Here's the Bills news of note for Sept. 22nd.
1 - Numbers at New Era Field favor the Bills
It's been quite a while since the Denver Broncos have come to Buffalo and walked away with a win. A decade to be exact. When you compare what Tyrod Taylor has done at home and what Trevor Siemian has done on the road the numbers favor the signal caller of the Bills.
When Taylor plays in Orchard Park he has a respectable record of 10-6. The Bills average 26.0 points per game in those games. His touchdown to interception ratio is solid, slinging 23 touchdowns and forfeiting nine interceptions. All of that gives the team's third-year starter in Buffalo a passer rating of 98.1 on home turf.
Entering his third-year in the league, Siemian has been a little shakier on the road compared to at home. He has a record of 7-2 at home and 3-4 on the road. The Broncos points per game average are 19.1 (away) and 25.4 (home) in those starts.
On the road Siemian has thrown 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, his passer rating is 84.6 in those games. Siemian is playing his first road game of 2017 this Sunday; he's coming to Buffalo with a 2-0 record and is the league-leader in touchdown passes.
"He's an efficient quarterback, he does things really well, he runs the offense, he manages the offense really well and I don't believe that they ask him to do too many things," Jordan Poyer said. "He's got a lot of weapons on that side of the football. You can't ignore the fact that a lot of those guys played in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. We know we've got a huge test ahead of us, we know what we've got to do on our side of the ball, so we're going to continue to work."
Siemian and Taylor will each have a tough test on Sunday, the Bills and Broncos defenses rank towards the top of the league.
2 - White atop the rookie class at cornerback
Through the first two weeks of his young NFL career, Tre'Davious White has met his expectations as the team's starting cornerback. White is the highest-graded rookie cornerback in the NFL so far this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 2017 NFL Draft offered some high-quality cornerbacks. In total five were selected in the first-round: Marshon Lattimore, Marlon Humphrey, Adoree Jackson, Gareon Conley, and Tre'Davious White. Of those five, White was the last selection at 27th overall in the first-round. Buffalo's move to acquire a first-round pick from the Kansas City Chiefs and move back to get White is looking like a genius transaction.
Surrounding White is a whole new secondary for the Bills: E.J. Gaines, Leonard Johnson, Shareece Wright, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde are all first-year guys for the team. That new unit in the back end has exceeded expectations; they're yet to allow a touchdown through the air this season.
"You can see it on the field, we just click. If we continue to do that we'll be fine. The only way it can go is up from now," White said.
This Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos will be a great task for the secondary. White will look to retain that spot as the league's top rookie cornerback.
3 - Bills bring back familiar face in secondary
With the release of S Trae Elston, the Bills have signed a player who was on the team's roster last season. Buffalo re-signed S Robert Blanton on Wednesday; he played in 10 games with the team in 2016.
Blanton could see some time on special teams, and will serve as a backup safety. He logged two starts last season with the Bills, notching 35 tackles.
"He has been here before and he knows the system. He is a good special team's player as well as a backup safety at this point," Sean McDermott said.
The transition back to Buffalo for Blanton should go smoothly. He's comfortable with the staff, considering he played under special teams coordinator, Danny Crossman.
"I love special teams and can add some value there… I picked it up really fast, pretty much remember everything. It didn't change much at all in the eight months I was gone. It's awesome to be back," Blanton told Buffalobills.com.
The six-year veteran hopes he'll be back running down the sidelines of New Era Field this Sunday.
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
Check out this week's Stadium Exclusive New Era Cap. The 'Circle the Wagons' themed cap will be availlable at the Bills Store and online.
