Bills' Dion Dawkins pulls no punches with frustrating postgame message after loss
It was an ugly showing from the Buffalo Bills against the Atlanta Falcons in all three phases of the football game. The first half was marred by missed tackles and running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London running (and catching) roughshod on the Bills.
If the first half was about defensive issues, the second half was about offensive ones. Having the reigning MVP in quarterback Josh Allen didn't matter, as the Falcons brought heavy pressure all night. Immediately after the game, one of Allen's biggest protectors , Dion Dawkins, opened up about the loss.
Dawkins didn't pull any punches, he fully understands the team needs to be better moving forward, but he's not hitting the panic button on the season.
"We lost. We could've handled it better," Dawkins said. "I'm a competitor, and I speak facts; they beat us. The good thing is that it's bye week, we don't have to win them all. I know it sounds cliché but we really don't have to win them all. I like that we have the opportunity to get better."
Dawkins sent a strong message to the locker room
The talented offensive lineman always keeps things real and that's exactly what he did after the contest. Dawkins was asked how he rallies the troops after a loss, especially with the younger guys on the roster. Dawkins was quick to point out it involves everyone, not just the new guys.
"The older guys, too, football weighs on you hard, especially when you're a good team and you want to win them all," Dawkins said. "Keeping the guys into the mindset of 'don't overly beat yourself up. Stay who you are, go back, watch the film, we got a bye week, rewatch the film, learn from it, and come back ready.'"
"We don't have to win them all and we're blessed that we can stay that right now," Dawkins said. "Not that it's still early in the season, but we still haven't played our best ball yet. We got guys that went down, we got guys that stepped up, we'll keep moving forward."
Josh Allen couldn't stay upright all night
The heavy pressure forced by the Falcons made things difficult for Allen and the offense all night. Allen was beaten up throughout the contest, shaking off what looked to be a hand or arm injury in the early stages of the contest.
Allen was quick to point out that he wasn't hurt, but he was getting attacked in the backfield relentlessly, something Dawkins wants to avoid moving forward.
"I hate when guys touch Josh. It's just what it is," Dawkins said. "We just have to keep doing a good job and keep doing a better job of protecting him and understand that that's our guy, we don't want nobody touching him. That's what defense does, I think they were ranked one coming in. They were a good team, they're a good defense, and we knew. Good luck to the rest of their season."
The Bills enter their bye week searching for answers, but not without perspective. Dawkins' message was clear: this team still believes its best football is ahead.
‘He Just Replaces Them’: Eagles GM Howie Roseman’s Bold Strategy Praised by Rival Scout
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has drawn praise across the NFL for his roster-building success.
In a lot of ways, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs looked like two teams headed in opposite directions during Sunday afternoon’s 20-17 Super Bowl rematch with the defending champs improving to 2-0.
Kansas City’s offense once again sputtered outside of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, underscoring the lack of reliable depth around its stars. The Chiefs are also now 0-2, and Mahomes has lost three consecutive games for the first time in his football career.
It really was quite the contrast.
Meanwhile, the Eagles saw vital contributions from several young and homegrown players throughout Sunday’s victory at Arrowhead Stadium, perhaps the biggest of all being rookie safety Andrew Mukuba‘s interception off Mahomes in the end zone that set up Philadelphia’s final scoring drive of the contest.
Shortly after the smoke cleared, one rival evaluator was effusive in his praise of Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s continual ability to restock the roster with young and affordable talent while remaining in the mix for the Super Bowl over the past three seasons.
“They are a well-balanced team,” an NFL Scouting Director tells me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. “Also balanced with vets and youth. The key to building winning teams is to have balance and star-level players in their prime years. And they do.
“Howie has done a really nice job there. His approach of going for the best player available in the draft keeps paying off, because good teams lose quality players in free agency all the time. He just replaces them with rookie contracts.”
Mukuba emerged as a starting safety this summer, after the Eagles dealt veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans earlier this spring, continuing the cycle of turning over high-priced veterans with affordable rookies with upside.
Roseman’s approach to the draft hasn’t just added critical contributors such as Mukuba, rookie starting linebacker Jihaad Campbell, second-year cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, dominant defensive tackle Jalen Carter and others, but because of their affordable rookie deals Philadelphia has been positioned to act aggressively in free agency signing the likes of Saquon Barkley and Zack Baun to long-term contracts.
The Eagles’ blend of youth and star power, with a championship and two Super Bowl appearances over the past three seasons has Philadelphia looking ahead with legitimate aspirations of repeating and perhaps developing into the NFL’s next dynasty.
If the Eagles keep reloading at this pace, Roseman’s front office might be remembered as much as Hurts’ arm or Barkley’s legs for fueling a modern NFL dynasty.
Jalen Hurts’ Even-Keeled Nature Powering Eagles
Points and yards were far harder to come by for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense, on Sunday, than they were in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs back in February.
Hurts managed just 101 passing yards while rushing for 15, including a tush-push score.
Yet, when a big-play opportunity presented itself amid Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s relentless blitzing, Hurts made Kansas City pay by connecting with DeVonta smith on a 28-yard strike to set up a touchdown.
“I think that’s the most important thing is finding a way to win,” Hurts told reporters after the game. “Given the competitive nature of the game and how our games have gone when we’ve played this team — it’s a really good team, we’ve got a ton of respect for them obviously — but you’ve got to come in with a sense of focus, you’ve got to stay patient within yourself, stay patient within the team and your role, and let things come to you. And I think as a team, we showed up when we needed to the most.”
The Eagles are clearly still trying to find an identity outside of the ground game through the first two weeks, but have a conference and division victory tucked away for safe keeping as they work to figure things out.
