Josh Allen SAVES the BILLS [again]: INSTANT REACTION to Buffalo's season opening WIN vs Cardinals

Summary

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Buffalo Plus Podcast: INSTANT REACTION – Bills 34, Cardinals 28, Josh Allen SAVES the BILLS [Again]

Episode Overview

In this season opener, the Buffalo Plus team—Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, and Dan Fates—give their unfiltered, in-depth instant reaction to the Buffalo Bills' nail-biting 34–28 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The discussion centers on Josh Allen’s heroic performance, the team’s ability to overcome a sluggish start, emerging player stories, defensive highs and lows, key injuries, and what the win says about the Bills’ trajectory this season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Josh Allen’s Superstar Performance

• Early Struggles: The Bills trailed early, looking sluggish on both sides of the ball. The Cardinals dominated time of possession and play calling, putting Buffalo on its heels.
  • “It’s 17:3 in the first half. They look terrible. The Cardinals were doing exactly what they wanted…” — Mike Catalana (01:16)
• Allen as Game-Changer: Despite missed opportunities and nine team penalties, Allen elevated the team with signature athletic plays, including a highlight-reel hurdle for a touchdown and a laser throw to James Cook under pressure.
  • “At some point Josh just said, eff it, I’ll do it myself.” — Dan Fates (04:51)
  • “You see the crowd, they go crazy too. You know, we got Josh Allen, man, we always gonna have a chance in games.” — Dan Fates, paraphrasing team atmosphere (09:32)
• Signature Moves & Leader Mentality: Allen’s physicality and composure rallied both teammates and the fanbase.
  • “Are you kidding me? Like, he did it again. And I was just like, that’s all of Bill’s fans watching this.” — Jenna Cottrell (09:12)

2. Early Season "Clunkiness" and Adjustments

• No Preseason Reps as a Narrative: Both Bills and Cardinals starters had minimal preseason snaps; the hosts refute the idea that lost reps fundamentally explain Bills' early lack of rhythm.
  • “Just please tell me what five snaps, ten snaps, fifteen snaps, three and a half weeks ago means to Josh Allen in this game has nothing to do with the preseason.” — Mike Catalana (02:51)
• Penalties and O-Line Concerns: Repeated false starts (some questionable calls) and lack of offensive flow are highlighted as “correctable” but noteworthy.
  • “Every time it felt like it was either second and 13 or second and 20 and they still found a way.” — Dan Fates (05:32)

3. Standout Individual Performances (Non-Allen Edition)

• Khalil Shakir: Recognized for physicality and after-catch yardage – a rarity for recent Bills wide receivers.
  • “Khalil Shakir is a yard after catch…he plays with a little violence…tough yards pushing people off of him, and it carried him into the end zone.” — Mike Catalana (06:52, 07:50)
• Keon Coleman: In his first game, showed poise and playmaking, even drawing penalties and flashing physical tools.
  • “He didn’t look like a guy in his first game. He looked composed…” — Mike Catalana (18:15)
• Defensive Depth Emergence: Cam Lewis and Ja’Marcus Ingram step up with Taron Johnson lost to injury.
  • “Cam Lewis was everywhere. He balled out today.” — Dan Fates (13:01)
  • “Jamarcus Ingram…ascending into that starter position…all over the field…depth is not a great thing until you have to use it.” — Jenna Cottrell (13:01)
• Greg Rousseau: Monster day, including multiple sacks and a forced fumble.
  • “He chased [Kyler Murray] the entire width of the field, basically, and got him out of bounds. The other two were great. He had a forced fumble. He looked like a guy you game plan for.” — Mike Catalana (15:29)

4. Key Injuries and Game Impact

• Josh Allen’s Left Hand: Played through noticeable injury; required heavy tape and possible X-rays.
  • “He was taped up like an offensive lineman… He said he’s not a doctor… He’s fine, because that’s of course, Josh Allen. The adrenaline pumping. I think he’s going to be very sore tomorrow…” — Dan Fates (10:52)
• Taron Johnson: Early exit, described as “a huge loss.”
  • “You can’t put it into words enough what he means to that defense.” — Dan Fates (12:43)

