie D and Big Newt | Josh Rawdin
Although we’ve come to the end of the Expand
23 HRS AGO - Podcast art for Jamie D and Big Newt | Josh Rawdin
Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still I can’t let go The Buffalo Bills weren’t able to advance to the Super Bowl, losing to reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs... but that’s only one part of the story. While the season may be over, there was a great deal for Bills fans to be proud of, and there is ample reason to be excited for the future.
Following the music stylings of Big Chris Newton, he and Jamie D’Amico examine what went wrong in the AFC championship game, speculate on what the Bills will do in the offseason, and discuss the Super Bowl matchup between the Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Subscribe to the Buffalo Rumblings podcast channel featuring Billieve, Blitzed Bills, Buffalo Rumblings Q&A, Breaking Buffalo Rumblings, Code of Conduct with J. Spence, The Bruce Exclusive, The Buff Hub, Jamie D & Big Newt, The Mafia Mavens, and Circling the Wagons:
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Bills signed these 13 players to reserve/future contracts
1 DAY AGO - Bills made the following transactions today.
Opinion: Sean McDermott turtled when he needed to be aggressive
1 DAY AGO - Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills played to survive when they needed to play to win Expand
1 DAY AGO - Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills played to survive when they needed to play to win All year long in 2020, the Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott left hardly anything to complain about for those who monitor things like going for it on fourth down. Earlier in McDermott’s tenure with the Bills he was criticized for punting in situations where analytics vet out going for it, or settling for field goals when pushing for the touchdown statistically led to better outcomes. Not so in 2020.
In fact, the Bills received praise from regular critics like Football Outsiders on their “smart” aggressiveness. It became almost instinct for Bills fans to know whether or not a fourth down was going to be a go-for-it situation. The best parts about it were that it often worked, and it felt good. It felt good to not be afraid of the other team.
There were no such feelings to be had for Bills fans in the AFC Championship game.
4th-and-3 on the KC 33-yard line on the opening drive. Collapse
Recapping five Chiefs against the Bills
1 DAY AGO - Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
A pick-your-poison game The Kansas City Chiefs trailed the Expand
1 DAY AGO - Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
A pick-your-poison game The Kansas City Chiefs trailed the Buffalo Bills 9-0 after nine minutes had passed in the AFC Championship Game. Over the ensuing 16 game minutes, the Chiefs would turn that deficit into a 21-9 lead that they eventually turned into a 38-24 coronation. Kansas City has now hosted three straight AFC Title games and has won the last two.
All of Kansas City’s top players were outstanding on Sunday night. Here’s a rundown of the misery they caused us Bills fans.
QB Patrick Mahomes
He sure didn’t look like a guy who was bothered by anything at all. Injuries? Pressure? Buffalo’s defense? Nope, none of that flustered Mahomes, who was absolutely lethal from start to finish. The league’s best quarterback showed it again when it mattered most, as he connected on 29-of-38 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns against a flummoxed and overmatched Bills defense. Buffalo only sacked Mahomes once, and he ran himself out of bounds on Collapse
Bills Today | Tyler Bass earns Special Teams Player of the Week honor
2 DAYS AGO - Here are three things to know about the Bills for Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Cole Beasley played with a broken leg in the postseason
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
WARRIOR Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley is a Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
WARRIOR Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley is a warrior. He played the final month of Buffalo’s season with a broken leg.
“I broke my fibula, but it’s nothing that needs to be surgically repaired,” said Beasley nonchalantly in the middle of his press conference. “It’s not a full break. It was bad the first game I played but after that it was take a few meds and suck it up.”
He said he felt pretty good against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he broke it against the Miami Dolphins late in Week 17. Against the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round is when he said it was “bad” and caught seven passes on seven targets for 57 yards. He was shut out against the Baltimore Ravens and was only targeted twice. In the game against the Chiefs, he caught 7 of his 9 targets for 88 yards.
Beasley received an All-Pro vote this year with NBC’s Peter King calling him the best slot receiver in the game. He often acted as Josh Allen’s zone-beater, Collapse
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We still have to go further' | Takeaways as GM Brandon Beane looks ahead to the offseason
13 HRS AGO - The Bills general manager addressed areas of need, upcoming free agents and more during his Expand
13 HRS AGO - The Bills general manager addressed areas of need, upcoming free agents and more during his end-of-season press conference. Collapse
10 things we learned from Sean McDermott's final press conference of the 2020 season
21 HRS AGO - The Bills head coach recapped one of the most productive seasons in recent memory.
Ken Dorsey expected to remain Bills QB coach after offensive coordinator jobs filled
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Only the Texans job remains Expand
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Only the Texans job remains open. Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey, who had garnered interest from teams as a potential offensive coordinator, is now expected to remain in his current position for 2021. That follows news that the Detroit Lions hired Anthony Lynn as their offensive coordinator, while the Seattle Seahawks landed on Shane Waldron of the LA Rams, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter had reported that Dorsey was in the running for the Seahawks job, while the Detroit Free Press reported Dorsey’s connection to the Lions.
