Tag: AJ Klein

Instant analysis: Bills stay in control enough to top Chargers

Instant analysis of the Buffalo Bills’ Week 12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

It wasn’t a super pretty victory, but the Buffalo Bills took control and knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers 27-17 in Week 12. Buffalo (8-3) made the right plays at the right times to add another W to the win column.

It was a game that the Bills were expected to win. The Chargers (3-8) have found a multitude of ways to fall short this year. Entering the game 3-7, Los Angeles was sliding farther away from any sort of playoff contention. Meanwhile, the Bills were looking to add to their AFC East lead. Buffalo needed to get back into the win column after their last-second loss to the Cardinals. It all fell into place Sunday afternoon for the Bills.

Buffalo’s offense was solid. There weren’t many big plays, but the unit moved steadily throughout the game. Quarterback Josh Allen’s stat line was fairly pedestrian but for the most part, he did a good job at moving the offensive unit along. He fumbled once and forced an interception. However, he made several nice throws and ran adequately when necessary. Allen ended the day 18-of-24 passing for 157 yards. He added 32 yards on the ground, including a rushing touchdown that culminated in a dive for the pylon.

Allen found tight end Dawson Knox in the back of the end zone on the team’s first drive of the game. The Bills second touchdown of the game was a bit unorthodox, but the play design by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was perfect. Wide receiver Cole Beasley came in motion behind Allen. Allen tossed the ball to Beasley, who then threw a dart to the end zone finding fellow receiver Gabriel Davis.

Buffalo’s run game found some positive momentum in the contest, as Devin Singletary ran for 82 yards on 11 carries and Zack Moss totaled 59 yards on nine carries. The offensive line had a much stronger game creating holes for the ground game.

The defense did a good job at limiting the Chargers offense from gaining any solid footing. Outside of the two Los Angeles touchdown drives, there wasn’t much to write home about for the Chargers. The Bills defense held the Los Angeles run game to only 76 yards on 24 carries.

While Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert totaled 316 yards through the air, it didn’t seem like a strong day for the rookie. Buffalo’s defense forced several incompletions due to their pass rush. In addition, the secondary allowed only one big play through the air, a 55-yard late in the game that didn’t end up harming the Bills.

Defensively, linebacker AJ Klein continued his impressive play over the past few weeks. The veteran totaled 14 tackles (10 solo), three tackles for loss, two passes defended, a sack-and-a-half. Tre’Davious White recorded an interception, as he came off his receiver and cut off a pass over the middle of the field.

Buffalo was helped by the coaching decisions of Anthony Lynn as well. The former Buffalo offensive coordinator called time outs at odd times lost faith in his special teams unit and struggled with clock management all afternoon. The final moments of the game were a microcosm of the afternoon. The Chargers completed a deep pass down the middle of the field. With the clock running down, Los Angeles called a run play, which squandered precious time on the field. Meanwhile, the Chargers tried to run on the final play of the game. Buffalo’s defensive line smoked the Chargers in the trenches, giving the Bills a 10-point victory.

While it wasn’t a perfect game for the Bills, it was one where they always felt like they were in control. Buffalo’s coaches made the right play calls at the best times. Meanwhile, all units played well enough to keep everything in order for the Bills.

The Bills take on the San Francisco 49ers next week in primetime action and cane hopefully build off this momentum. Buffalo will need to clean up some of their errors, but overall, if they can win by two scores and not play the perfect game, it’s promising moving forward for the squad.

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Bills LB AJ Klein hasn’t been listening to any outside noise

Buffalo Bills LB AJ Klein on his career-day in Week 9 vs. the Seattle Seahawks.

Bills safety Micah Hyde had the summarization about linebacker AJ Klein that’s been heard around the world… or at least western New York… following Buffalo’s 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.

Klein’s performance was a good game… then Hyde put the bar a lot higher, as he said Klein played “the game of his life.”

And for what it’s worth, Hyde might be right.

Klein had five tackles, one for loss, two sacks, four QB hurries, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and even a pass breakup. Klein also had two stand-up tackles in the game, one of which was on third-and-1, leading to a fourth-down attempt by Seattle which ended up going down as a Jordan Poyer interception.

