As he did after a 31-10 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, Allen dismissed questions about the message the Bills sent by throttling the Tennessee Titans 41-7 in Buffalo’s opener on Monday night. “When we execute the way we know we need to execute, success usually leads to success,” Allen said. “We’re just trying to be the best version of ourselves.” It made no difference to Allen if the Bills earned some vindication against an opponent that had beaten them in each of the last two seasons. “It doesn’t matter who he’s up against. Like, they were a good team we played,” he said. “Going to do it was great.” Allen threw four touchdown passes, including three to Stefon Diggs, and the Bills defense did the rest, containing Derrick Henry and the Titans. Buffalo forced four turnovers, including linebacker Matt Milano returning the second of two Ryan Tannehill interceptions 43 yards for a touchdown. Buffalo never trailed and opened the game by outscoring the Titans 24-0 in the third quarter. The surge started in the final minute of the second quarter when Buffalo took a 17-7 lead on Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Diggs. Allen surpassed 300 yards passing for the 15th time in his career, completing 26 of 38 attempts for 317 yards, and sat out the entire fourth quarter. Diggs had 12 catches for 148 yards. He has topped 100 yards in each of his first two games, a feat previously accomplished for the Bills only by Hall of Famer Andre Reed. “There’s a lot left in the bone, really,” Diggs said with a shrug. “We had a lot of points. I think we had a stigma and I think it came back to us. But you just do your job and at this point we’re doing well, I guess.” The Titans, coming off a 21-20 season-opening loss to the New York Giants, are 0-2 for the first time since 2012. The two-time defending AFC South champions face numerous questions about a defense that gave up 313 yards passing a week after allowing 238 yards rushing. Meanwhile, their offense racked up 187 yards, managed 12 first downs and finished two of 11 drives in Bills territory. “We got hammered, plain and simple,” coach Mike Vrabel said after the most lopsided loss in his four-plus seasons coaching the Titans. “They outworked us and outworked us, and that’s the definition of it. We’re going to get back to work and try to figure out how to win a football game.” While Tannehill was benched after his second interception, the Titans’ run game under Henry continued to be grounded. The two-time rushing champion was limited to 25 yards on 13 carries while scoring on a 2-yard plunge. “I take pride in making plays and being a playmaker for this team. And I didn’t do that tonight,” Henry said. “They were the better team tonight in all three phases, the whole game. We just weren’t good enough. Not at all.” Injuries affected both teams, the most serious involving Bills cornerback Dane Jackson, who injured his neck in a disturbing collision with a teammate and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. The Bills said Jackson had full range of motion in his extremities. Coach Sean McDermott said Jackson is still awaiting test results. The entire Bills team gathered around Jackson as he was loaded into an ambulance on the field. “He goes from being a coach to being just a person. This is a real moment,” McDermott said. “I’m just praying for him. It’s an unfortunate situation.” Tannehill finished 11 of 20 for 117 yards and was benched after Milano was intercepted with 3:49 left in the third quarter. Rookie Malik Willis has taken over, and if Tannehill continues to struggle, Tennessee fans will want to see more from the young backup. Vrabel emphasized that he benched many of his players to protect them from getting hurt. REMEMBER SHOOTING VICTIMS Bills Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith asked fans for a moment of silence before the game to honor the 10 people killed in a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in May. “We stand with the victims and the families of the victims,” Smith said. “No one can erase their pain and suffering. But Buffalo, your acts of love and kindness will never be forgotten,” he added. “The national media, the national activists are gone. But we are here right now. It is up to us to love these families. To be with them.” INJURIES Titans: Lt. Taylor Lewan did not return after injuring his right knee in the first quarter. … RB Trenton Cannon did not return after injuring his right knee on the kickoff. … LB Ola Adeniyi hurt his wrist. … LB Bud Dupree hurt his hip. … The Titans promoted receiver Josh Gordon from their practice squad about three weeks after he signed with the team. Bills: S Micah Hyde has a neck injury. … Milan did not return because of what was called a sting. … DT Jordan Phillips injured his hamstring. … No. 2 WR Gabe Davis was inactive after injuring his ankle in practice Saturday. … DT Brandin Bryant and CJ Brewer moved up from the practice squad to fill in for injured starter Ed Oliver (ankle) and backup Tim Settle (calf). NEXT Titans: Host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Bills: At Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