5. Special Teams & Rule Changes

• New Kickoff Rules: DJ Dallas’s kickoff return TD is the season’s first under the new rules—a key moment.
  • “That is the kickoff everybody’s going to be referencing because it’s the first touchdown return with the new kickoff rules.” — Mike Catalana (20:19)
• Tyler Bass: Perfect on field goals in difficult wind conditions, including a clutch late kick.
  • Golf analogy: “You got a two shot lead, water on the right…you found the fairway.” — Dan Fates (23:41)

6. Coaching Decisions & Team Mentality

• McDermott’s Fourth-Down Call: Late field goal vs. going for it on 4th-&-3 debated, factoring in Allen’s injury status and unique game context.
  • “He said if it was two, he said it was a kind of a long three. If it was two or less, you go for it…But then…the other part, I do think Josh’s hand played into it.” — Mike Catalana (21:32, 22:19)
• McDermott’s Postgame Mood: Praised by the hosts for balancing frustration over mistakes with pride in team resilience.
  • “That’s a McDermott win. He can be upset about the penalties, but he can be happy about the resiliency of his team…” — Dan Fates (24:56)

7. Big Picture & Level Setting

• Week One Perspective: Flashes of concern, but not overreacting; the team’s ability to grind out wins, even against lesser competition, could matter later.
  • “You got the win. But you probably lose to about 25 other teams if you play like that.” — Dan Fates (19:36)
  • “This is around the league. Miami was down. The whole game came back to win. You know, it’s tough. Just Cincinnati lost at home to New England to start the year, that could have been this kind of loss.” — Mike Catalana (25:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Josh Allen's really, really. He's really good."
  • Dan Fates, opening and recurring theme (00:00, 03:48)
• "At some point, Josh just said, eff it, I’ll do it myself."
  • Dan Fates (04:51)
• “He just goes, now we’ll have to see what happens because that’s not great.”
  • Mike Catalana, on Allen’s injury and risk-taking (10:48)
• "Khalil Shakir is a yard after catch... Then he plays with a little violence."
  • Mike Catalana (06:52)
• "That is the kickoff everybody's going to be referencing because it's the first touchdown return with the new kickoff rules."
  • Mike Catalana (20:19)
• "That's a McDermott win. He can be upset about the penalties, but he can be happy about the resiliency of his team."
  • Dan Fates (24:56)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] – Opening laughs, immediate Josh Allen praise
• [01:13] – Recap of Bill’s rough first half and resilient comeback
• [02:51] – Preseason reps debate rebutted
• [04:23] – Josh Allen’s “classic” experience, including crucial plays
• [05:27] – Discussion on penalties and offensive rhythm
• [06:45] – Khalil Shakir’s emergence and skillset comparison
• [08:56] – Josh Allen’s hurdle and fan/player reaction
• [10:52] – Josh Allen’s hand injury and possible implications
• [13:01] – Praise for Cam Lewis, Ja’Marcus Ingram, and depth performances
• [15:05] – Greg Rousseau’s breakout day
• [16:30] – Von Miller’s first sack since injury
• [18:15] – Keon Coleman’s debut and composure
• [20:19] – DJ Dallas kickoff return TD and special teams talk
• [21:30] – End-game coaching decisions
• [24:46] – Offensive line and penalty issues, but correctability
• [24:56] – McDermott’s postgame vibe: satisfied but focused on improvements
• [25:07] – Around the league comparisons, survivor pool talk

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Tone & Style

Lighthearted, candid, and conversational. The hosts mix sarcasm and humor with sharp football analysis, using analogies (golf/baseball), local references, and in-the-trenches insight.

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Bottom Line:
The Buffalo Plus crew delivers a balanced, insightful, and thoroughly entertaining breakdown of the Bills’ wild season-opening win—spotlighting Josh Allen's unique blend of grit and greatness, while still honestly addressing areas for concern and the unpredictable ride ahead.

Transcript

[Dan Fates]

Josh Allen's really, really. He's really good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

You know what I feel like, you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Know, guys, he's really good.

[Dan Fates]

I was thinking about it just walking out here because my brain's mush and just does content. That's just how my brain thinks about it. I was thinking of, like, I saw some people on Twitter, like Marcus Spears and Lewis Riddick, talking about, oh, is he still overrated now? I was thinking of the Will Smith video with Chris Rock when he goes, keep my wife's name out your mouth. It should be keep my quarterback's name out your mouth. I do like that. This is the Buffalo plus podcast, brought to you by Connors and Ferris.

