Gabriel Davis gave Bills fans what they came to see Sunday.
With No. 2 wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders out because of a knee injury, Davis stepped into the starting lineup against the Carolina Panthers and came through in a big way during a 31-14 win at Highmark Stadium.
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Davis finished with five catches for 85 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter that extended the Bills’ lead to 24-8 at the time and provided some much-needed breathing room in a game that, up until that point, was a bit too close for comfort.
“Tremendous. Another game where he showed up and was productive for us,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “I love his mindset. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s tough. And, again, mentally he was working while he was waiting and today I think you saw it again where he produced for us and made some big plays.”
With the win, the Bills set up a showdown next week for first place in the AFC East against the New England Patriots. By the conclusion of Sunday’s games, the Bills held onto the seventh and final spot in the AFC playoffs by the narrowest of margins. At 8-6, Buffalo is ahead of Baltimore, thanks to a stronger record in games against common opponents (3-2 vs. 2-2-1). Things could change Monday, however, as a win by Cleveland against Las Vegas would drop the Bills out of the playoff field.
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There will be plenty of time for that situation to sort itself out.
In the meantime, fans have been clamoring to see more of Davis, who impressed as a rookie in 2020 with 35 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. Playing time this season, however, has been limited by Sanders’ addition. Davis, though, has made the most of his opportunities. He now has touchdowns in three consecutive games and has increased his season totals to 29 catches for 470 yards and six touchdowns.
“I got a lot of trust in him. He continues to make plays,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “He’s a strong, physical dude that again, he wants it. He wants the ball, you know, and it’s good to have those type of guys. You look at Stef (Diggs) and Cole (Beasley) and they want the ball in their hands, too. Unfortunately, there’s only one of them, but guys are just doing their job. And at the end of the day, all we want to do is win games.”
Davis put the nail in the Panthers’ coffin Sunday with a 14-yard touchdown catch just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the first time in his two seasons he’s had multiple touchdowns in a game.
Of his 64 career catches, 13 of them (20.3%) have reached the end zone. Davis is tied for 14th in the NFL in touchdown receptions since entering the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills had to contend with Carolina’s best strength – its two elite speed rushers – with a shuffled offensive line after Dion Dawkins tested positive for Covid-19.
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll “just has a great scheme and he schemes up the right plays for me to be able to get an opportunity to be in the end zone,” Davis said. “They end up turning my way. It’s as simple as that.”
After Sanders got hurt against the Tampa BayBuccaneers in Week 14, Allen looked Davis’ way on a huge fourth-down play in the fourth quarter and also found him in the end zone. It’s clear that the two have a established a strong connection.
“When it comes to practicing with Josh, I just always try to show him he can trust me in certain situations,” Davis said. “That’s what I try to keep doing each and every week. I know when Josh is looking at me, he trusts me to make the play wherever the ball is at.”
Sanders was referred to as being “week to week” by McDermott ahead of the game against Carolina, so there is a possibility he might not be back next week. That means Davis might once again be in the spotlight.
“I mean, if he was frustrated (by a lack of playing time earlier in the season), you couldn’t tell,” Allen said. “He just put his head down. He worked hard. He’s a great teammate. Not once did he complain to anybody. … And when he was asked to make plays throughout the season, he’s been able to make them. You see an increased role, especially with ‘E’ out, and he’s going to have to continue to make plays for us going forward.”
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2. Allen didn’t appear to be slowed by his sprained foot. The Bills’ quarterback was removed from the final injury report after practicing fully Friday, a sign that the team did not think the injury he suffered last Sunday would impact him against Carolina.
It didn’t appear to, as Allen showed his usual scrambling ability. He only attempted one rush (excluding two kneel downs at the end of the game), but it went for a gain of 26 yards to convert a third-and-8 play in the third quarter.
“Felt good,” Allen said of the foot. “Didn’t affect me.”
Allen finished 19 of 34 through the air for 210 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He became the first player in franchise history with more than 30 passing touchdowns in consecutive seasons – he has 31 this year after having 37 in 2020.
“I liked how he settled in after the first series or two,” McDermott said. “We got a good rhythm going, at times. I thought he made some really big-time throws. The scramble on the third-and-6 situation, I think they were in man coverage and Josh saw it and took off with it so that was a big play for us. And, again, just the things you guys don’t see from a leadership standpoint, some things in the locker room before the game, at halftime I thought were big for us also."
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3. Star Lotulelei made his presence felt. The big defensive tackle returned to the lineup after sitting out in Week 14 because of a toe injury. Lotulelei, who is known more for this contributions to the run defense, registered his third sack of the season and first since Week 4 against Houston when he took down Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for a 6-yard loss in the third quarter. Later in the same quarter, Lotulelei stopped Panthers rookie running back Chuba Hubbard after a 1-yard gain on a third-and-3 run play.