What a game, especially considering the reviews of Klein were pretty harsh throughout the first half of the season from both fans and analysts alike. Heading into Week 8, Klein was graded as Pro Football Focus’ 81st best linebacker in the NFL out of 92 qualifying players.

But good news for the Bills, those low-star reviews on Klein’s hypothetical Amazon page played no part in his mindset. Following the win, Klein said via video conference that he didn’t listen to any of those critics and he just tried to play his game… which he did in gold-star fashion.

“I don’t pay attention to any of that stuff,” Klein said. “I’m glad that those sacks and those plays came up. I think that’s part of the mentality, that we went into this week knowing that we were going to have opportunities to get after Russell (Wilson). We didn’t want to let him get comfortable.”

“It’s a good feeling when you go out and preform like this,” Klein added. “I know I can play football.”

Of all those plays, certainly his forced fumble/ recovery combo was the most impressive late in the game, helping cement his team’s win. That was a effort was even something defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier had to acknowledge on Monday via video conference when discussing his team’s efforts.

“A terrific effort by AJ,” Frazier said. “Probably the most impressive sack was the one where he had the awareness to recover the ball and set our offense up with points. That was a huge play in the game,”

While a promising outing, the Bills do really need more of this from Klein. If all goes according to plan, linebacker Matt Milano, who’s battling a pectoral injury, will get back into the lineup later on this year. However, Milano’s landed on the Bills’ injured reserve list due to that injury. No one can be sure how long Milano will be out, but Klein will be starting for him in at least the next two games… so the veteran linebacker needs to build on this.

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Instant analysis: Bills get their statement vs. Seahawks

Instant analysis of Buffalo Bills win over Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.

For the second time this season, the Buffalo Bills took on an NFC West opponent at Bills Stadium and started the game on fire. For the second time, things were a bit closer than they needed to be mid-game. Just like the matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills came away with a victory over an interconference rival, this time besting the Seattle Seahawks 44-34.

The opening kickoff started the excitement for the Bills. Kick returner Andre Roberts received the kick in the middle of the end zone. Instead of taking a knee, Roberts busted out with a 60-yard kick return. From there, it was apparent the Bills game plan on offense.

It took only three offensive plays for the Bills to find the end zone for the first time. Allen was perfect on three passes, culminating with a 25-yard pass to Isaiah McKenzie. Buffalo would go on to score on their next three possessions, as Tyler Kroft and Gabriel Davis were on the receiving end of Josh Allen passes. Tyler Bass added a field goal as well, and Buffalo went into halftime with a 24-10 lead.

Allen was stellar in the first half of the game, going 24-of-28 for 282 passing yards, and the aforementioned three touchdown passes. It was apparent that the aerial attack would be the focal point, as the Seahawks entered the game with the worst pass defense in the league. Still, it was surprising and somewhat refreshing, to see the Bills push the ball down the field through the air and only rush the ball three times in the first half.

The Bills had a bit of a second-half swoon, as the Seahawks produced some big plays through the air to keep the game close. However, Buffalo’s defense went blitz-heavy and ended up forcing four Seattle turnovers.

Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer picked off Willson. In addition, AJ Klei and Jerry Hughes forced fumbles from Wilson. AJ Klein had him most effective day as a Bill, sacking Wilson twice and recovering a fumble on a sack he forced. Hughes, Mario Addition, and Tremaine Edmunds added sacks on the day. The Bills also recorded 16 knockdowns of Wilson, a season-high for NFL teams.

It was impressive watching the Bills find their swag on offense again, as it seemed Allen and company had little problem finding receivers in open space. Stefon Diggs caught nine passes for 118 receiving yards, while John Brown had a big game reeling in eight passes for 99 receiving yards.

Isaiah McKenzie, Tyler Kroft, and Gabriel Davis were on the receiving end of passes from Allen. Zack Moss added a short touchdown on the ground as well. The depth of Buffalo overwhelmed the Seattle defense all game.

And while Buffalo’s defense gave up some sizable chunks of yards through the air, they were able to shut things down when it mattered the most. The four forced turnovers essentially kept Seattle from making this an even closer game.