[Jenna Cottrell]

All right, welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel, presented by Connors and Ferris, Mike Catalana, Dan Fates. I am Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure to, like, comment subs, subscribe and share. We always appreciate it. The very first Bills recap of the season as Buffalo winning against the Cardinals, 34 to 28. Scary. Never a doubt at times. Let's start with the good, though, Mike. Josh Allen.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, let's start with the good. They won.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

It's 17:3 in the first half. They look terrible. The Cardinals were doing exactly what they wanted in this game.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And then the Bills woke up and Josh made plays. We're going to talk a lot about Josh found a way. It's early. We watched this all last season, finding a way, nothing being easy, but they're 1 0. Everything could have happened just like this and they would have lost this game. There's plenty of chances for them to lose. So the positive is they won and the quarterback is still the superstar we've.

[Dan Fates]

Talked about in the past. These games that they've lost, and you'll think back and go, man, what a bad loss. Or things like that. You'll look back later in the season and it'll be like, that was another game against the Cardinals, but they won.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Dan Fates]

That's all that you'll remember from this game. Josh hurdling another guy and the Bills winning. That was the whole thing. I thought about this one. That was bad. And they were down 14 and they've committed nine penalties. And I'm going, none of this will really matter in the grand scheme of things if they just find a way to win. And that's exactly what they did.

[Jenna Cottrell]

A win is a win is a win. Early on, though, I was like, wow. And I have. We had some people in our comments saying, you know, it's because they didn't play in the Preseason and all that stuff. And you had. I thought your comment was good of like. I mean, first of all, the Cardinals, Kyler Murray didn't play in the preseason. Most of their starters didn't have any reps or minimal reps at that in the preseason for them. And I think that narrative, we just saw this Bills team kind of come out flat, come out unfocused. And I was surprised by kind of in this home environment, the way they. They ran out on the field, but then they were able to settle in. And Terrell Bernard talked about that settle settling in and settling down.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, let's start with what the Cardinals did to get them that way. I mean, they had the defense on its heels. Play calling for the Cardinals I thought was excellent early. James Connor was just taking them down the field. Kyler Murray was making good decisions with the ball. So you say that their offense wasn't doing anything for the Bills. They made mistakes. They didn't have the football. Nope. The Cardinals had it the whole time, and they were able to grind it. It wasn't like they hit one big play. Wow, you're down 173 after a couple plays. No, they had the ball the whole time. All that being said, to your point about the preseason, just please tell me what five snaps, ten snaps, fifteen snaps, three and a half weeks ago means to Josh Allen in this game has nothing to do with the preseason. This team practices plenty of reps. Their mistakes were their mistakes. Offensive line had a lot of issues, but again, once they got going, it looked more like the team, at least offensively, they started to make some plays. Defensively, they started to take the ball away.

[Dan Fates]

Josh Allen's really, really. He's really good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

You don't even feel like, you know.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Guys, he's really good.

[Dan Fates]

I was thinking about it just walking out here because my brain's mush and just does content. That's just how my brain thinks about it. I was thinking of, like, I saw some people on Twitter like Marcus Spears and Lewis Riddick talking about, oh, is he still overrated now? I was thinking of the Will Smith video with Chris Rock when he goes, keep my wife's name out your mouth. It should be, keep my quarterback's name out your mouth. I do like that.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I do like that.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

I mean, he was incredible. Yeah, he was. This was. This was a classic Josh Allen experience. It was. It was every fumble. Yeah, the fumble.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Dan Fates]

And then some of the plays, Josh, it felt the magnitude. We talked about whether it was a must win game or things like that. I felt like he was emptying the tank, like it was a playoff game. Like the way that he. The offense felt clunky for most of the game.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

I'm not saying it was bad. It just didn't feel like it had much rhythm. And at some point Josh just said, eff it, I'll do it myself.

[Mike Catalana]

It's not going to get attention because, well, he flew through the air for a touchdown. I thought his pass to James Cook on the first touchdown drive was one of the great plays of the game. They were in trouble. He rolled to the right, he was in trouble. And he threw it on a line to James cook for a first down. 25. They're giving the ball back again. Yeah, it was a huge play. They had had a couple of penalties that set him back again. They were behind the sticks that entire drive. They just kept doing dumb stuff there.

