buffalo bills

Both NFL most valuable players. Both bound for Canton. Both surgically precise with their passes.

Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen are two of the best liars in football.

Peyton Manning sat in the studio and cued the video. Stafford looked off a Philadelphia safety last Sunday to hold him in place. He froze a cornerback with a glance. Then he threw an out-and-up to Puka Nacua, absorbing a big hit as he released the ball.

“That’s a lot of looking off,” Manning said.

Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly, watching from his own home studio, agreed.

“The quarterback will lie to you,” Kuechly said. “He’s going to look you off. He’s going to pump you. But the one thing that never lies to you is the route.”

Welcome to “The Breakdown,” the ESPN2 show in which Manning and Kuechly provide different perspectives from opposite sides of the ball, discussing strategy, preparation and key storylines heading into marquee NFL matchups.

This show airs on Friday at 12:30 p.m. PDT, and this week’s episode focuses on Monday night’s game between the Rams and Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. The show is in its second season, and Kuechly replaces Bill Belichick, who played the defensive counterpart to Manning in Season 1.

“I’ve had lots of college coaches and pro players and high school coaches that watch this show that love it,” Manning said. “Because they want the details, but also for the casual fan to be able to understand and follow the game and maybe be entertained at the same time. It’s a delicate balance.”

Elements that Manning and Kuechly identified as critical to Monday’s game:

1. Stafford’s eyes. The Rams quarterback will try to move Buffalo defenders with his looks, a flick of his shoulders, a tiny pump fake. Kuechly advises defenders to watch the route.
2. Greg Rousseau. Kuechly identifies Buffalo’s edge rusher as the scariest player on tape, especially with his long arms that almost seem telescopic.
3. Allen’s ability to throw outside the numbers. The Bills quarterback has the arm strength to get the ball to any of his receivers at any time. “I would need a cutoff man to complete some of the throws he makes,” Manning said.
4. Quick snaps. Stafford is a master of catching the defense off guard and before it has set. It’s a look, Manning said, that some teams call “cheetah.” Kuechly said the rule for the defense should be that the play starts when the center touches the ball.
5. The last possession. Manning believes the last team that has the ball will be the team to win, and that the game will be back and forth the whole way.

Manning credits Kobe Bryant as the inspiration for “The Breakdown.” The late Lakers legend created a film-analysis series called “Detail,” which was designed to show the public how a professional basketball player studies game tape. It debuted in 2018 during the NBA playoffs.

Bryant then called Manning.

“He said, ‘Hey, I want you to do ‘Detail’ for football,’” Manning said. “He wanted me to take people behind the ropes in football, so that’s what I did.”

Manning did it alone at first, using only his voice to break down quarterbacks. Eventually, he brought in a defensive specialist for another perspective and they both appeared on camera.

Bryant’s concept of franchising the show across different sports gave Manning the idea to do the same with “Peyton’s Places,” thereby creating spinoffs with his brother, Eli, John McEnroe, Sue Bird and others.

A MAJOR noughties popstar could hardly be recognised as she cut of figure in a body skimming PVC jumpsuit.

Posing at an American football game across the pond, the former chart topper looked a far cry from her former boho image.

The pop star was none other than Unwritten singer Natasha Bedingfield who is best known for her hits in the early 2000s.

Natasha turned heads in a skintight black latex jumpsuit with puff sleeves and sporty white stripes.

The American football-inspired outfit featured her surname and the number 33 emblazoned across the chest.

She completed the look with white platform ankle boots, wearing her blonde bob loose with a full fringe.

More on Natasha Bedingfield

NOT WRITTEN

Watch awkward moment Natasha Bedingfield forgets lyrics at BBCR1’s Big Weekend

Ab Fab

Natasha Bedingfield looks incredible as she flashes rock-hard abs in sheer dress

Sharing the look on Instagram, Natasha captioned the post: “Well, the rest is STILL unwritten”, tagging stylist Lizzy Rosenberg and the Buffalo Bills’ official account.

Text across the video read: “Bills half time latex fit”.

Fans rushed to gush over the outfit, with one writing: “OKAY BODYYYYY BEDINGFIELD!”

Another declared: “This outfit is going to go down in history as a instant classic”.

A third joked: “Half time???? Thassa more full time”.

Natasha was dressed up for a half-time performance at the Buffalo Bills’ game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The pop starlet now lives in New York with her businessman husband Matt Robinson and their son Solomon Dylan.

The singer is still making music and performing, releasing her latest single Dot Dot Dot in August.

And her 2004 smash hit Unwritten continues to win over a new generation of fans, with Natasha revealing last month that it was approaching an insane two billion streams.

It’s never good when NFL coaches on struggling teams have to publicly reaffirm their faith in members of their staff before the calendar turns to October — and that’s what Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh did on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in the wake of a 24-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Harbaugh was asked if he would consider taking some control away from offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel if the offense doesn’t improve.

“No, we trust Mike. We believe in Mike,” Harbaugh said.

It would be odd for Harbaugh to publicly admit to anything else at this point, especially because he’s not in a good position to do much else to salvage the season. Harbaugh has never called plays at the NFL level and must hope McDaniel and Justin Herbert can fix the NFL’s No. 21-ranked offense (309 yards per game) if the Chargers have any chance of becoming the eighth team in NFL history to reach the postseason after an 0-3 start.

“We’re searching for every possible way to give ourselves an advantage,” Harbaugh said. “Every possible way to not beat ourselves.”

Although Harbaugh doesn’t see himself intervening on McDaniel’s turf, he does want to see improvement from Herbert. The quarterback struggled against the Bills, failing to capitalize on five takeaways from the Chargers’ defense. He passed for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but four trips to the red zone — two of which were assisted by favorable field position off takeaways — resulted in only three field goals and a touchdown.

“To be better,” said Harbaugh, regarding Herbert’s decision-making. “That drives Justin, that drives me, that drives his position coach, that drives Mike [McDaniel]. … I mean, drives us all.”

Herbert isn’t the only underperformer. Dropped passes from wide receiver Quentin Johnston and tight end Oronde Gadsden II were factors in the Bills becoming the first team since the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 season wild-card playoffs to win despite five turnovers and a minus-four turnover differential.

The team the Jaguars beat that January? The Chargers.