Buffalo took another step closer to winning their first divisional crown in 25 years. They are 7-2 for the first time since 1993. At this point, the Bills should be thinking of moving out of the No. 4 spot in the playoff standings, as performances like this will have them trending toward the top of the conference.

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Bills vs. Seahawks: 6 things to watch for and a prediction

Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks thing to watch for and a prediction for Week 9.

The Buffalo Bills enter their Week 9 meeting with two-straight wins over AFC East opposition. Now they’ll move onto a team from across the conference and country as the NFC West’s Seattle Seahawks head to Bills Stadium on Sunday.

The Bills (6-2) have a tall task against the Seahawks (6-1) and even though it’s not a conference game, let alone a divisional one, it’d still be an important win.

With that, here are six things to watch for and a prediction ahead of Week 9’s Bills-Seahawks contest:

Should the Bills have made a move at the trade deadline?

Evaluating the 2020 NFL trade deadline for the Buffalo Bills.

The Buffalo Bills were sitting at 6-2 as the NFL trade deadline expired with the team not making any sort of changes. That may have come as a surprise due to the fact that the team’s general manager, Brandon Beane, has a reputation of being one of the best general managers in the NFL.

The Bills have problems that’s a fact, so let’s take a look at a few of these problems, how severe they are, and if the anything could have been addressed at the trade deadline:

Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Pass rush

The Bills have recorded 19 sacks this season, which is tied for ninth in the league, but they aren’t generating consistent pressure. According to Pro Football Reference, the Bills have only hurried opposing quarterbacks 16 times, which is tied for 30th . They have also only hurried the quarterback on 5.4% of dropbacks, which is tied for last in the league (Titans). To put this into more context, the Steelers, the league leader in both categories, have hurried the quarterback 38 times, which means they’re hurrying the quarterback on 13.9% of their plays. Per PFF, the Steelers have generated the most pressure on opposing quarterbacks per dropback, at an outstanding 33.9% of passes. The Bills on the other hand are sitting at 19th in the league by generating pressure on 19.2% of dropbacks.

So could this have been addressed via trade? Yes.

The Ravens acquired premier pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Vikings. The Ravens sent over a 2021 third-round pick  and a 2020 fifth rounmder. Since 2016 Ngakoue has had 42.5 sacks, the Ravens spent pennies on the dollar for one of the best pass rushers in the league.

Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley/ Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Pass catchers

When the  Bills traded for Stefon Diggs in the offseason their receiving corps looked infallible.  The trio of Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown had the potential to be the best trio of receivers in the NFL, but halfway through the season it hasn’t quite panned out. Diggs has lived up to his billing so far though. He’s second in the NFL with 695 receiving yards, he’s caught 54 passes, and has three receiving touchdowns.

The rest of the receivers haven’t been up to snuff. Brown, the Bills’ No. 1 receiver from last season, has just 15 catches for 215 yards, and two touchdowns. In most games, Brown is a non-factor with the likes of Gabe Davis, Beasley, and tight en Tyler Kroft out performing the speedster. Speaking of Davis, he had a bright start to start the season, but in the last four games he has been another non-factor. Receivers haven’t been the only disappointment though, Buffalo’s tight ends haven’t produced consistently.

The two starting tight ends, Dawson Knox and Kroft, have just 211 yards and two touchdowns combined. If Buffalo wants to contend they will need to see more production from their tight ends and the rest of their receivers.

Could this have been fixed at the trade deadline? Yes and no.

While this is a cop-out answer, this is due to that not many pass catchers were traded during the regular season. But receiver John Ross III of the Cincinnati Bengals tweeted that he requested a trade from the team.

https://twitter.com/WatchJRoss/status/1322268384118083586

If Buffalo wanted to make a splash, they could have added the disgruntled receiver.

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Report card: Bills top Patriots, 24-21

Report card for the Buffalo Bills’ Week 8 win over the New England Patriots, 24-21.

Ironically enough, the Buffalo Bills did something we’re not used to in a very familiar fashion on Sunday in Week 8. The Bills topped the New England Patriots 24-21, but in doing so, they looked the same as they have in recent weeks.

Against the lowly Jets, the Bills didn’t put a touchdown up in Week 7. Then against a now 2-5 Pats team, the Bills let a lesser foe hang around once again.

