AFC Notes: Von Miller, Tua Tagovailoa, Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

• Tim Graham reports that Bills LB Von Miller being inactive was a coach’s decision and not due to any injury setbacks or legal developments.
• Ben Volin reports that while Miller was a healthy scratch, he is still dealing with knee issues. 
• Bills OL Spencer Brown was fined $7,159 for unnecessary roughness and CB Taron Johnson was fined $21,855 for unnecessary roughness.

Dolphins

• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out against the Ravens with a shoulder injury, which he says is fine before adding he is just experiencing soreness. (Adam Beasley)
• Tua on where the team stands after their loss to Baltimore: “Things could be worse. We are right where we need to be as a team regardless of the outcome. Hopefully, we see these guys again. We have a trust. We have a bond. We have a camaraderie.” (Joe Schad)
• Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel on the injury sustained by OLB Bradley Chubb, who is feared to have torn his ACL and will undergo an MRI: “In hindsight of course I wouldn’t have wanted Bradley out there if we had known. I understand why it doesn’t look very smart at all. There are times in football games where it’s not about (the score) but about finishing the football game. Hats off to the Ravens for taking it to us.” (Joe Schad)
• McDaniel on CB Xavien Howard: “We’re not sure what the foot injury is yet.” (Schad)
• Dolphins WR Cedrick Wilson was fined $16,391 for unnecessary roughness.

Patriots

Patriots veterans DT Davon Godchaux and WR Matthew Slater weighed in on the state of the team, noting that they are more than just a 4-11 record this season.

“I’ve been a part of bad teams before. I don’t think we’re a bad team, but our record says otherwise,” Godchaux said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “We have a lot of great players who can do a lot of great things around here, but it just hasn’t been our season.I was talking to someone the other day and they were telling me, ‘The Patriots dominated over a two-decade period. Not accepting that it’s a bad season, but it’s OK to have a bad season. To have one really bad year to rebuild and regroup, it happens sometimes.’ You see guys still battling. It’s that pride we have.”

“When you think about bad teams, I think they have infighting, guys that aren’t committed, guys that don’t want to work hard, guys that don’t appreciate their opportunity or like each other. We don’t have that here,” Slater added. “We have guys that have great perspective on what it means to play in this league. They value their opportunities and cherish one another. I feel and believe we’ve competed each and every week. We go into every game believing we can win this game, so it is a funny thing because you feel all that would add up to different results. It just hasn’t. That’s unfortunate. I’m proud to be part of this group, which has shown a lot of resolve, a lot of character. It’s just the way the cookie has crumbled for us this year. We’re a younger team. For a lot of years around here, we had some very established veterans who had a lot of success and that kind of permeated. I think now we’re really younger and still learning, and that’s OK. That’s part of the process. I think we’ve embraced that process and ultimately we’re going to get it turned around.”

• Patriots QB Bailey Zappe after his poor performance on Sunday: “We’re playing good we’re just not putting two halves together. … Take away those four turnovers and who knows what happens.” (Chad Graff)
• Patriots HC Bill Belichick on why OT Trent Brown did not play: “We activated the players we wanted to play.” (Zack Cox)
• Mike Giardi reports that there was belief Brown could have returned to the game but was protecting himself and his future earnings in a season without the promise of a postseason.