BILLS WALLOP THE JAGUARS
Despite entering the game 2-0, there were a lot of questions entering Monday night’s Bills game vs Jacksonville, but it’s safe to say most of them were answered, as Highmark Stadium was in party mode all night, with Buffalo winning 47-10.
The first question I had going into this game was whether or not that dominant week two win over Miami was a one-off performance. The Answer: No, that was not a fluke. Buffalo looked just as sound, if not more so, from the opening kickoff on Monday night, as the offense scored touchdowns on all five of their first half drives, and the defense made Trevor Lawrence look like a JV Quarterback from the get-go, taking a 34-3 lead into the locker room.
Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady answered question number two: can the Bills be equally as effective in the passing game as they were on the ground in week 2? Last season in London, the Jags took away the Bills run game and forced Josh Allen to create through the air. On Monday, Joe Brady and Allen teamed up to prove, yes, they may very well have the MVP of the league at quarterback, and have an abundance of talent surrounding him as pass catchers, with 10 players recording a reception for over 260 yards through the air.
Similar to the first question, the defense needed to prove that week two’s shutdown of Miami’s offense wasn’t a rarity either. Recording five sacks from five different players, six tackles for losses, and an emotional, first-career interception for Damar Hamlin, the Bills defense proved that they’re legit once again.
With the 47-10 win, the Bills move to 3-0, and face a challenging schedule ahead, playing on primetime again next week. The Bills are heading to Baltimore for a Sunday night meeting with the Ravens before games at Houston then in New Jersey against the Jets in the coming three weeks.
SABRES BEAT COLUMBUS IN PRESEASON; HEAD TO EUROPE; PROSPECTS IN PITT
It was the first instance of “Won Buffalo” with both the Bills and Sabres winning on the same day this fall, as the Buffalo Sabres defeated Columbus 6-1 in a preseason game Monday evening. Again, the blue and gold went up against a lineup of mostly AHL players, with just a handful of expected Blue Jackets playing.
The Sabres Power Play certainly looks improved from its 16% success rate last season, which ranked 29th in the NHL. The Sabres opened the scoring on a 2-man-advantage tally from Owen Power, but after that goal just over five minutes in, the Sabres sat back and didn’t record a shot for the rest of the first period, something Coach Lindy Ruff was sure to mention his displeasure with postgame.
Overall, the offense was proficient again, with six different Sabres scoring in the 6-1 win, and 13 players recording a point. The only real negative was the lack of production from the Greenway-McLeod-Zucker line, which was the only combination not to appear on the scoresheet.
The Sabres will roll out a fully-prospect and minor league lineup for the remainder of the preseason in North America, as 27 players are in Europe as a part of the NHL’s Global Series. The Sabres will play an exhibition in Germany against Red Bull Munich on Friday afternoon before opening the regular season next week vs New Jersey in Czechia.
WNBA WRAP UP
Playoffs are underway in the WNBA! To dive into it all, I sat down with WBFO’s Thomas O’Neil-White for the first installment of our WNBA Wrap Up.
UB FOOTBALL’S McMILLAN OUT FOR SEASON
Former Canisius High School football star and current UB Bull Nik McMillan has officially been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a knee injury at Mizzou in week 2. The redshirt sophomore was listed as the Bull’s top wide receiver to open the season. UB is at UConn this week for a non-conference game on Saturday.
CONNOLLY CUP NOMINEES FROM WEEK 3 - HS FOOTBALL