So how did the Bills look in that one? Here’s Bills Wire’s Week 8 report card following Buffalo’s win over New England:

5 takeaways from the Bills’ 24-21 win over the Patriots

Takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 24-21 win over the New England Patriots.

The Buffalo Bills officially control their own fate in the AFC East. The New England Patriots did not come to town in Week 8 leading the division. They aren’t even in second place.

Still, after you dominate the AFC East for nearly two decades, there’s always that thought in the back of your mind. But following a 24-21 win to bring the Bills to 6-2 on the season and drop the Patriots to 2-5, that’s not the case anymore. The Pats hopes for a divisional crown are essentially dead now.

With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Patriots in Week 8:

Bills defensive tackle Justin Zimmer. (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)

Game-saving Zimmer

The Bills were saved by Justin Zimmer in this one, no doubt about it.

In a game that was much closer than it needed to be, Zimmer cemented his place on the Bills roster for awhile. As time was expiring, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was leading a drive that appeared destined to end with points, but then the defensive tackle knocked the ball and game out of Newton’s hand. On a carry to the left side of the field where the Pats ran a couple of rushes in a row, Zimmer tackled Newton from behind and knocked the ball out, forcing a fumble. Safety Dean Marlowe then scooped up the ball with 30 seconds left and Buffalo iced the game from there.

Had the game gone to overtime, much of the momentum would have been with the Patriots. Plus there’s that whole coin-flip thing… in the most literal sense. The NFL’s overtime is dumb. If the Pats win a coin toss, they could’ve won the game. Instead, the Bills took the win in regulation and completed their stranglehold on the AFC East by topping the Patriots.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Chiefs

Takeaways from Buffalo Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.

The Buffalo Bills hoped to bounce back after their first loss of the year last week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Instead, anything but that happened as the Chiefs handed a 26-17 loss to the Bills in Week 6.

The Bills offense didn’t put enough up on the scoreboard again, but most fingers will still point toward the defense, and deservedly so. Earlier this season, one could feel confident that this side of the ball would turn it around. Not so much anymore. What happened to this elite unit?

With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ loss to the Chiefs:

Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

This run defense stinks

There’s not really a nicer way to say it: Buffalo’s run defense… stinks.

In the early portions of the season, the Bills offense was so strong that opposing offenses had to quit running the ball early in games. Because of that, Buffalo’s defense was technically a top-10 unit against the run this season through the first four games. But actually looking at it, in terms of yards per carry, the Bills haven’t been good stopping the run at all this year.

Against the Chiefs, it might’ve hit rock bottom. It’s a good thing that Le’Veon Bell wasn’t allowed to play in this one… not that he was even needed, though. Rookie rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire started the game with 60 yards on his first six carries alone. By halftime, Edwards-Helaire was up to 94 yards rushing. Overall, Edwards-Helaire had a massive 161 rushing yards.

But it wasn’t just Edwards-Helaire. Darrell Williams had just as strong of a game, which included a rushing touchdown on fourth and inches from 13 yards out. He wasn’t even touched on the play. It ended up being just the fourth time an Andy Reid coached team had 200-plus yards rushing in a game, as the Chiefs put up 245 yards, in total, on the ground. So much for Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball all over the place?

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Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Dolphins

Josh Allen and co. impressed against Miami in their week two victory

The Bills 31-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins had a little bit of everything: a power outage, a lightning delay, a goal line stand, and Josh Allen throwing for over 400 yards. At times, Buffalo looked electric on offense, with Allen hitting different receivers in different parts of the field. That was reflected in the first half as the team jumped out to a 17-10 lead before halftime. As the Bills offense started to get into gear, their defense bottomed out. Dolphins quarterback, and Bills fan favorite, Ryan Fitzpatrick ripped the Bills secondary to shreds, throwing for more than 300 yards. 

The Bills relied on Allen, Stefon Diggs, and theior offensive weapons to win them the game in Miami, and they delivered. That’s new and that’s great.