[Dan Fates]

They must have averaged negative three yards on first down.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Every time it felt like it was either second and 13 or second and 20 and they still found a way. They were down 14. They committed nine penalties. They shot themselves in the foot time and time again. But Josh Allen being the difference. Best player once again on the field tonight.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Today helped them win this game.

[Jenna Cottrell]

We talked earlier on in the first half, Mike and I said it looked like the Cardinals were just walking down the field and everything the Bills did looked like it was in slow motion motion. Everything just looked so tiresome. It just looked like it was just uncoordinated. Yeah. All those things. And then in the second half, even still, I felt like there were moments where you're like, oh my gosh, you see it coming together. But just to see the Josh, the patience that he had. First of all, credit to me, Matt Collins.

[Dan Fates]

You see the things that people do to take receiving touchdown on this channel of the season. It's just so pathetic. Pathetic the way that people take victory laps.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I did see someone.

[Mike Catalana]

Josh made the first touchdown. So it was the first non Josh touchdown.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, it was the first. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Jenna was eyeing whatever Matt Collins was doing.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Sitting there, Max out there, Max out there, ready for it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I was ready. Credit to me, the ego.

[Dan Fates]

Credit some of the people on this channel.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Credit to me. Also. Khalil Shakir is really good.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

He hates to be tackled. He just refuses to be tackled.

[Mike Catalana]

I tweeted this out. The Bills have. They actually have a yak player.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Khalil Shakir is a yard after catch. We saw it in the playoff game against Pittsburgh. And I'll do this for you. Right down there. That'll be a T shirt. And then he did it today where he just carried everybody. He's strong, he's a subtle player until he's got the ball in his hands. Then he plays with a little. A little violence in the way he runs his lower body, like he carries people.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He had us some swag today. I was watching him during warm ups and I was like, okay, Khalil, let's see what you do. And then afterwards, I loved Sean McDermott's answer. He was asked about, you know, Khalil Shakir, and he essentially was saying, like, football player. He's a football player. He's not going to run the fastest 40. He's not going to have the highest vert. But he, out on the field has the vision, has the ability, has the charisma, the charm, the confidence, all that stuff to when the ball is in his hands, he is dangerous.

[Mike Catalana]

But my point about him was when you think of a player like that, you think of smooth route running, makes the play, gets his feet inbound, all that stuff. No, I'm talking about tough yards pushing people off of him, and it carried him into the end zone. He, you know, that play last year, he bounced off of three people. It is a level of toughness that you don't always see from that type of wide receiver.

[Dan Fates]

I got a comparison.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He has an underrated physicality.

[Dan Fates]

Are we thinking of the same player?

[Mike Catalana]

I was gonna say Anquan Bolden.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, I was gonna. I was a. I had a bill. Robert Woods.

[Mike Catalana]

I love. I always say he's Robert woods, but I don't remember Robert woods being. I must have said on this channel 10 times. He reminds me of Robert Woods.

[Dan Fates]

We'll check the tin. It's not one of my takes, so I can't find it really quickly.

[Mike Catalana]

So that tells you that Dan wasn't paying attention. Comment in here, because I know you have. I've said he's like, Robert Woods. I thought Robert Woods.

[Dan Fates]

I don't know, Jim.

[Mike Catalana]

Robert woods was a more of the other type of player.

[Dan Fates]

Smooth.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes, in that way, smooth.

[Dan Fates]

But he has a little bit more thunder after the run.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes, I like that.

[Dan Fates]

And can we just talk about the hurdle by Josh Allen once again, just an unbelievable play, putting his body on the line for this team. And better than. One of the shots I have of Josh coming in is after he gets up, Dawson Knox has his hands on his helmet.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Like, I saw that.

[Dan Fates]

Are you kidding me? Like, he did it again. And I was just like, that's all of Bill's fans watching this.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, it's also Bill's players and we talk to them after the game. They describe what Josh does and then Allen describes his mindset. I love when he tries to break it down into rational thought of going over the top for the touchdown.

