PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

November 01, 2018 at 1:38 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–QB Derek Anderson is in concussion protocol and will likely be out for the game against the Bears.

–QB Nathan Peterman is expected to be the starter Sunday against the Bears, but only because he’s the only healthy and viable QB on the roster.

–QB Matt Barkley was signed to a one-year deal on Wednesday (Oct. 31) and will probably have to serve as Nathan Peterman’s backup Sunday. Barkley had his contract terminated from reserve/injured with an injury settlement by the Bengals on Sept. 12.

–WR Terrelle Pryor was signed by the Bills Wednesday (Oct. 31). His contract had been terminated with an injury settlement by the Jets on Oct. 20 and is expected to play against Chicago.

–DE Shaq Lawson started in place of injured Trent Murphy against the Patriots and he was in on three tackles.

–TE Charles Clay caught three passes for 36 yards against New England, but his lack of production continues to hurt the Bills. He has only 19 catches for 161 yards this season.

–RB Chris Ivory made the most of his six rushing attempts against New England as he gained 34 yards. He also caught one pass for 11 yards.

–TE Jason Croom had one catch for 14 yards, but he also failed to secure what would have been a 25-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter that could have cut the Bills deficit to one score.

–RB Marcus Murphy has taken over the kickoff return duties, but while he had a 29-yard return, he also coughed one up, though it was ruled that he was down by contact.

–CB Phillip Gaines was a favorite target for Patriots QB Tom Brady, and the evidence was the 10 tackles he was forced to make, most after balls were caught on him.

–LB Tremaine Edmunds suffered a concussion Monday and is in the protocol this week.

–LB Julian Stanford stepped in to replace Tremaine Edmunds in the second half against New England and he made two tackles, though he also whiffed on a critical third-down play that helped keep a Patriots’ scoring drive alive.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Zay Jones. There have been almost no bright spots on this Buffalo offense in 2018, but at least Jones seems to be showing some growth in his second NFL season. Last year, the second-round draft pick struggled mightily adapting to the more physical pro game and he caught just 27 passes for 316 yards and two TDs. In eight games this year, he has basically become the Bills’ No. 1 receiver and now leads the team with 25 catches for 281 yards and he has one of Buffalo’s three TD receptions. Jones is ideally a slot receiver who has had to play outside because the Bills have no one else capable beyond Kelvin Benjamin. If the Bills can upgrade the position next year, Jones may be able to begin reaching the potential the Bills saw him during his record-setting career at East Carolina when he set the all-time Division I record with 399 receptions.

GAME PLAN: It’s almost impossible to play offense as poorly as the Bills have played it all season, and now they have to turn back to incompetent Nathan Peterman to start at quarterback against the Bears. Coordinator Brian Daboll is at his wits end as the Bills are on their third starting QB, and now he has to keep him upright with a weak offensive line that could get manhandled by Khalil Mack (if he plays) and the Bears. The Bills would like to run, but the Bears are third in the NFL in stopping the run. Do they really want to put the ball in Peterman’s hands? They may not have a choice.

The Bears have been a tough team to stop on the ground, and that’s the best way to attack the Bills, especially if rookie MLB Tremaine Edmunds can’t play due to a concussion. Bears RBs Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard have combined for 688 rushing yards, and Cohen has been a game-breaker as he has a video game-like 8.0-yard average per attempt. QB Mitchell Trubisky is still a work in progress, and while he has played well this season, it’s easy to see the Bears trying to pound the Bills on the ground, at least until Buffalo proves it can stop them.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Bills LB Matt Milano vs. Bears RB Tarik Cohen. The Bears have done a great job scheming things to get Cohen in space, and he has paid huge dividends, not only on the ground with his 8.0 average per carry, but with 398 yards on 30 pass receptions, all of which has resulted in four touchdowns. Milano has had a roller-coaster season, but when he has played well, he’s been great. If Edmunds can’t play, Milano will need to step up against Cohen.

–Bills Ts vs. Bears OLB Khalil Mack. Mack missed the first game of his NFL career last week against the Jets. If he plays in the town where he went to college and became a star, he’ll be a load for the Bills, no matter which side he lines up. Both LT Dion Dawkins and RT Jordan Mills will not be able to handle him alone, so the Bills have to find a way to keep Mack away from QB Nathan Peterman as well as RBs LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory.

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