The MVP for the Buffalo Bills during their 26-15 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, to many, was wide receiver Stefon Diggs. But was offensive lineman Daryl Williams overlooked?
In his own right, Diggs did have a massive game. He hauled in 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Diggs’ efforts also sparked the team’s turnaround following their poor start.
However, in terms of a consistent, overall outing? Williams is the guy. He faced off against one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers in TJ Watt and left the edge defender uncommonly quiet in the game.
Still, for offensive lineman we have no hard stats to reflect upon like we can for a playmaker. No catches or touchdowns.
Enter Pro Football Focus.
The football analytics outlet took the deep dive on Williams’ game vs. Watt and it looks as impressive as the eye test. Per PFF, Williams only allowed one QB pressure in the game vs. Watt. In terms of these fancy stats, Watt entered the game as PFF’s top-graded edge defender in the NFL.
Since facing Williams, Watt dropped to the second spot. That’s because PFF gave Watt his second-lowest, single-game grade of 2020 against the Bills, a 64.3. That caused Watt’s overall mark on the season to dip to 92.0. Clearly Watt is usually much better, and Williams was a big reason why he struggled.
Along with the analytics, Watt’s usual stats are very impressive as well and that situation also helps put Williams’ big game into context. Watt brought his 12 total sacks and league-leading 19 tackles for loss to Bills Stadium last weekend, but failed to add to either total.
A very good game for Williams, indeed.
For his efforts, Williams’ overall PFF grade on the year jumped from 75.7 to 76.5 following the Bills’ win.
Another former Panther-turned-Bill, Williams has proven to be a consistent performer for Buffalo this year. After signing a one-year deal with the Bills this past offseason, some are starting to wonder if the 28-year-old has earned a long-term extension in Buffalo.
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