[Dan Fates]

I was just screaming like, just. I mean, when you see him do things like that, I mean, he's a true leader, true competitor, true warrior. He's making plays like that and it's pushing everybody else to be their best as well. Serious love for that guy and everything he does, not only in his, you know, preparation, but just him as a guy as well. Man, he's a great dude. Yeah, man, I like, you know, that's Josh Allen, you know, it's amazing. You see the crowd, they go crazy too. You know, we got Josh Allen, man, we always gonna have a chance in games. It didn't matter, you know, how much we were down. Didn't matter what it looked like, you know. You know, we just got so much trust in Josh Allen and the offense. But every time he makes plays like that, it definitely gets us going for sure.

[Mike Catalana]

Just kind of again, split second situations. The first one, the first rushing touchdown, I kind of lowered the shoulder knowing that was a corner.

[Dan Fates]

The second time, I know, was Buddha. And Buddha's a.

[Mike Catalana]

He's a good player and he'll lay the boom on you. So I decided to go up and over, but, you know, probably can't make a living doing that. But here we are.

[Dan Fates]

He just seems like he hits the effort button like. Like I'm just gonna smash all these buttons.

[Mike Catalana]

No, Dan, he was methodically thinking out, hmm. On the first one, I went through the guy.

[Dan Fates]

This one is a different.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I do love how he's like, well, I went over for Buddha where you're like, so there is some semblance.

[Mike Catalana]

He just goes, now we'll have to see what happens because that's not great.

[Dan Fates]

That is definitely was taped up like an offensive lineman. Yeah, like it was. It wasn't just a wrap. It was a heavy duty tape job that offensive linemen get. He said he's not a doctor. Yes, he is going to get X rays on it. He says he's fine because that's of course, Josh Allen. The adrenaline pumping. I think he's going to be very sore tomorrow and we'll see the extent of the injury.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I did see a report from ESPN's Elena Getzenberger and Getzenberg, who said that she saw him go into the X ray room and then quickly Go back to the locker room.

[Dan Fates]

So he didn't have it taped up or anything on it when he came to the press conference, so that was a good sign. But when he got tackled towards the end of the game, too, he wasn't getting picked up by his left hand. It was like, hey, took off his helmet with just his right hand. So it's something to watch, especially on a short week. Especially in week one.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

The question is, can he play with whatever it happens to be.

[Dan Fates]

I think so.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It seems like it.

[Mike Catalana]

It is impactful. It's.

[Dan Fates]

It is his left hand.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes.

[Dan Fates]

Last time I checked. Wait. Confirmed. He throws with his right, but he.

[Mike Catalana]

Catches the ball in the snap with his left hand or with both hands.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And he catches under center. It's not. He did go back there and he did it right.

[Jenna Cottrell]

There it is under center.

[Mike Catalana]

You can't just point to the field. What are you doing?

[Dan Fates]

It's a concern. Some of the handoffs were awkward because some of them you're handing off with. If the players. If the run goes to the right side, you're handing off with just your left hand.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Right.

[Mike Catalana]

It's impactful to it. It's not just tape it up.

[Dan Fates]

Wasn't.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

No. Yes. He can throw it with his right hand, but it does make it harder. It does make it more difficult for him if he's got a broken bone in that hand or that wrist.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It's. It's. It's not great. Impactful. It's not his right arm. Two things. Two things can be. It's not his right hand. Two things.

[Mike Catalana]

Thank you for settling that gentleman.

[Dan Fates]

Taron Johnson also injured. Old opening drive. Huge loss. We can't put in. You can't put it into words enough what he means to that defense. That being said, Cam Lewis. Cam Lewis was everywhere. He balled out today.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Very impressed. Sean McDermott said after the game that Cam Lewis, Jamarcus Ingram, another guy who played really well today, kind of ascending into that starter position, got put out there. And the way they both played all over the field. Cam Lewis made some shots, huge tackles. It just was one of those things where the Marv line of, like, depth is not a great thing until you have to use it. But for some of these guys, I was really. I don't want to say.

[Mike Catalana]

He said, Marv said depth is a great thing until you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, what did I say? I'm not high. I gotta get.

[Mike Catalana]

And to quote.

[Dan Fates]

Your quote is the exact opposite of what Marvel is saying.

[Mike Catalana]

That's the open.

[Jenna Cottrell]

No, I haven't been able to talk today. Okay. All I'm saying is long story short.

[Dan Fates]

Long story short.

[Mike Catalana]

Ding, ding.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Very. By Cam Lewis.

