Isaiah McKenzie had a field day against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Buffalo Bills’ gadget receiver exploded for 65 yards on six catches, two of which went for touchdowns, in the Bills’ 56-26 win at Bills Stadium. McKenzie wasn’t finished, though, as he also returned a punt 84 yards for another score in the win – Buffalo’s first punt return for a touchdown since Marcus Thigpen against Green Bay on Dec. 14, 2014.
In doing so, he became the first player in the NFL to have at least two receiving touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown in a game since Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill on Sept. 9, 2018 against the Chargers.
"Isaiah is such a joy to have around and he's fun to watch," Bills coach Sean McDermott said. "He's developed so much since he's been here. I think he's just another example of guys coming to Buffalo and becoming the best version of themselves. He's well liked on our team and brings a lot of energy to what we do. I really liked watching him play today."
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McKenzie, who came to the Bills early in the 2018 season off waivers from the Denver Broncos, set a personal high for receiving yards in a game. He also tied his single-game best for catches in becoming just the sixth player in team history to score on offense and special teams in the same game, joining Max Anderson, O.J. Simpson, Greg Jones, Robb Riddick and C.J. Spiller.
The jump Josh Allen has made from his second to third professional season has been nothing short of remarkable, writes Jay Skurski.
"I'm from Miami, so, yeah, I got a lot of text messages, saying, 'Why'd you do that to the Dolphins?' My phone was blowing up," McKenzie said after the win. "I did what I had to do to help the team win, you know?"
McKenzie had an increased role Sunday in part because slot receiver Cole Beasley missed the game with a knee injury. Beasley has been listed as week to week by McDermott, meaning there is a good chance the Bills will need McKenzie again next weekend when they host the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC wild-card playoff game Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
"Whatever they give me, I'm going to take," McKenzie said of the possibility of increased playing time. "Whatever opportunity that comes my way, I'm going to make the best of it. Hopefully, you know, we have (Beasley) back next week. I want him to play. You know, I love the guy, and he's done great things this season, but like they say, 'Next man up.' If I've got to go out there next week and try to do the same thing I did this week, then that's what I've got to do. ... I've got to step up. I've got to make big plays to help the team win."
McKenzie said Beasley has been invaluable over the past two seasons in helping him grow as a receiver.
"When I went out there to play today, he couldn't be out there with us, but I did what he taught me," McKenzie said. "I used every single bit of information he had given me before the game, and it helped me out a lot. Just reading coverages, being patient on my routes, when to run fast, when to slow things down. I feel like the game for him just moves a little bit slower. He's been in the league for a while, so he knows how to maneuver coverage and things like that, so he's just been teaching me all season, how to get open, when to be patient, when to just go. He taught me a lot. There's a lot of different ways to get open and he's shown that. Today, I tried to put some of that to work for me. It worked out for me well."
McKenzie has enough energy for three players. He makes himself heard on the sideline and in the locker room, so to see him get in the end zone three times had his teammates going wild.
“It was crazy," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "That’s our brother and to see that kid, he’s full of excitement all day, every day. To watch him dance after any score … just a solid kid, man. He walks around with so much energy, so much juice. I’m happy for him. Blessed. Wonderful dude, on and off the field. It’s amazing to honestly see everybody win and everybody just shine. It’s a great time to be a Buffalo Bill.”
2. The Bills played it safe with a few key veterans. Cornerback Tre'Davious White and defensive ends Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison were healthy inactives – a move seemingly designed to give them added rest ahead of next week's wild-card playoff game.
In Hughes’ case, being inactive ended a streak of 146 consecutive games played for the veteran defensive end. Hughes had not missed a game since coming to the Bills in 2013. His streak was second longest in the NFL among defensive ends, behind only New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan, who has played 159 consecutive games. Hughes had also started 66 straight games, behind only Jordan’s 144.
By sitting Hughes and Addison, the Bills activated veteran Trent Murphy for the first time since Week 10.
3. Tyler Kroft’s frustrating season continued. The Bills’ tight end was placed on the league’s reserve/Covid-19 list Saturday. It’s his second time being placed on the list this season – he also missed the Week 10 game at Arizona after being deemed a high-risk close contact of cornerback Josh Norman. Kroft’s wife, Lexi, questioned the decision to place her husband on the Covid-19 list.
“Hey NFL, this now the 2nd time we’ve been put on the Covid list and don’t have Covid,” she tweeted. “After being pulled out of a game for giving a 5-minute ride to a teammate (with masks on), we’ve been beyond vigilant to protect ourselves and newborn daughter.
