'Chin Up, Chest Out!': Battle Scars Had Bills 'Expect' Second-Half Comeback vs. Ravens
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Smooth sailing seemed to be a season-long theme for the Buffalo Bills if the first two games were any indication. Blowout wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans made the Buffalo seem like untouchable Super Bowl contenders.
But they're not blind to the reality of the NFL. Things can change in the blink of an eye for better or for worse. In the Bills' case, they've experienced both sides of this coin over the past two games.
A failed spike attempt prevented Buffalo from potentially being seconds away from reaching 3-0 after a 21-19 loss against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 25. And in Sunday's road bout with the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills found themselves down 20-3.
But this time, in a favorable blink, Buffalo managed to change that deficit en route to a 23-20 win, something linebacker Von Miller boldly said was "expected."
"Starting the second half, it just fell into exactly what we expected," Miller said.
It was only Week 3, but the scars from the loss to the Dolphins seemed to have carried over into Baltimore.
“Last week was a dog game as well," Miller said. "It came down to the very, very end. And I think having that on our minds and having it on our souls and coming into this game, we wanted to win we just wanted to keep playing until it says zero."
But even in the wet and windy conditions, hesitation was nonexistent for the Bills.
"It's like chin up, chest out," Bills receiver Stefon Diggs said. "And we anticipated this being that kind of game ... things are going to happen, adversity is going to hit. It's all about how you battle."
This mindset applied even more so to the Buffalo receiving corps, a group that lost receiver Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder to injury on Sunday while Diggs was held in check - four catches for 62 yards - compared to his usual explosive outings.
As a result, rookie Khalil Shakir embodied the "chin up, chest out" mentality with two huge first-down receptions on Buffalo's final two scoring drives.
The laser-focused approach became more at ease one Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass sailed the game-winning kick through the uprights as time expired. The Bills never felt like the game was over until they were finally able to appreciate that it had ended in their favor.
"Even though it was 20-3, we never felt like we were out of it," Miller said. "The energy on the sideline was never negative. We never felt like the game was over."
No blinking, no flinching, and the Bills are 3-1 headed into Sunday's matchup at home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m ET.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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