Now let’s look at who performed, and who hindered the Bills vs. the Dolphins in this week’s stock report: 

Stock up

Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Allen 

In two consecutive weeks  Allen leads the charge for the Bills. Last week, he threw for a career-high 312 yards and contributed three touchdowns. This week, he threw for a staggering 417 yards and four touchdowns. Allen looked crisp from the jump, hitting the likes of Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown in the center of the park, gashing the Dolphins in the process. In Buffalo’s Week 1 victory, most of Allen’s completions came within 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. This week he was pushing the ball downfield, hitting receivers John Brown, and Isiah McKenzie for over 40-yard gains. 

While completing 68.5 percent of his throws, and throwing for four touchdowns, Allen is putting up some impressive numbers early in the season, let’s see if he can extend this run against a tougher Rams defense in week three. 

Stefon Diggs

Here’s another familiar face from last week. Diggs had a nice game against the Jets, but against the ‘Fins he had a miraculous game. The receiver had eight catches, for 153 yards, and one touchdown, his first with the Bills. Whenever Allen needed a big play he looked toward his new target, and for the most part, he delivered. Whether it was on third down, or starting a drive, Allen threw it Diggs way, and the Dolphins didn’t have an answer. 

Diggs will have a massive challenge lining up against cornerback Jalen Ramsey against the Rams in Week 3, but he will definitely be up to the challenge and that’s going to be one of the best battles to watch this season. 

John Brown 

Brown continued his streak of strong performances in a Bills uniform, with five catches, 82 yards, and one touchdown. His highlight catch was a 49-yard touchdown reception, where he lived up to his nickname ‘Smoke’ in that he completely smoked Miami’s secondary with his underrated speed. Miami seemed overly concerned about Diggs, leaving Brown with one-on-one matchups throughout the game. Allen and Brown exploited those matchups giving Buffalo big plays throughout the contest. 

Ever since the offseason acquisition of Diggs, pundits have made claims that the Bills could have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league, and through Week 2 they’re living up to the hype. 

Tyrel Dodson 

In a week where the Bills missed their two starting linebackers, Tyrel Dodson had to fill the void left by Tremaine Edmunds, and for the most part he stepped up. Dodson was one of the vocal leaders on defense, and also third on the team in tackles with eight. While he doesn’t have the athleticism or length of Edmunds, he still was able to fill gaps in the run game and apply pressure to Fitzpatrick when called upon. 

Dodson starting at linebacker every week isn’t what McDermott or Leslie Frazier want but he was an effective stop-gap against the Dolphins. 

Honorable mentions

Receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis deserve a shout, Beasley’s 70 receiving yards set-up a majority of Buffalo’s touchdowns, and then Davis had an exceptional touchdown grab to give Buffalo the lead in the fourth quarter. Ed Oliver had a great sack on Fitzpatrick, and some decent tackles in the run game, but was largely ineffective throughout the game. Finally, fullback Reggie Gilliam, who had one catch, for one yard, and one touchdown, the first of his NFL career. 

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 31-28 win over the Dolphins

Takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.

For the second-straight week, the Buffalo Bills had a final score line that was not indicative of how close the game really was. The Bills topped the Miami Dolphins (0-2) 31-28 to start their season 2-0.

Miami had a late touchdown drive that cut into Buffalo’s lead, but it was never really in doubt. Buffalo cruised against an AFC East opponent again.

Here are five takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Dolphins:

Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker. [ALLEN EYESTONE/The Palm Beach Post]

Edmunds, Milano were missed

Heading into Week 2, everyone in western New York knew the Bills would miss the services of their starting linebackers. Both Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder) and Matt Milano (hamstring) missed the contest. Thus far, neither is on injured reserve and the Bills will hope they’re both back in Week 3 because Buffalo needs them. The Dolphins put up a perfect game plan against the Bills defense to take advantage of these misses.

In the middle of the field, tight end Mike Gesicki and slot receiver DeVante Parker took advantage of Buffalo’s holes. There’s a big drop off from Edmunds and Milano to former UDFA Tyrel Dodson and veteran AJ Klein. In addition, big defensive back Siran Neal tried to cover  Gesicki, but he was way too much to handle, including his ridiculous one-handed grab.

Gesicki led the Dolphins with eight catches, 130 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. Parker had his own five catches and 53 yards with a touchdown of his own.

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