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Consulting With The Coaches

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Efficient second half lifts Bills to comeback win over Giants

ConsultingWeek7

As the Bills turn the page on their Week 6 win over the Giants, the Buffalo coaching staff meet with media over Zoom Monday to go into detail in storylines that emerged from Sunday's win.

Here's what stood out from availability with Sean McDermott, Ken Dorsey and Eric Washington.

Patience pays off 

Even though the Bills offense was unable to put points on the board for the first three quarters on Sunday night, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said he was proud of the fact the team didn't get frustrated with each other and instead looked for ways they could turn things around.

"I don't think we were frustrated. I think we were more so just wanting to do more, be that spark," Dorsey shared.

The Bills had gone 30 consecutive games without being shutout in a half. After halftime adjustments, Buffalo leaned on their running game and quick passing game to move the chains. Two of their three second half possessions went for touchdowns. 

"It's all about 'executing this play, every single play' — and when we have that mindset, that focus, you start stringing things together," Dorsey explained.

The Bills got the ball in the third quarter after forcing a Giants punt and immediately started to find that sustained success. 14 of the 17 plays on the drive resulted in positive yardage. They eventually punched it in from three yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter on a pass to Deonte Harty, his first TD as a Bill.

Dorsey credited QB Josh Allen's leadership for keeping a positive mentality when things weren't going their way early in the game.

"I think that's something that just shows the type of player he is, the type of teammate he is, the type of person he is," Dorsey said.

As the Bills offense moved the chains consistently late in the third and into the fourth quarter, that led them into the red zone which has been one of their strengths this season. Buffalo is scoring inside the red zone at the second-highest rate in the league (75%) through six games. Since Week 4, they lead the league in that category (91%). 

"I think guys are locked in, they feel comfortable with what we're doing down there," Dorsey said. "At the end of the day, that's kind of what it comes down to… we did last night and on those two trips."

Praise for Dorian Williams 

Playing in over 80% of the snaps against the Giants, the Bills coaching staff was quick to point out the role rookie LB Dorian Williams had. Perhaps Williams' most impressive attribute was everything he did prior to Sunday and the amount of work he put in during practice.

"It would be hard to describe him as a first year player. When you watched him go through the week of preparation," defensive line coach and assistant head coach Eric Washington said. "He was locked in and focused; he understood the game plan."

The Bills were playing in their first full game without All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano and trusted Williams to handle the bulk of the snaps in that role. Williams' physicality and speed jumped out to the staff after they watched the tape. 

"Was it perfect? No. But was it impactful? Was it physical? It absolutely was and I think the arrow is really pointing up for him," Washington said.

Check out the best photos from the Bills first home primetime game of 2023. This gallery is presented by Gabe's Collision.

Miller sees increase in snaps

LB Von Miller played in his first home game since coming back from his ACL injury and rotated in on 35% of the snaps (27 plays), up from 20 plays the week before.

The main difference, though, was that Miller was available and on the field during the fourth quarter against the Giants as opposed to hitting a snap count earlier in the game like he did in London.

Miller's ramp up will still be gradual, but there's a clear trust between Miller and the coaching staff when determining the best approach on game days. As Buffalo's star edge rusher becomes more comfortable and confident, his involvement will continue to grow.

"I think that's natural, right? That's the natural trend," McDermott said. "Knowing him, he'll probably be a little quicker than most than the trend. But it is a gradual progression."

The Bills shut out the lights and illuminated the stadium with red and blue light-up wristbands for pregame introductions before tonight's Sunday Night Football game.

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