[Mike Catalana]

Marcus Ingram, when you mention Ingram. Horrendous call against Ingram. Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

He went over top. And I know they can't review those. That's idiotic on the NFL's part. They should be able to review those plays. They'll certainly review plays where there's no penalty and they'll give a guy a fine because they love to take money from players. So they'll look back at the video. If you look at the video, that.

[Dan Fates]

Should have been a sky judge. That's where they should have a referee that can instantly quickly review it, watch the replay and say, he didn't hit him.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

And then we go on with our lives.

[Mike Catalana]

And then Josh got hit on that slide. It wasn't the worst contest. I know somebody's gonna say he gets pushed from behind. The guy came down with an arm.

[Dan Fates]

The only thing I was thinking of at that point. Are you a runner?

[Mike Catalana]

He slid, though.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He was sliding.

[Dan Fates]

But are you a runner?

[Mike Catalana]

He's still a quarterback. He still slides. You can't hit.

[Dan Fates]

Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I don't know.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I see what you were saying. Most of the time they got like.

[Dan Fates]

If a running back did.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I expected that to be.

[Dan Fates]

Would that be a call?

[Mike Catalana]

No, but it is on the quarterback.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. I expected it to be a call and it was not.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

So, hey, week one for the refs.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay, wait. We haven't talked about Greg Rousseau. We need to talk about him.

[Mike Catalana]

Credit to me.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, I knew that was happening.

[Mike Catalana]

I said double digit sacks this year. I would say I'm going to be on pace guy. He's what, 30? No, I love him. Right now he'll have 51 sacks. 51 on the year. That would be a record.

[Dan Fates]

That would be a record.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, would it?

[Mike Catalana]

He got credit for chasing Kyler Murray out of bounds, but that was a tremendous effort.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He.

[Mike Catalana]

He ran. I mean, like the sack was not, you know, he got him a yard behind the line of scrimmage. He chased him the entire width of the field, basically, and got him out of bounds. The other two were great. He had a forced fumble. He looked like a guy you game plan for. Which is what we talked about.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, I was happy to see it.

[Mike Catalana]

Go ahead.

[Dan Fates]

He looked good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, he was like, you got to give him credit. You got to give him credit where he's due.

[Dan Fates]

I was. I was trying to think of like that first half I go, is it fair to say that was vintage Kyler Murray? He hasn't been around long enough to have a vintage game. But that was Kyler using his legs, rolling out, moving in the pocket, finding players open. And it was just like, this is Kyler being. This is what. Kyler Murray can be a top five quarterback when he's really good. And that was it. So they needed to stop that. They needed to negate it. They needed to pressure him and. And kind of collapse the pocket more than just rushing up the field. And Greg was one of the first guys that got it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Von Miller got a sack today.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He did. Honestly, that was a big play.

[Dan Fates]

So he tripped on the offensive line.

[Mike Catalana]

He fell back. Hey.

[Dan Fates]

And he goes, I tried to act like I'd been there before. He was fired up as he should be.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Because it had been since his. Since his injury.

[Jenna Cottrell]

20, 22.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. And you know what? Anyway, he makes it for him to get back feeling like himself, having a little confidence. Absolutely.

[Mike Catalana]

He did make a nice play in the run game on them. So you want to see that happen. I thought the defensive line was okay.

[Dan Fates]

It was thin without Smoot and Solomon. It showed.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Again, getting behind, I think wasn't great, obviously for the offensive game plan because I think they did have quite some success running the ball. They had success running the ball and I didn't hate it, but it was tough when you're down 14 to consistently stick with the run.

[Mike Catalana]

By the way, can I ask you this, Dan? You were down here on the field, the wind. Was it ever like this?

[Dan Fates]

No.

[Mike Catalana]

During the game.

[Dan Fates]

That was the biggest gust.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Should we move that just so we don't.

[Mike Catalana]

I'll take care.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay. All right. Let's continue to talk.

[Dan Fates]

Keon Coleman made a big play.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Big play, big play. Had the most yards today for any Bills wide receiver. I thought early on, seeing him get into action. Sorry, I hate being around you guys. No, I'm kidding. But for him to make a play like that and the caliber of catch that that was, I really liked what I saw from him.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, he flashed. He also drew a penalty off press coverage. Was able to fight through it. Drew the flag. I think that's. That's what I really wanted to see out of him early on in the season because I think he's going to be challenged like that with one on one press man coverage. And I thought he was pretty good today.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

He didn't look like a guy in his first game. He looked composed. There was nothing that seemed to faze him in the game. And another wide receiver caught a ball.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, I'm not far off the pace guy. He had 20 yards.

