ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Regardless of COVID-19 and its impact on the NFL season, this year's bye week was unusual for head coach Sean McDermott. The timing of it alone was something he had never experienced.
“It’s a late bye, later than I’m used to. I think my latest bye since I’ve been in the league," McDermott said. "We put in quite a bit of work early in the week and then tried to get away as much as we could with the testing every day."
With the testing and protocols still in place, players weren't able to leave the area to see family. But that's something at least McDermott says he and his staff used to.
Week 11 marked the lone Sunday of the year that the Bills' players can just sit back and watch football. Buffalo got assists from other squads that handled the rest of the AFC East.
"It is nice to get some help when we're not playing in particular, and we could take a moment to see what's going on around the league and the division in particular."
The attention has since turned to the Los Angeles Chargers, who just beat the winless New York Jets at home. Former Bill Tyrod Taylor was under center for L.A. to start the year, but rookie Justin Herbert has since taken over.
"[Herbert is] unlike most young quarterbacks that get confused and see ghosts once in a while. He sees none of that," McDermott said. "He’s very accurate, very poised, tough in the pocket. And he’s got good weapons around him."
The most used weapon on the Chargers, and around the entire NFL, is wide receiver Keenan Allen. His 81 receptions are the only mark that tops the 73 receptions for Stefon Diggs so far in 2020.
But the Bills offense is still in flux, at least up front. Center Mitch Morse was active, but didn't play against the Cardinals. McDermott said a week ago that it was a football decision, but also that Morse is not benched. He still didn't commit to a lineup for this week, either.
“[Morse is] in the mix. We feel good about the guys up front. We’re getting healthier now finally," McDermott said. "It’s been a while since we’ve had a consistent lineup. So we’ve got some options there, Mitch being one of them.”
Since he joined the Bills in 2017, Sean McDermott has been perfect in the first game back after a bye week. Buffalo will put that to the test against the Chargers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
