PLAYER NOTES
–QB Josh Allen’s 245 passing yards last week were the second-most ever for a Bills’ QB making his first initial start, behind only the 292 yards Jim Kelly threw for in 1986.
–RB LeSean McCoy practiced Wednesday in a non-contact jersey and his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain after he sustained a rib cartilage injury last week. If he plays, he’s eight points shy of becoming the sixth active non-kicker to reach 500 career points.
–DT Kyle Williams will be playing in his 170th career game for Buffalo, tying him for 10th on the team’s all-time list with Kent Hull.
–TE Charles Clay enjoyed his best game, in terms of receiving yardage, against the Vikings in 2014 when he had 114 while playing for the Miami Dolphins.
–RB Marcus Murphy is averaging 30.4 yards per kickoff return, which is fourth-best in the NFL.
–CB Phillip Gaines practiced on a limited basis Wednesday due to a dislocated elbow.
–CB Taron Johnson practiced on a limited basis due to a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the Chargers game.
–RB/KR Taiwan Jones could not wear a helmet due to a nasty gash on his head suffered last week when he lost his helmet during a play and was smashed in the head. He might not be able to play this week.
–DE Shaq Lawson did not practice Wednesday due to the hamstring injury that forced him to miss last week’s game.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Kelvin Benjamin. Through two games, the Bills’ No. 1 receiver, a title in name only, has three catches for 29 yards on only 10 targets. Benjamin has been a non-factor almost from the moment he arrived in Buffalo last Halloween and his best game to date was a five-catch, 70-yard effort against the Patriots. There are far too many plays where Benjamin looks like he’s going through the motions, and too often it just doesn’t seem like he makes the proper effort to fight for 50-50 balls. The Bills offense is a disaster, and Benjamin’s lack of production is a key reason for that.
GAME PLAN: On offense, the Bills have to find a way to sustain drives, which they have not been able to do in the first two weeks. Buffalo has had 26 total possessions and they have resulted in 13 punts, a missed field goal, four turnovers, a turnover on downs, two ends of the half, two touchdowns and three field goals. The Bills have not been able to run, nor have they been able to pass, with any consistency. Seventeen of those possessions netted fewer than 10 yards. Not good. One key will be to get quarterback Josh Allen into a rhythm with some short passing, and hope that some success can back the Vikings defense off the line and perhaps help the running game.
Defensively, the Bills have a humongous task in front of them trying to slow down Kirk Cousins and his arsenal of passing targets led by wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, and tight end Kyle Rudolph, plus the dangerous Dalvin Cook out of the backfield. The Bills are hamstrung at cornerback and they will be piecing it together with duct tape, and this is not the week to be doing it. Cousins passed for 425 yards against the Green Bay Packers. The Bills’ pass rush woke up in the second half last week against the Chargers, and defensive ends Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy have to make their presence felt because if Cousins gets time against the Bills’ beleaguered secondary, they could score at will.
QUOTES TO NOTE: FS Jordan Poyer on the Vikings pass offense: “Offensively they’ve got some weapons in Thielen, Diggs and Rudolph. It’s going to be a task. With the second half going the way it did last week, it’s something we want to build off.”
–WR Zay Jones on going against an excellent Vikings defense: “They’re an experienced group, so falling behind early can’t help us. Staying ahead of the chains, doing the things we need to do to get first downs and ultimately touchdowns would be very important. We have a huge task, but we’re excited about the opportunity to go up there and play.”
–QB Josh Allen on limiting the sacks he has absorbed: “Just try to continue to understand protection, making sure we’re set the right way. Ultimately, in the pocket when we feel things stepping up instead of stepping behind and running out and rolling out. Just being smarter in that area. Things are going to get cleaned up; I’m in the film room with coach Daboll and our offensive linemen. That’s something that’s fixable, and it’s something we’re working on.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bills CBs vs. Vikings WRs. This isn’t so much a matchup as a potential mismatch. Tre’Davious White is a solid player, perhaps a future Pro Bowler, but he can’t cover everyone the Vikings will send into the pattern. The Bills have a crisis at cornerback thanks to the now-infamous retirement of Vontae Davis and injuries to Phillip Gaines and Taron Johnson. Last week, the Bills were down to White and Lafayette Pitts and had to use a safety, Rafael Bush, to play slot corner. The Vikings wideouts, led by Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen combined to catch 21 passes for 259 yards last week in the tie at Green Bay. Kirk Cousins can’t wait to face this secondary.
–Bills interior OL vs. Vikings DTs Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson. The Bills have been unable to get their running game going, as LeSean McCoy has gained only 61 yards in the first two games, and now there’s a good chance he won’t be able to play due to a rib injury. That will leave things to Marcus Murphy and Chris Ivory, running behind an offensive line that can’t get push. Even more of a concern for the Bills is Joseph and Richardson pushing the pocket against Josh Allen, and that could create sack opportunities for Minnesota defensive ends Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter. This might be the best defense the rookie Allen sees all year.
