Bills a mess; Davis ‘retires’ at halftime
From wire dispatches
The Buffalo Bills latest meltdown features cornerback Vontae Davis leaving the team at halftime Sunday of 31-20 loss to Los Angeles Chargers. Davis explained his decision by saying he decided to retire after 10 NFL seasons.
“Pulled himself out of the game. He communicated to us that he was done,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
McDermott provided no other details except to bluntly say, “No,” when asked if Davis was injured.
The Bills two veteran defensive leaders were far more upset with Davis essentially going AWOL.
“I don’t have nothing to say about Vontae. I’ll give him a little bit more respect than he showed us today as far as quitting,” defensive end Lorenzo Alexander said.
Star running back LeSean McCoy’s status is uncertain after he missed the fourth quarter with a rib injury. He was hurt late in the third quarter when he was tackled from behind and had Buffalo center Ryan Groy fall on him.
Redskins
The half-century home sellout streak is over for Washington. The announced attendance of 57,013 for Washington’s 219 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday was about 25,000 short of the 82,000 capacity listed in the team’s 2018 media guide. The team boasts in the guide that it has “sold out every home game for the past 50 seasons.” Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie confirmed that the sellout streak ended Sunday.
Eagles
Coach Doug Pederson summed up a hot, frustrating day for Philadelphia. “A lot of self-inflicted wounds,” he said after the reigning Super Bowl champions stumbled to a slow start in the blistering Florida sun and never fully recovered in a 27-21 loss to the surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Game-time temperature was 91 degrees, with a heat index of 105. “Anytime you are down a couple of guys, it affects you offensively . ... The thing was, we kept going backward in the whole first half. Either from penalties or lost yardage on first down, we were playing from behind a lot,” he said.
Dolphins
It is fitting that Frank Gore became the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher in a Miami uniform. “It means a lot,” Gore said after surpassing Curtis Martin in the Dolphins’ 20-12 defeat of the Jets. “I’ve been doubted my whole life, especially coming out of college, with the injuries I had.” Gore was born in Miami, grew up in Coconut Grove, starred at the University of Miami, and, in 2002 and 2003 tore anterior cruciate ligaments. “People said I would be in the league for two or three years and then I would be done,” Gore said. That was 15 years ago.
Jaguars
Jacksonville improved to 4-0 in two seasons without running back Leonard Fournette as they defeated the New England Patriots, 31-20. Fournette sat out while recovering from a sore right hamstring he tweaked in the season opener against the Giants.
Lions
Running back LeGarrette Blount drew a personal foul penalty, coming off the sideline to push a San Francisco defender, and was ejected from the game. Blount came to the defense of quarterback Matthew Stafford when he was shoved hard out of bounds.