[Mike Catalana]

Now. What'd you think of the deep ball to him? He had half a step. I would say maybe a full.

[Dan Fates]

I think he won the route. I think Josh missed him.

[Mike Catalana]

He just missed him.

[Dan Fates]

Windy conditions. Wasn't the easiest pitch and catch. It wasn't wide open. But I think that's one Josh wants back.

[Mike Catalana]

At least gives him a chance to get his hands on it and drop it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, I do think.

[Dan Fates]

Sorry.

[Mike Catalana]

That was mean. That was not. That was not intended for someone called for mvs. That was intended for Dan. Okay. Just so you know, that was things.

[Dan Fates]

That I gotta work with.

[Mike Catalana]

I know.

[Jenna Cottrell]

No, but I agree. I. I think Josh. The timing was a little bit. Josh wasn't where it needed to be.

[Dan Fates]

The fact that Kincaid was just not existent today was surprising. I know he was getting double teamed quite a bit from what I could see and what I was following along. But that's what teams are going to do. And we talked about all of their missteps and the fact they found a way to win. They are the Arizona Cardinals. Like this isn't something to be necessarily be bragging about beating a poor football team. I get it. You got the win. But you probably lose to about 25 other teams if you play like that.

[Mike Catalana]

Maybe it is still week one, I would say.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I do think that the Cardinals will be better this season. But I agree. Regardless of that.

[Dan Fates]

I don't think they're defenses.

[Jenna Cottrell]

They have a very tough schedule. So you're gonna have to grind out games. And for it to be so much pressure early on. Josh Allen in the season, that is something that could down the line be something that's. That's a concern.

[Dan Fates]

It's great to grind out and get that win. Not disagreeing with that. Just saying for this everybody eats all of these things. It just felt clunky. I understand it's week one and this is not an overreaction. I said I wasn't going to overreact after week one. It just didn't look as smooth as I would have hoped against a bad Arizona defense.

[Mike Catalana]

And then you let him back in the game. D.J. dallas with the kick return.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Now I don't think. Did any of the kicks go to. And I will point to that end of the end zone. Into the end zone during the game because it felt like there was wind. They had a kicko out at the. The Bills had one late. They had one short of the of the landing zone. So kickoffs in that direction were tougher, but you get that score, you go up two scores, and then you let him take the distance. So, you know, that is the kickoff everybody's going to be referencing because it's the first touchdown return with the new kickoff rules. And he went down there. That was big. Yeah, that was big for them. That was where your special teams need to maintain because we're going to say credit to Tyler Bass made everything yesterday.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

The one kickoff out of bounds, not great. That was late in the game.

[Dan Fates]

I think that was one where you're. You're on the tee and you're like, I'm going to hammer this drive. Because you had to drive it through the wind. It seemed like their strategy had just been go through the end zone.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

And I think you just miss. Hit it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

But they're not going to be happy with that return because you had total control of the game and then you let them back in.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I wanted to ask you guys what you thought late in the game, Sean's decision making. He had a fourth and three.

[Dan Fates]

I'm fine with it.

[Mike Catalana]

And he went for the field goal.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Mike Catalana]

He said if it was two, he said it was a kind of a long three. If it was two or less, you go for it. I like the decision in the moment, but then part of me thought about it and said, well, you're already up three. If you go for it and get it, you can pretty close to put the game away. You protect yourself from a touchdown, but in either case, you lose with a touchdown.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

So it's protecting yourself from a field goal that you.

[Dan Fates]

But, Mike, wouldn't you agree that it changes the mindset of the Cardinals being only down 3 than being down 6?

[Mike Catalana]

No doubt it does.

[Dan Fates]

So you're forcing the Cardinals hand a little bit. You're kind of dictating what they need to get. So that's why I'm okay with it.

[Mike Catalana]

And I didn't say I disagreed. I started to think of it more. But then the other part, I do think Josh's hand played into it.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

He's banged up and he did have that one low throw. He didn't connect with Ty Johnson.

[Dan Fates]

Ty Johnson.

