Mitglieder » Acknowledging the Buffalo Bills have much room

to improve http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-riley-reiff-jersey , coach Sean McDermott rejected the notion he is overseeing a team in turmoil following a tumultuous first two weeks."There's growing pains going through this," McDermott said, Monday. "Nobody said it was going to be easy."No one said it was going to be this difficult either for a team off to a 0-2 start following a 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.Buffalo has been outscored by a combined 54-6 in the first halves of its two losses, and 78-23 overall.McDermott has already switched quarterbacks, taken over the defensive play-calling duties from coordinator Leslie Frazier and also had to contend with veteran cornerback Vontae Davis quitting the team at halftime against Los Angeles.McDermott said not all the issues and distractions are related, particularly when it comes to Davis. The offseason free-agent addition informed McDermott he was done during the first half, and then announced he was retiring after 10 NFL seasons a few hours after the game."His actions spoke loud and clear," McDermott said, when asked if he's had a chance to speak to Davis since Sunday. "I'm focused on my team right now."The NFL granted the Bills a roster exemption regarding Davis.McDermott has plenty on his plate with Buffalo entering a grueling portion of its schedule in which the Bills play one home game 鈥?against Tennessee on Oct. 7 鈥?in the next five weeks. Buffalo plays its next two on the road, starting with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.Injuries are also becoming an issue.Running back LeSean McCoy's status is questionable after was sustained damage to his rib cartilage during the third quarter against the Chargers.Buffalo is also thin at cornerback. Aside from Davis' departure, Phillip Gaines' status is uncertain after he dislocated his left elbow Sunday.McDermott wouldn't rule out either from playing against the Vikings.As for his overall message to the team: "We all have to do our job better," he said."We've got some young players out there," McDermott added. "And they're going to continue to get better, continue to grow, continue to learn."He was specifically referring to the Bills starting two rookie first-round draft picks, quarterback Josh Allen and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.Allen had a modestly successful first start in going 18 of 33 for 245 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Chargers. Though the offense sputtered in the first half, Allen's 245 yards passing were the most by a Bills quarterback in his first NFL start since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly threw for 292 yards in a 28-24 loss to the New York Jets on Sept. 7, 1986.Edmunds has also been inconsistent.The 20-year-old has a sack and a forced fumble 鈥?Buffalo's only takeaway this season. On the downside, Edmunds has been the anchor of a defense that has surrendered 10 touchdowns 鈥?nine scored on 10 opponents' drives inside the Buffalo 20.McDermott, a former defensive coordinator, had seen enough in taking over the defense after the Bills allowed the Chargers to score touchdowns on four consecutive drives in building a 28-3 lead with 1:55 left in the first half."We're going to do whatever it takes to win," he said.McDermott hasn't decided whether he'll continue to run the defense Womens Everson Griffen Jersey , while stressing Frazier will still play a role."We're going to work on it together," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in Leslie Frazier."Frazier respected McDermott's decision, and noted he had to make difficult choices during his three-plus seasons as head coach in Minnesota."We owe it to our players to give us the best chance to win, whatever it may be," Frazier said.The switch showed signs of paying off. After allowing 284 yards, 17 first downs in the first half, the Bills held the Chargers to just 65 yards and four first downs over the final 30 minutes."That's a delicate balance between making sure we build upon what we saw and the positives from yesterday in the second half," McDermott said. "And that we continue to make progress." MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Kirk Cousins and his family moved from Illinois to Michigan, his allegiance to the Bears was well-established.Leaving Chicagoland, Cousins wondered aloud to his dad whether they’d be required to become fans of the Lions and the other Detroit-area teams.“He said, ‘Kirk, you can take the boy out of Chicago. You can’t take Chicago out of the boy,'” Cousins recalled this week.Loyal to the Bears they remained, but inside Michigan’s borders the Lions always received top TV billing. So Cousins moved through his teenage years and on to college at Michigan State with more than adequate coverage of the Lions, a clear familiarity that has only deepened now that Cousins has joined a different team in the NFC North in Minnesota.The Vikings (4-3-1) will host the Lions (3-4) on Sunday, the first time Cousins, who’s second in the NFL with 2,521 passing yards, will face his home state’s squad as a division rival.“I think with every game we play, I can point to something about the team or an opponent on the team or a coach or whatever it might be that makes you feel like you’re living a dream,” Cousins said, “and certainly going against the Detroit Lions is no different being that I grew up in that state.”With the Bears (4-3) and Green Bay Packers (3-3-1) bunched in Brett Jones Jersey , too, this game will be the first of several in the second half of the season to shape a tight race.“Division games count for two,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “You get the win, and they get the loss. They’re big games, and the more you can go and win those, whether on the road or at your place, the better. We have a big stretch of them coming up.”Here are some other key angles to follow with the game:MATCHING MEGATRONAdam Thielen leads the NFL with 74 receptions and 925 yards for the Vikings. With at least 100 yards in each of the first eight games, Thielen has tied Lions legend Calvin Johnson for the longest streak in league history. Johnson’s run was in 2012, when he set the all-time NFL record with 1,964 yards.As a football-loving kid living in Minnesota, Thielen naturally tried to emulate Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But Johnson was another star wide receiver he closely watched. Johnson, who retired after the 2015 season, wore No. 21 in college at Georgia Tech. So did Thielen at Detroit Lakes High School, not coincidentally.“He could block, he could run short routes, he could run deep routes, and he’d catch everything,” Thielen said. “When people were draped all over him, he’d still make the plays. I just remember a lot of games where Stafford would just throw the ball up, and there’d be three guys on him and he’d still come down with the ball.”With Stefon Diggs another dangerous option for Cousins, limiting Thielen has been even more of a challenge for opponents.“We’re going to have a hard time trying to handle him,” coach Matt Patricia said. “He runs really good routes. He has great change of direction. He can get vertically very quick. He understands zone coverage — he can sit down and find the open space — and he has great hands. So definitely will be a big issue for us.”GOLDEN’S GONEThough Johnson caused the Vikings secondary plenty of problems over his nine years in the league http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-hughes-jersey , Golden Tate did his share of damage, too.In the first four wins by the Lions over the Vikings since Zimmer was hired in 2014, twice in his first year and twice in 2016, Tate totaled 228 yards and two touchdowns on 30 catches while being targeted 38 times. That included his game-winning somersault into the end zone in overtime in Minnesota in 2016, after Vikings standouts Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith missed their attempts to tackle him.Last season, the Vikings limited Tate to just seven receptions for 36 yards over their two matchups. Now he’s gone, having been traded to Philadelphia .“I was surprised about that. He was their main guy on third downs. He was great with yards after the catch,” Rhodes said, adding: “It was one of those situations where you were like, ‘Oh, let me check MY phone.'”GRIFFEN GETTING GOINGVikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who has 7½ sacks in eight games against the Lions since becoming a starter in 2014, made his season debut last week after missing five games to seek mental health treatment. Griffen played 37 of 53 snaps against New Orleans.“My No. 1 goal is just to keep on going out there and knocking the rust off more and more each day, but I’m feeling good,” Griffen said.GAME ON THE GROUNDAfter finishing last, third-to-last and last in the NFL in rushing over the previous three years, the Lions have revived their long-languishing ground game with the arrival of rookie Kerryon Johnson. With an average of nearly 110 yards per game, they’re 16th in the league this week.“It’s mostly what the offensive line’s doing. No matter how good a running back is, he needs the offensive line, period,” Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. “Ain’t too many Barry Sanders in the league.”