1 - How Kyle Williams is prepping Tremaine Edmunds for leadership
Few players in the NFL are more respected than Buffalo defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
The 13-year-veteran has been a leader on the Bills' defense throughout the majority of his storied career. The 35-year-old is truly the heart and soul of Buffalo's defensive unit, somebody that rallies his teammates to the cause each and every week.
Now in the twilight of his career, Williams is ready to pass the baton off to another defensive player. The defensive stalwart has identified the team's youngest player as his protégé.
Williams has noticed leadership qualities in middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, traits he has attempted to make the 20-year-old showcase on a more regular basis.
"Kyle approached me toward the end of practice last week," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "Usually, on Thursdays, he brings the entire defense in and they watch a segment of practice together. He runs it. He's in control of it. He makes the calls. He talks to everybody about what they should be doing and shouldn't be doing. Players only, no coaches involved. He told me, 'Coach, I want to talk to you for a minute. Today, I'm going to put Tremaine in charge of the defense in the meetings' . . . I said 'I think that's a great idea.'
"I asked Kyle afterward, 'How did it go?' He said, 'Coach, he did a great job. Early on, he was a little nervous, I could tell. But he did a great job.' For Kyle to be forward-thinking like that, that's a good thing. He wants to see Tremaine be in charge and take over the defense. That's another step in speeding up the [maturation] process."
Through 12 games this season, Edmunds has recorded a team-high 90 tackles. The rookie has been a leader on the field, and thanks to Williams, he's taking steps toward fulfilling the responsibilities that come with that title off the field, as well.
2 - What 'Zo said about Allen-Darnold showdown
Buffalo's Week 14 matchup with the Jets was a glimpse into the future, the initial showdown between two quarterbacks who have the potential to take over the AFC East in the coming years.
Both Josh Allen and Sam Darnold played well in the divisional matchup, giving their respective teams a legitimate shot at victory. Though Darnold ultimately won the introductory battle, fans left New Era Field on Sunday knowing that Allen will have the opportunity to exact revenge over the next decade.
With Allen and Darnold playing in the same division, the future of the AFC East is incredibly bright.
"It's the future of the league, especially in our division," Buffalo linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. "They're still young. They still have a lot of growth, and things can change from year to year . . . Hopefully those guys continue to grow and are productive in their careers."
Though Alexander realizes that Darnold is an incredibly talented passer, he feels as though Allen is the more well-rounded player, a leader that he's happy to play for week in and week out.
"Obviously I'm biased, I like my guy," Alexander said. "I think he's more dynamic, has a big arm. He's played a lot more, I think, than Sam, who's been hurt. I like my guy. I like what he brings to the table with leadership. Obviously, I'm not in a locker room with Sam, so I really don't know what he brings outside of that.
"As far as dynamic play, I think Josh outplayed him, has been outplaying him. Josh has to continue to grow and finish the season out strong and continue to learn how to be an elite quarterback in this league."
3 - Josh Allen breaks a Michael Vick rushing record
Carson Wentz, Ben Roethlisberger, and Cam Newton topped the list of quarterbacks that Josh Allen was compared to in the lead up to the 2018 draft.
Rarely was the 6-foot-5, 240-pound signal caller compared to the small and shifty Michael Vick, who revolutionized the quarterback position in the early 21st century. Through his first eight starts, however, the Buffalo quarterback has drawn comparisons to Vick thanks to his agility and athleticism.
Allen has rushed for 490 yards and five touchdowns this season. He leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards despite the fact that he missed four games with an elbow injury.
The majority of the 22-year-old's rushing total has been accumulated over the past three weeks, as he's picked up 335 yards on the ground since returning from injury in Week 12. The rookie is the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for 95 or more yards in three consecutive games.
Allen's recent stretch of rushing success has allowed him to break one of Vick's seemingly-innumerable rushing records for QBs. The Bills' signal caller now owns the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a three-game span, breaking Vick's record of 294 yards.
Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll feels as though Allen's mobility adds a unique dynamic to his offense.
"I think that Josh is a big, strong, competitive athlete," Daboll said. "When he has chances to run the football, there haven't been many designed runs, there have been a few, a lot of it has been in the drop back passing game where something breaks down and his first read isn't there, or his second read isn't there, or there's pressure on him at the start. You know that he's going to go ahead and make some yards with his legs."
