Poor Justin Simmons.
The Denver Broncos’ star free safety was in position in the back end of a two-deep safety coverage in the second quarter when the Buffalo Bills ran a Cover 2 beater – a skinny post down the middle.
Simmons saw it coming. He made a break on the ball to try to defend Bills receiver Jake Kumerow. He lunged for it. He was two steps too short.
Josh Allen ripped a fastball down the middle of the field that would have made Baseball Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson proud.
It went for a 22-yard touchdown on a second-and-goal play, and it gave the Bills a 21-7 lead.
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“There’s a lot of times in this league where you’ve got to mark it up as an L and move onto the next play,” said the Bills’ Micah Hyde, giving a safety’s perspective. “That throw was just stupid. He put it on a line. He put it right in his chest. I don’t think anybody on our team, even a lineman, could have dropped that.”
Here’s a breakdown of key plays from the Bills’ 48-19 victory, starting with arguably the most impressive pass by Allen.
Hundred-mph fastball. Denver head coach Vic Fangio likes to play two deep safeties with man coverage underneath.
The Broncos showed their two-deep look before the snap, with Simmons on the back left and Kareem Jackson on the back right.
Allen knew where he was going right from the shotgun snap. He looked to the right sideline, where Gabriel Davis was running a deep go route.
That kept Simmons from squeezing the middle of the field. The second-team All-Pro safety had to hold his ground in case Allen went for Davis. Jackson had his eyes looking to Stefon Diggs, who was running down the left sideline.
Kumerow, lined up on the inside slot on the left side, caught the ball just over the goal line.
“It’s hard to even be impressed now; it’s more expected,” Bills receiver Cole Beasley said. “He’s been doing it all year now.”
“That was another one of those dimes he drops,” Beasley said. “It was right on the money right where you want it. The guy can just throw it all over the place.”
Kumerow became the 13th Bill to catch a touchdown pass this season. That’s a team record, and it tied an NFL record for any team in a single season.
It also was the first catch as a Bill for Kumerow, 28, who was cut by Green Bay just before the start of the regular season. (Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said several weeks ago he had lobbied unsuccessfully for the Packers to keep Kumerow.)
Kumerow, 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, started his college career at Illinois, then transferred to Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater and became a huge star for coach Lance Leipold, now at the University at Buffalo.
Kumerow spent two seasons with Cincinnati, but never caught a pass. Over the previous two seasons in Green Bay, he played in 19 games, catching 20 passes and two for touchdowns.
The other Bills with TD catches this season are: Diggs, Beasley, Davis, Zack Moss, Allen, Tyler Kroft, Isaiah McKenzie, Dawson Knox, John Brown, Lee Smith, Reggie Gilliam and T.J. Yeldon.
Don't miss Mark Gaughan's quarter by quarter look at the Buffalo Bills' 48-19 victory over the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday.
Blitz at your peril. Allen burned a blitz when he ran 24 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a 14-0 lead.
The Broncos again were in a two-deep look with man coverage underneath. They sent five rushers at the quarterback.
Simmons was cheating toward Diggs, who was running down the right sideline. Jackson was cheating toward the left sideline, where Davis was running deep, and Beasley ran an out route.
That left the middle of the field wide open. Gilliam ran up the right seam, and his coverage man, Alijah Holder, fell down as Allen sprinted up the middle of the field.
It was an easy score and the longest run of the season for Allen.
“Josh Allen is a great quarterback,” said Fangio. “He’s right up there with the best in the league.”
Supreme window dressing. The Bills’ first touchdown, a 9-yard pass from Allen to Knox, was another beautiful and intricate design by coordinator Brian Daboll.
Allen was in pistol formation with Moss to his left. Diggs motioned into the backfield to a set position to Allen’s right.
The Buffalo Bills’ star receiver entered Saturday’s game against the Denver Broncos needing a single catch to set the franchise single-season record. Diggs got it on the very first offensive play.
So now the Bills had a two-back look. At the snap, Diggs sprinted to the left, as if he was about to receive a screen pass. The offensive line stepped to the left as if to block for Diggs.
Allen rolled the other direction, to his right, and took a quick glance toward Diggs. There were a lot of orange jerseys heading toward the Bills’ No. 14. So Allen kept rolling right. He pumped, looking at Davis running a crossing route to the right.
Instead, Allen picked Knox, who had a good matchup against cornerback De’Vante Bausby. Knox easily pushed the smaller Bausby’s arms out of the way and hauled in an on-target pass from Allen.
Nice design.
“Give Buffalo credit,” Fangio said. “They’re a really good football team.”
Red-zone winner. Allen showed just how hard he is to defend near the goal line on his second touchdown run, a 1-yarder that gave the Bills a 28-13 lead.
It was another trick play. The Bills had three tight ends on the field, plus an extra offensive lineman.
Allen took the snap and did a half roll to the right before looking to make a throwback to the far left. That’s where tackle Ty Nsekhe was running in the flat. But Denver defensive end Bradley Chubb wasn’t fooled and covered Nsekhe.
No problem. Denver linebacker Malik Reed was in the backfield with Allen dead in his sights. But Allen was too fast for Reed. The Bills QB outran him to the far right pylon.
“Josh is making plays,” said Hyde. “He’s a competitor. I’ve loved to see the evolution of Josh.”
