One of the most successful “Bills” in NFL history once famously stated that you are what your record says you are.

The Buffalo Bills are the shining example of that Bill Parcells gem, moving to 3-0 for the first time since 2011 with a 21-17 victory Sunday over the Bengals at New Era Field in Orchard Park.

It should matter little to the Bills that the three teams they have defeated to open the season — the pre-Daniel Jones Giants, the Jets and the Bengals — are a combined 1-8, especially with the also-perfect Patriots coming to town next Sunday.

“Number One, we celebrated the win, because it’s hard to win in this league. Really hard to win in this league,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “It’s hard to win when the momentum changed like it did.

“We talked about heart. That’s what we talked about. It’s great to have heart, isn’t it? It’s great to have heart, man. You win with heart. I’m proud of those guys.”

The Bills held a 14-0 lead, with Cincinnati totaling just 100 net yards of offense, midway through the third quarter. Andy Dalton led the Bengals (0-3) back for 17 straight points, with a Randy Bullock 43-yard field goal putting them ahead with 4:58 to play.

But 2018 first-round pick Josh Allen marched the Bills on a 78-yard scoring drive, including a 49-yard pass to rookie tight end Dawson Knox. The drive was culminated with a 1-yard plunge on third-and-goal by 15-year veteran Frank Gore with 1:50 remaining. It marked the fifth time in 14 career starts Allen has engineered a fourth-quarter comeback.

Tre’Davious White picked off Dalton at Buffalo’s 15-yard line with 12 seconds remaining, his second interception of the game. Earlier, the Bengals also had a would-be kickoff return for a touchdown called back by a holding penalty.

“There’s a lot of things to learn from, especially in that third quarter,” Allen said. “At the end of the day we got the job done and I’m proud of how resilient we were.”

It’s never easy for Buffalo, but 3-0 is 3-0.

Before the game, the Bills also paid tribute to the superfan known as Pancho Billa, who passed away in May at 39 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Defensive tackle Harrison Philips ran onto the field wearing a sombrero to honor the fan, whose real name was Ezra Castro.

Mahomes Sweet Mahomes

The expected game of the day didn’t disappoint, but Lamar Jackson could not bring the Ravens all the way back in a 33-28 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the unbeaten Chiefs.

The Chiefs led 30-13 on LeSean McCoy’s second touchdown of the game late in the third quarter, but Baltimore back Mark Ingram (103 yards) found the end zone for the third time with 12:22 remaining.

An extra point would have drawn the Ravens within 10, but John Harbaugh decided to go for two. The conversion failed, and the sides exchanged field goals for an 11-point game with 4:39 left.

Jackson’s 9-yard scramble just before the two-minute warning made it 33-28, but another Jackson attempt at a two-point conversion failed. The former Heisman Trophy winner’s only two regular-season NFL defeats are to Kansas City, including a 27-24 loss last December. He also lost to the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs.

The Young Guns

It was a mixed bag for the young quarterbacks making their first NFL starts, with Daniel Jones of the Giants having the best day (336 yards, two touchdown passes and two rushing TDs) in Big Blue’s 32-31 win over Tampa Bay.

Mason Rudolph, in for injured Ben Roethlisberger (elbow), was 14-for-27 for 174 yards with two touchdowns and one pick in Pittsburgh’s 24-20 loss to San Francisco. And Jets sixth-rounder Luke Falk didn’t even reach 100 yards through the air (98) against Belichick and the Pats.

Undrafted second-year QB Kyle Allen, who made one start for Carolina last season, threw 261 yards and four touchdowns in place of Cam Newton (foot) in the Panthers’ 38-20 win over Arizona.

Bad Beats

This week marked the first in a non-strike season in which two teams were favored by more than 20 points, and one game had a late cover, while in the other, the favorite blew the spread late. The Cowboys were 22 ¹/₂-point favorites and needed a 16-yard score by Tony Pollard early in the fourth quarter for a 31-6 win to cover against hapless Miami. The Patriots appeared poised to cover their 23-point spread over the Jets, but a muffed punt resulted in one touchdown and Jamal Adams intercepted Tom Brady’s backup, Jarrett Stidham, for a 61-yard pick-six with 6:34 remaining for a 30-14 final score. The two failed two-point conversions by Baltimore also left their 33-28 loss to Kansas City as a push for those whose betting line dropped from six points to five in many places Sunday morning.