[Mike Catalana]

And I think it went into it like, are we going to push this? Are we going to leave it on the defense to keep him out of the end zone? Which they did some tough plays there at the end, but they held on and got the win. But I thought that was one that was right there in the Middle. I think if Josh is just Josh and he's playing fully healthy, I think maybe he goes for it.

[Dan Fates]

Also. The throw to Mack Hollins I thought was perfect touch, perfect placement, perfect play call, perfect check at the line. They said it was cover zero. They had been installing that play all week. I loved all of that.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, no, I. I agree. No, I was gonna go back to when you were saying about cut you off.

[Dan Fates]

I interrupted you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, it's fine. It's fine. I was just. I honestly was going to agree with you that I think the mindset changes if you need three or if you need six. So in that moment for McDermott, I get why he called the field goal. I think Josh Allen's health plays into it as well. And honestly, it was nice to see Bass have some nice kicks today and the team is going to need to rely on him.

[Dan Fates]

Great points, easiest conditions.

[Mike Catalana]

That's a great point because that was a look he's trying to make up. Guys always try to do that. It just doesn't work right. You'll still bring it up. I. I thought that was. It's not a clutch kick, like win or lose the game.

[Dan Fates]

Correct.

[Mike Catalana]

But it was a vital kick in the game.

[Dan Fates]

Golf analogy. I thought that was. You're on the 18th, fair tee box, you got a two shot lead, there's water on the right. Like, you don't need to necessarily crush it, but you gotta find the fairway. You found the fairway.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, Yeah, I agree. And that's one of those things he loved. You wanna do a baseball analogy?

[Dan Fates]

No, I'm good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay.

[Mike Catalana]

Bunting the guy over to third. Is that what we're talking about here?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Same swing.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. I'm trying to think. I took notes. Not quite Dan Fates kind of notes, but I took a lot of notes from this game and I have it. I really do think. I thought there was pluses and minuses on the defensive side. Again, a little concern with the offensive line. I don't know if the new center had any impact on the false starts. It's just the main change for this offensive line. I mean, it was multiple times I thought, I know. The replay showed. The one on Dion was a bad call. It was barely moved and they called him for the false start, but they had a series of them. So that part. These are all correctable. Some of the other stuff is just going to be a work in progress, I think.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Offensively, were you surprised by McDermott's tone after the game? Like how kind of like happy he was? I felt like he was McDermott win.

[Dan Fates]

That's a McDermott win.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

He can be upset about the penalties, but he can be happy about the resiliency of his team and knows that they're going to find out more about themselves as they go on.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, it's a short week too. So you get out of here. I guarantee if you hear his speech, it's like, great job, men. Way to be tough, resilient. We gotta correct all this stuff. Cause we got a short week and we gotta get going. This is around the league. Miami was down. The whole game came back to win. You know, it's tough. Just Cincinnati lost at home to New England to start the year, that could have been this kind of loss.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's why I picked my survivor pool.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

I had Khalil Shakir over 42 and a half receiving yards.

[Mike Catalana]

Oh, 42.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. I was to say.

[Dan Fates]

Wow. I want to check the stats maybe. I think I got gypped one.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

All right.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Matt Collins, anytime. Touchdown would have been good. Cashing in. Okay.

[Dan Fates]

Did you bet it?

[Jenna Cottrell]

No, I'm. I. I need to bet. I've never. I've actually never bet.

[Mike Catalana]

Neither has Dan.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So I've won.

[Dan Fates]

I've insert the Phil Mickelson video of him going, I'm not a betting man. I guess that's not true.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay. All right. We'll have plenty more coverage as we lead into week two. The Bills down in Miami. What's up?

[Dan Fates]

Comment in how you feel after this win?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, that's a great.

[Mike Catalana]

Oh, I bet you a lot of people have already commented.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So for my Catalana, I'm Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure. Oh, yeah, and Dan.

[Mike Catalana]

See what I mean? Dan, they don't forget. Ah, he's gone.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Like comment. Subscribe and share, please. I didn't even do that.

[Mike Catalana]

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[Jenna Cottrell]

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[Mike Catalana]

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[Jenna Cottrell]

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[Mike Catalana]

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[Jenna Cottrell]

Now boarding groups one through seven.

[Dan Fates]

So close.

[Mike Catalana]

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