At this point, just about every coaching staff in the NFL is settled, with one notable exception: the Houston Texans. Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is considered a finalist for the job, along with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and (apparently) veteran practice squad quarterback Josh McCown. Frazier has his second interview on Tuesday.
With Collapse
BBR: Should the Bills consider RBs Travis Etienne or Najee Harris at pick 30?
1 DAY AGO - Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills have room for improvement in the run game As Expand
1 DAY AGO - Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills have room for improvement in the run game As the playoffs have come to an end for the Buffalo Bills, here at Breaking Buffalo Rumblings it’s time to jump feet first into the offseason. A question that popped up earlier this week was around the possibility of the Bills drafting a running back in the first round—so it makes a great topic for this week’s show.
Travis Etienne (Clemson) and Najee Harris (Alabama) will be the two most popular names included in first-round mock drafts, and will likely be debated by Bills fans for months. As I noted in the podcast, while it might be a bit early to start talking about the draft—it’s also incredibly fun to discuss draft prospects. Give the episode a listen below, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Subscribe to the Buffalo Rumblings podcast channel featuring Billieve, Blitzed Bills, Buffalo Rumblings Q&A, Breaking Buffalo Rumblings, Code of Conduct with J. Collapse
Buffalo Bills fan opinion: general manager Brandon Beane approval poll
1 DAY AGO - Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
What say you? Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Expand
1 DAY AGO - Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
What say you? Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Bean has completely turned over the roster since he took over the team late in the 2018 offseason. Virtually none of the players from his predecessor remain on the roster and he, along with head coach Sean McDermott, have shaped this roster in their way of thinking.
This process has produced three playoff teams in four seasons and Bills fans have been pretty happy with the results. In January of 2018, fans gave him a 93% approval rating, which dipped to 92% in January 2019. It shot up to 99% a year ago after the team made the postseason again with Josh Allen; 58 votes out of more than 4600 were in the negative. This year, he’s NFL Executive of the Year and it’s your time to have your say.
Here’s a partial list of Beane’s accomplishments this year. Let us know if you approve or disapprove of the job he’s doing as general manager. We know it’s going to be overwhelmingly positive, but we Collapse
Penalty recap: AFC Championship, low count doesn’t tell the tale
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Fun game for flags at least I know the Super Bowl Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Fun game for flags at least I know the Super Bowl woulda been fun. One more chance to see some penalties, amiright? The Buffalo Bills’ tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs at least provided us with some intriguing ones to end the season on. Let’s dive in!
Standard and Advanced Metrics
Penalty Count
Both teams kept it below the league average, though the “playoff average” would likely be a bit lower than 5.55 flags per team each game. Both Buffalo and Kansas City had offset penalties raising their true count, though the Bills had a couple more.
Penalty Yards
The yardage plays out similarly to the flag counts. Both teams were able to stay under the league average with Kansas City narrowly edging out the Buffalo Bills. Neither team negated any yardage via penalties.
Penalty Harm
Kansas City
There’s so few of these we might as well discuss them all. Bashaud Breeland’s unnecessary roughness was Collapse
One Stat Recap: Buffalo Bills can’t hold on to early lead
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Chiefs erased an early deficit with ease When Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Chiefs erased an early deficit with ease When Buffalo Bills fans were dreaming of how the AFC Championship matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs would go, few would have complained about an opening drive 51-yard field goal, a Chiefs three-and-out followed closely by a muffed punt on fourth down, and an easy Dawson Knox touchdown. This sequence (and a Tyler Bass missed extra point) was nearly a perfect start to the game and it gave the Bills a nine-point lead on the Chiefs. Everyone watching in red, white, and blue was excited, but knew the team would need to score more to hold off Patrick Mahomes’s explosive offense.
Unfortunately, Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense could not keep up with Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill and that nine-point lead was gone nearly as quickly as it was amassed. In blowing that nearly double-digit lead, the Bills became just the fourth team since 1940 to lose a conference championship game after leading by at least nine Collapse
The beginning of a journey | Josh Allen, Bills look ahead after memorable season
2 DAYS AGO - The Bills believe this run to the AFC Championship game will provide fuel for the team to achieve Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The Bills believe this run to the AFC Championship game will provide fuel for the team to achieve its ultimate goal next season. Collapse
Cole Beasley played through a broken fibula to finish his career season
2 DAYS AGO - Bills WR Cole Beasley had a season of career highs and finished it while playing through a major Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Bills WR Cole Beasley had a season of career highs and finished it while playing through a major injury. Collapse
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2021 Mel Kiper mock boosts Bills’ rushing attack
17 HRS AGO - Photo by Senior Bowl/Collegiate Images/Getty Images
The first mock draft at pick #30 has Expand
17 HRS AGO - Photo by Senior Bowl/Collegiate Images/Getty Images
The first mock draft at pick #30 has dropped With the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, the Buffalo Bills are now firmly in possession of the 30th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
It’s a position that the team hasn’t found itself in in a while, and frankly should change fans’ expectations of the draft moving forward. Picking so late in the round virtually ensures that any ‘elite’ prospects are long gone, and that the top-tier prospects left over are most assuredly going to be from the less impactful positions, like guards, running backs, or tight ends. Trading down also becomes a logically possibility and increased lower round talent can often make up for a lack of high quality drafted talent.
