Gabriel Davis built a strong case for more playing time Sunday.
The Buffalo Bills’ second-year receiver, who piled up 105 yards on just three catches in a 45-17 rout of the New York Jets, played 30 snaps. That equaled 50.8% of the offensive total.
That’s a season high in play percentage, narrowly topping the 50.6% of plays Davis was in for in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. Given his production, it’s expected that there will be calls for Davis to see the field more in the immediate future.
Here are four more takeaways from the Bills’ snap counts against the Jets:
Matt Breida returned to the lineup and was one of four Bills players who had rushing touchdowns in Sunday’s 45-17 win over the Jets.
1. Matt Breida had an active eight snaps. The Bills’ running back scored a pair of touchdowns – a 15-yard reception in the first quarter and 15-yard rush in the third quarter – and also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, making it feel as if he were on the field a lot more than just the eight snaps (14%) he actually played. Zack Moss, who wasn’t cleared from concussion protocol until Saturday, actually led the running backs with 28 snaps (48%), followed by Devin Singletary (22 snaps, 38%).
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2. Cole Beasley played just nine snaps. Beasley has recently battled through a rib injury. Given his health and the score, the Bills largely kept him off the field in the second half. He finished with two catches for 15 yards in playing 16% of the offensive snaps.
3. Spencer Brown and Dawson Knox were both full go. Brown, the Bills’ rookie right tackle, played all 58 offensive snaps after missing the last two games with a back injury.
“I sensed an intensity and an energy from him,” coach Sean McDermott said. “A young player, let's not put him in the Hall of Fame yet. Please, help me with that. He's a young player that has to continue to learn what it takes to play in this league. He knows that. That humble-and-hungry approach, man, is real. We need to carry that forward next week.”
Knox, meanwhile, played 49 offensive snaps – 84% of the total. He missed two games with a broken hand suffered in Week 6 against Tennessee.
“He completes our offense just in terms of his role and what he means to Josh and I love his unselfish approach as well,” McDermott said.
4. Harrison Phillips stepped up with Star Lotulelei out. Phillips played a season-high 46 snaps, which was 60% of the defensive total, after Lotulelei tested positive for Covid-19 before the game.
Quote of the game
“I think it says a lot about this football team, just the way we came back and bounced back after last week, not just the secondary, not just the defense, our entire football team came ready to play today. … We hear all the stuff that everybody's saying about your team after you take a loss like last week. Nobody panicked. We just came ready to work, came ready to play, 24-hour rule, just like this game. Just like we're going to do going into this week.” – Safety Jordan Poyer
Game ball: Stefon Diggs
The Bills liked the matchup for their No. 1 receiver, and it showed. Quarterback Josh Allen looked Diggs’ way 13 times, matching a season high in targets, and that resulted in eight catches for 162 yards – a career high with the Bills – and one spectacular touchdown catch.
Stat of the game: 9.1
That’s how many yards per play the Bills averaged Sunday – running 54 offensive plays that produced a season-high 489 yards. That's the second-highest single-game yards per play total in team history, trailing only 9.3 yards per play in a game at Seattle on Dec. 23, 2000, when the Doug Flutie-led offense gained 579 yards on 62 plays.
Coming attractions
The Bills will return home for just their second game at Highmark Stadium since Oct. 4 when old friend Frank Reich leads his Indianapolis Colts into town. Here are three things to know about the Colts. …
1. They’re riding a two-game winning streak. The Colts have also won five of seven games after an 0-3 start to even their record at 5-5, but they weren’t overly impressive Sunday against Jacksonville. After gaining 116 yards on their first two drives, the Colts managed just 179 the rest of the way in a 23-17 victory.
2. If he stays healthy, Jonathan Taylor is the likely NFL rushing champion. The Colts’ stud second-year running back is averaging a robust 5.8 yards per carry, with 161 attempts producing 937 yards. Taylor is currently tied with the Titans’ Derrick Henry for the NFL lead in rushing yards, but Henry will miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. They are both more than 200 yards clear of third place on that list – Cleveland’s Nick Chubb (721 yards).
3. Injuries on defense have been a problem. Safety Julian Blackmon, who was having a great year, tore his Achilles ahead of Week 7 and is out for the rest of the season. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes didn’t play against the Jaguars in Week 10 because of a calf injury. Linebacker Darius Leonard, one of the best defensive players in the NFL, has been dealing with an ankle injury, while defensive tackle DeForest Buckner played against Jacksonville despite a back injury.