The Hurt Locker

Giants star Saquon Barkley (ankle) wasn’t the only big name to not return to his team’s game Sunday. Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was knocked out of the win over the Jets with a chest injury, although X-rays came back negative. Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton scored his fourth touchdown in three games but he left the victory with a quad injury. Eagles receivers DeSean Jackson (groin) and Alshon Jeffery (calf) sat out the 27-24 loss to Detroit.

Post Patterns

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri reportedly had been mulling retirement after missing five kicks in Indianapolis’ first two weeks, but the NFL’s all-time leading scorer was 3-for-3 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goal attempts. … Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey registered 188 total yards and a touchdown in the win over the Cardinals. … Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater handed Seattle its first loss of the season, throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns in place of injured Drew Brees (thumb) in New Orleans’ 33-27 win. … Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 406 yards, including 154 on 11 receptions by Tyler Lockett, for Seattle. … Packers running back Aaron Jones rushed for two short scores in undefeated Green Bay’s 27-16 win to keep Denver winless. … Lions kick returner Jamal Agnew had the NFL’s first kickoff return for a touchdown this season, a 100-yarder in the first quarter in Detroit’s 27-24 win over the Eagles. … 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo overcame two interceptions and five San Francisco turnovers — and capitalized on a late fumble at the Pittsburgh 24-yard line by James Conner — to lead the perfect Niners to a 24-20 win on a 5-yard TD toss to Dante Pettis with 1:20 remaining. … Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had an interception and a forced fumble in the first half of his first game with Pittsburgh following a trade from Miami. … Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was 25-for-34 with three touchdowns as Houston held off Philip Rivers (318 yards) and the Chargers, 27-20. … Quarterback Josh Rosen, in his first start for the Dolphins, returned to the game after getting checked in the first half for a possible concussion, finishing 18-for-39 for 200 yards against the Cowboys. … Running backs Ezekiel Elliott (125 yards) and Tony Pollard (103) each rushed for more than 100 yards for the Cowboys (3-0).

Three Stars

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs quarterback

Perhaps we should change this to Three Stars Other Than Mahomes, just to give some other guys a chance to make this list each week. The 2018 league MVP has 1,195 yards, 10 TDs and no picks through three weeks after outdueling Lamar Jackson and the Ravens 33-28.

2. Dalvin Cook, Vikings running back

The NFL’s early rushing leader enjoyed his third straight 100-yard day on the ground, running for 110 yards on 16 carries with a 1-yard TD plunge as Minnesota improved to 2-1 with a 34-14 win over the Raiders.



3. Jacoby Brissett, Colts QB

The Colt continues to shine since Andrew Luck’s sudden preseason retirement, throwing for 310 yards and two scores without an interception as Indianapolis also improved to 2-1 with a 27-24 edging of the Falcons.

Fantasy Insanity

The Madman likes to brag as much as the next guy. But if we’re going to highlight how on-target we were with our Tony Pollard pick (13-for-103 with one TD), we also have to acknowledge how profoundly we missed on Darwin Thompson (4-for-8 rushing with zero passing targets). Instead, Darrel Williams (9-for-62 rushing, 5-for-47 receiving) got our projected Thompson touches.

Those who have Aaron Jones on their fantasy roster are feeling good for a second straight week, following Sunday’s two-TD day. But on closer inspection, there is need to worry. He had just 19 yards on 10 carries, compared to backfield mate Jamaal Williams’ 12-for-59. Williams also was 2-for-27 in the passing game to Jones’ 1-for-4. The disparity in efficiency is just as alarming as the split in workloads.

Julian Edelman left Sunday’s game with a rib injury. Josh Gordon was largely ineffective. Antonio Brown famously is out of the equation. Phillip Dorsett (6-for-53 with a TD Sunday) stands to gain more targets if Edelman misses time.

Quote Of The Day

‘’I’ve got to find a way to get sacks. I’ve got to find a way to do my job. I think nobody’s holding me to a higher standard than myself. It’s just tough. I’ve never liked to lose, ever, since I was a little kid, and I’m still that way now. Even double. It’s a rough patch for us. We’ve just got to find a way to get over the hump.’’

— Von Miller, after the 0-3 Broncos’ defense failed to record a sack or force a turnover for a third straight game.