With that in mind, ESPN’s Mel Kiper just dropped his newest mock draft, the first to include Buffalo owning the 30th pick (subscription required). The king of mocks and terrible hair choices, Kiper witnessed a Collapse
All-22 analysis: Mahomes-Kelce connection throttled Buffalo Bills in AFC Championship
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Bills never found an answer for Kelce, what gives? Expand
22 HRS AGO - Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Bills never found an answer for Kelce, what gives? What went wrong with the whole Travis Kelce situation? I don’t usually start with a GIF, but the Buffalo Bills don’t usually play in the AFC Championship so all bets are off. Here’s Kansas City’s first offensive snap.
The Bills look like they’re well prepared to defend Travis Kelce. Levi Wallace drives immediately and makes a tackle after a gain of only one yard. The short gain put the Kansas City Chiefs behind and they punted without gaining a first down. They never punted again and Travis Kelce was a big reason why. So how did the Bills go from well prepared to ill prepared? Sadly, we’re gonna take a look.
Play 1
This is actually their second play on the one successful Bills series but it sets the stage early on why Kelce is so hard to defend. He’s lined up similarly but moves across the formation to clog pursuit lanes. He’s not really blocking so much Collapse
Buffalo Bills announce 13 reserve/future signings, including Dane Jackson
23 HRS AGO - Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Offseason moves have begun in earnest The Buffalo Bills Expand
23 HRS AGO - Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Offseason moves have begun in earnest The Buffalo Bills announced Tuesday evening that they have signed 13 players to future/reserve contracts. These are contracts are given out by teams to players who didn’t finish the regular season on the active roster; maybe they were free agents, or perhaps members of the practice squad, and could have signed with another team this offseason. But Buffalo will now keep them under contract through at least next preseason.
The signees are as follows:
T Trey Adams
TE Nate Becker
DT Brandin Bryant
DE Bryan Cox Jr.
WR Tanner Gentry
CB Dane Jackson
WR Jake Kumerow
DE Mike Love
S Josh Thomas
RB Christian Wade
QB Davis Webb
RB Antonio Williams
WR Duke Williams
Left off the tendered list were RB Devonta Freeman, C/G Jonotthan Harrison, LB Darron Lee, CB Duke Thomas, and WR Kenny Stills. They are now free to sign elsewhere.
Both Freeman and Stills signed with the Bills late in the season to serve on an as-needed Collapse
Buffalo Bills fan opinion: Head coach Sean McDermott year-four approval poll
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
How did the Bills’ head coach perform during the 2020 Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
How did the Bills’ head coach perform during the 2020 season? The unique 2020 NFL season is finally over for the Buffalo Bills after a disappointing loss in the AFC Championship game to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo begins its offseason after finishing with a 13-3 regular-season record and having the two seed in the AFC.
So, now it’s time to review the season that was for head coach Sean McDermott . After reading the recap, be sure to vote in the poll below!
Won the AFC East for the first time since 1995
Three-game improvement from 10-6 to 13-3 overall record in regular season
Won their first playoff game in 25 seasons, finishing 15-4 on the year overall
Swept the AFC East in the regular season for the first time in team history
Finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak
Showed an aggressiveness in the regular season when facing fourth down
However, kicked some questionable field goals in the Collapse
Recapping five Bills to watch at the Chiefs
1 DAY AGO - Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
It was not a banner night for the red, white, and blue The Expand
1 DAY AGO - Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
It was not a banner night for the red, white, and blue The Buffalo Bills were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Bills fell short in their bid to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LV. While the score was 38-24, the spread felt far worse, and save for some garbage-time points, it would have appeared so on the scoreboard, as well.
Buffalo’s key players repeatedly fell short against a high-powered Chiefs team that won its second consecutive AFC Championship Game. Here’s how the Bills’ top players fared in the contest.
QB Josh Allen
In the initial article, I wrote that Allen had “proven so far this postseason that the moment isn’t too big for him” with steady play against the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. Alas, the lights shine a little brighter in a conference championship game, and Allen definitely looked rattled all night long. Maybe it was the pressure of the moment, or perhaps Collapse
Code of Conduct: Reacting to the Buffalo Bills’ loss on Sunday
1 DAY AGO - Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
There is plenty to digest from Buffalo’s final game of the Expand
1 DAY AGO - Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
There is plenty to digest from Buffalo’s final game of the 2020 season. The Buffalo Bills came up short in the team’s quest to make it to the Super Bowl, and there is plenty to break down from the loss. J. Spence has you covered with the latest episode of the Code of Conduct podcast, which you can download below. Stay tuned for the upcoming episode as well, where J. Spence sits down with former Bills kicker Steve Christie.
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Bills to pick 30th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft
2 DAYS AGO - The Bills have finalized their first round draft position.
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