“Before getting ruled out and releasing a false positive test to the world, can we actually review the now 5 negative tests (including PCR) that immediately followed before this decision was made? Missing 2 games for something we don’t have is beyond ridiculous.”
4. Jordan Poyer missed out on a big bonus. The Bills’ safety came into the game needing one interception to give him three for the season. Poyer’s contract contains a $250,000 bonus for at least three interceptions. He wasn’t able to get the pick he needed, though, before being removed in the game in the third quarter along with fellow safety Micah Hyde and linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano.
Later in the quarter, safety Dean Marlowe picked off Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his first career interception.
In the fourth quarter, Marlowe added another interception when Tagovailoa airmailed his intended receiver. Marlowe became the first Bills player since Tre’Davious White against Pittsburgh in 2019 to have two interceptions in a game.
5. Ty Nsekhe was a late scratch. The Bills’ veteran swing tackle was added to the injury report with an illness. That left the team with just seven healthy offensive linemen – the usual starters, from left to right: Dion Dawkins, Ike Boettger, Mitch Morse, Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams – as well as Ryan Bates and Brian Winters. After halftime, Bates replaced Dawkins and Winters replaced Feliciano.
6. The Bills’ nickel cornerbacks got shaken up. Taron Johnson was slow to get up after being involved in a tackle in the first quarter. Johnson was able to return to the lineup on the next defensive possession. In the third quarter, reserve nickel back Siran Neal was evaluated for a head injury after being involved in a collision. That led to Johnson coming back into the game.
7. Antonio Williams scored his first two career touchdowns. Williams, an undrafted rookie running back from North Carolina who bounced on and off the practice squad several times early in the season, got called up to the active roster Saturday. He made the most of his opportunity, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the second half. Williams’ first score came with 13:44 remaining, when he scored on an 18-yard run. He scored again less than 2 minutes later on a 2-yard rush, becoming the Bills’ first undrafted rookie since at least 1970 to rush for two touchdowns in a game. Williams finished with 63 yards on 12 carries.
With Williams called up, the Bills made No. 3 running back Taiwan Jones inactive. Rookie quarterback Jake Fromm was also inactive, as he has been all year. The Bills’ other inactive player Sunday was Reggie Gilliam. The Rookie tight end has missed the past two games with knee and hamstring injuries.
8. Tyler Bass set a team record. With eight – count ’em, eight – extra points, the Bills’ rookie kicker reached 141 points for the season. That broke the team record held by Steve Christie in the 1998 season.
"I had no idea going in," Bass said. "I didn’t know about it until one of the last drives and Matt Barkley came up to me and said we’ve got to get you one more. I was like why? And he told me why and then I started to put the pieces together. I didn’t know, but now I know. It’s super humbling and grateful that I’m able to do my job. Big shout outs to (punter Corey Bojorquez) holding, (long snapper) Reid (Ferguson) with great snaps, the guys up front, Josh Allen and the offense doing all that scoring. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to do it."
9. Joe Schoen is on the Panthers' radar. Carolina has requested permission to interview Schoen, the Bills' assistant general manager, for their GM vacancy, according to NFL Network. Schoen spent seven years in Carolina's scouting department, where he broke into the NFL as an intern.
The Panthers' initial requests also include Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio and Browns Vice President of Football Operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, with more requests to come, per the report.
Before coming to Buffalo, Schoen was the Dolphins' player personnel director and was the first front office hire made by Brandon Beane when he became Bills GM in 2017. Beane and Schoen worked together for the Panthers.
Schoen spent eight years in various roles with the Dolphins after leaving the Panthers.
10. The Bills have something in common with the Patriots. Buffalo gained 24 first downs. In so doing, they joined the 2012 Patriots as the only teams in NFL history to have at least 20 first downs in all 16 games. There was one record the Bills missed out on, though, that left quarterback Josh Allen disappointed. The Bills finished the year with 13 different receivers making touchdown catches – which tied the NFL record. They were unable to set the record on their own Sunday.
"There was one that I did value more than any other and it’s the touchdowns to 13 (different receivers). We have 13 now. I wish we could have gotten one more," Allen said. "That would have been really cool to have. That just shows the guys are capable of coming in here and scoring touchdowns. It doesn’t matter who – it can be a left tackle, it could be a right tackle, could be a tight end or running back or any receiver we put out there. That one’s really cool just knowing we’re getting everyone involved."
