Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 27-17 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Running game: C-
In two words: Not pretty. Quarterback Josh Allen was the team’s leading rusher, carrying a career-high 14 times and gaining 57 yards. Allen scored on a 2-yard bootleg in the first quarter, his 18th career rushing touchdown, but he also lost two fumbles. The combination of Devin Singletary and rookie Zack Moss failed to get anything going. Singletary finished with just 30 yards on nine carries, while Moss had just 11 yards on his nine carries. “We just tried to do what the game gave us,” Moss said. “We had some plays where we had a little space and some plays where we didn't. Very, very good Jets front line that we faced this week coming in. So definitely going to continue to get better as we continue going on with the season.” That will be a must against better opponents.
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Passing game: A
Josh Allen’s final stats – 33 of 46 for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns – look better on paper than they did as the game unfolded. Allen missed a wide-open John Brown in the end zone for what should have been an easy touchdown in the second half, and a better throw to Cole Beasley on a completion might have resulted in another score if the receiver didn’t have to go to the ground to make the catch. This was easily a net positive for Allen, though, as the third-year quarterback topped 300 yards for the first time. Allen showed terrific pocket awareness, frequently making the first defender miss to buy more time. As expected, Stefon Diggs was busy, making eight catches on nine targets for 86 yards. When defenses pay Diggs extra attention, John Brown is going to benefit, as he did Sunday with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Run defense: A
No Star Lotulelei? No Vernon Butler? No problem in the season opener. The Bills held the Jets to just 52 yards on 15 carries. That included just 14 yards for Le’Veon Bell on six carries – an excellent job against one of the league’s better running backs. The Jets’ longest run was just eight yards. In the first quarter, before the game got away from the Jets, the Bills held New York to just 14 yards on six carries. That’s how to make a team one-dimensional. Newcomer A.J. Klein tied for the team lead with five tackles. Defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Harrison Phillips made one tackle for loss each.
Pass defense: A
The Bills made Sam Darnold look ordinary. The third overall pick of the 2018 draft finished 21 of 35 for 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The only big play allowed by the Bills – a 69-yard screen pass from Darnold to Jamison Crowder – was schemed well – Tremaine Edmunds just blew the tackle. With no Josh Norman in the lineup, Levi Wallace got the start and did not look out of place. Tre’Davious White nearly had an interception on one of the few times he was challenged. Linebacker Matt Milano had the interception of Darnold, making a terrific, leaping play in front of Crowder before Milano left the game with a hamstring injury.
Special teams: C
Rookie kicker Tyler Bass went 2 for 4 on field goals and made all three of his extra points – an uneven start to his career, at best. His struggles brought the overall grade down in a big way. Return man Andre Roberts was one of the unsung heroes. He totaled 69 yards on five punt returns – a sparkling average of 13.8 yards per attempt – and also gained 31 yards on one kick return. Roberts routinely gave the Bills’ offense decent field position. With better blockers in front of him this season, he’s poised to break one soon. Corey Bojorquez was only called on to punt once, but it was a good one – 53 yards with no return. Rookie receiver Gabriel Davis took a facemask penalty on a punt return, which pushed the offense back.
Coaching: B
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll relied on Allen’s legs – a lot. Allen’s ability to gain yards with his legs is a definite asset, but exposing him to as many hits as he took is a recipe for disaster. If Allen runs on short yardage or as the result of a scramble, fine, but the read-option stuff went overboard against the Jets. What should have been a 35-0 game at halftime and an easy win became something of a nail-biter in the second half. I loved Sean McDermott going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Jets’ 48-yard line early in the second quarter. More of that aggressiveness, please. No issues with clock management or challenge usages to speak of.
