Bills OL Bonded Over Fish Tacos During West Coast Trip

With a short week between their win over the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football" in Week 5 and their win over the Las Vegas Raiders (both road games) in Week 6, the Buffalo Bills decided to stay on the West Coast for eight days.

The reasons for staying on the West Coast were mostly for business, but the trip posed an opportunity for the Bills to build camaraderie for a group of players that is hoping to do something Buffalo has been unable to achieve in recent seasons: making a Super Bowl appearance.

Right tackle Spencer Brown told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that one of the ways the offensive line bonded during the trip was by going to Newport Beach to eat at Javier’s, where the offensive linemen had fish tacos. Following dinner at the Mexican restaurant, the boys went for a swim in the Pacific Ocean.

Brown noted the trip was reminiscent of how the Jacksonville Jaguars play two games in Europe. The Bills enjoyed a chance to have some relaxation on the journey, though they were ready to put in the work. 

And ever did the Bills put in the work.

Buffalo survived an overtime win over the Rams. On Sunday, the Bills held off a feisty Raiders team before earning a 33–30 win, which will give Buffalo a 5–1 record before returning to the East Coast for their bye week. The Bills will next host the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 1. 

Brown noted that the Bills played well against the Rams and Raiders, but the team has another level to reach before they're ready for playoff football. The trip was a big part of getting the Bills to be a "player-driven" team, which is what the great teams are made of. 

The offense for the Bills has been mostly unstoppable this season. Josh Allen helped power Buffalo to 70 points in the two wins on the West Coast trip. The defense still has much more to prove before the Bills are ready to think about playoff football. The Bills gave up 64 points in the last two weeks. 

Buffalo has a bye to work on defending the Ravens, who should be with quarterback Lamar Jackson when the two teams play. That game could be a preview of an AFC playoff match, and the defense needs to find ways to get stops against Jackson.