4. Dane Jackson briefly left the game in the first quarter. The Bills’ second-year cornerback suffered a stinger on a tackle of Hubbard. Jackson missed the remainder of that defensive series, but returned the next time the Bills’ defense took the field.
5. Jon Feliciano's frustrating season continued Sunday. The Bills placed Feliciano on the NFL's reserve/Covid-19 list just hours before kickoff. He joined starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and reserve linebacker Tyrel Dodson on the list.
Feliciano missed his seventh game of the season. He returned in Week 14, but did not play on offense against the Buccaneers after missing five games on injured reserve because of a strained calf.
“It’s been a rough freaking season,” Feliciano tweeted after the Bills won. “But I’m built for it.”
In response, the Bills promoted offensive lineman Jacob Capra from the practice squad. Capra, 23, is a rookie from San Diego State.
With Feliciano and Dawkins out, the Bills' starting offensive line included Spencer Brown at left tackle, Ike Boettger at left guard, Mitch Morse at center, Cody Ford at right guard and Daryl Williams at right tackle.
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6. Brown had an afternoon to forget. The third-round rookie was tasked with making a late switch to playing left tackle after Dawkins was placed on the Covid-19 list Friday. It did not go well.
Brown took an astounding five penalties against the Panthers – five! Three were for holding, one was a false start and, perhaps most egregious, one was for taunting after a first-down run by Singletary in the fourth quarter.
“That was me being an idiot and hurting my team, quite honestly,” Brown said. “It can’t happen, but that doesn’t matter. We can’t sit here and use the excuse of, ‘Oh, he’s at left tackle and he’s probably new to it.’ ... It hurts the team. It can’t happen and going into the next week if Dion is back, hopefully he is – I don’t know his situation. If not, I’ve got to go into next week and I’ve got to learn how to play left tackle just a little bit better and get the penalties down. Because obviously it hurts teams and kills drives. Can’t happen.”
After the taunting penalty, the Bills briefly took Brown out of the lineup in favor of fellow rookie Tommy Doyle. That benching lasted just two plays, though.
“He’s a good player – a young player for us – and he showed his youth,” McDermott said. “And so I just wanted to settle him down and remind him it was all about the team. I think in the end this will be a good learning opportunity for him.”
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7. The Panthers had to make a big adjustment. Kicker Zane Gonzalez was inured during pregame warmups, and subsequently ruled out for the game because of a right quad injury. Gonzalez had to be helped from the field by long snapper J.J. Jansen and other members of the Panthers’ staff. Gonzalez has made his past 17 field goals.
Without him, Carolina used slot receiver Brandon Zylstra to kick off after a second-quarter touchdown. Instead of attempting an extra point, Carolina went for a two-point conversion, which was successful when Newton connected with receiver D.J. Moore, who played despite being questionable with a hamstring injury.
The Panthers were 1-for-5 on fourth down, including two instances when they were in field goal range.
“It seems like it should be easier, and, in certain ways, it is, but in certain ways, it’s more difficult because you’re not sure what that third-and-7 (play) is going to be,” McDermott said of defending a team without a kicker. “Is it going to be a traditional drop back, or is it going to be the quarterback zone-read stuff? It just puts you in a little bit of a bind defensively, but I thought they handled it well.”
8. A.J. Klein made a big play against his former team. The one thing missing from a complete defensive effort was a takeaway. Klein checked that box with an interception against Newton with just about a minute left. The pick was the fourth of his career and second against the Panthers.
Klein became the 10th Bills defender to make an interception this season, which ties the team with Tampa Bay and Houston for the most individual players to have an interception. It’s the second consecutive year the Bills have had at least 10 defensive players make an interception.
Josh Allen, Gabriel Davis and Devin Singletary led the offense for the Buffalo Bills in a 31-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
9. An ankle injury kept A.J. Epenesa out. The Bills’ second-year defensive end was inactive. Epenesa was a late add to the injury report after suffering an ankle injury. He was listed as questionable after practicing on a limited basis Friday.
Running back Zack Moss was a healthy inactive for the Bills, the third time in the past four games he’s sat without an injury.
10. Old friend Stephon Gilmore had a rough go of it. Gilmore, who signed with the Panthers earlier this season after being released by the Patriots, was beaten in coverage by Stefon Diggs for an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Later in the same quarter, Gilmore jumped offside, turning third an 8 into a more manageable third and 3 for the Bills’ offense.
Defensive end Darryl Johnson Jr., who was traded by the Bills to the Panthers just ahead of final cuts at the end of training camp, was inactive for Carolina.
