Tag: devin singletary

Instant analysis: Big plays fuel Bills victory vs. Patriots

Instant analysis: Big plays fuel #Bills victory vs. #Patriots (via @jdiloro):

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The Buffalo Bills completed an emotional week with a 35-23 victory over the New England Patriots.

The victory gives Buffalo the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff standings.

Buffalo (13-3) electrified the crowd with multiple big plays that culminated with touchdowns. Nyheim Hines sent Highmark Stadium into a frenzy by taking the opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown.

He repeated the feat in the third quarter, returning the kick 101 yards to the house:

Josh Allen threw three touchdowns on the afternoon. His first was a four-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox.

Allen took the top off the New England defense on the next two touchdowns. First, Allen hooked up with John Brown on a 42-yard diving reception. Allen culminated Buffalo’s scoring with a 49-yard bomb to Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo’s defense joined in the big-play theme by forcing three timely turnovers. Tre’Davious White and Matt Milano recorded interceptions near the Bills goal line, while Tremaine Edmunds reeled in a tipped pass in the fourth quarter.

Stefon Diggs led the way for the Bills receiving corps, catching a game-high seven passes for 104 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

Diggs was involved in the game plan early, as Allen’s first two passes were directed at the wideout. Diggs did well against New England in man coverage, and then smoked the Patriots secondary on the deep touchdown pass:

Buffalo primarily worked through the air on offense. However, in the few moments when they leaned on their run game, the ground attack moved the ball adequately. James Cook rushed nine times for 50 yards, while Devin Singletary carried seven times for 29 yards.

In particular, the Bills leaned on the run game late in the second quarter as they moved the ball into scoring territory ahead of halftime.

Buffalo’s defense had some challenges at times with New England’s offensive attack. All three of the Patriots’ touchdown drives were long, sustained drives. Mac Jones completed all 17 passes on the three New England touchdown drives.

New England utilized play action often early to help freeze the Bills linebackers and to set up the run game.  At times, it worked well for New England, as Jones was able to buy time with the fakes. The Patriots run game found space at times, with Rhamonde Stevenson rushing nine times for 54 yards and Damien Harris running 13 times for 48 yards.

When it counted the most, Buffalo’s defense made the big play to end any New England threats. In addition to the three interceptions, Buffalo recorded two sacks, three tackles for loss, and seven passes defensed.

Buffalo’s coaching staff did a masterful job getting the Bills ready for this game. Sean McDermott and company kept the Bills focused throughout the game. Buffalo responded to the events of Monday night in a magnificent way.

Buffalo will host Miami in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next weekend.

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Baldy’s Breakdowns: Bills had ‘perfect’ blocking for Devin Singletary TD (video)

Devin Singletary’s touchdown was a work of art from the #Bills O-line last week:

The Bills had another fantastic rushing day on offense in Week 16 against the Bears.

During the 35-13 win, both running backs, Devin Singletary and James Cook, shined. Following the contest, NFL Network analyst Brain Baldinger provided one of his breakdowns on one of Singletary’s runs.

Singletary helped the Bills (12-3) by opening their second half against the Bears by scoring. They never looked back from there.

On the 33-yard touchdown, Baldinger did more watching of the offensive line. It was essentially one-on-one up and down the trenches, he said, and the analyst was clearly impressed with the way the road was paved for Singletary to score.

Check out the full TD analysis in the clip below:

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Bills’ Devin Singletary: ‘The grass felt like concrete’

#Bills vs. #Bears was cold:

The Buffalo Bills continued to win in the cold this week, gifting one another and their fans with an AFC East-clinching 35-13 victory on the frozen tundra of- Chicago.

The win over the Bears was a cold one, forecasted at kickoff to be around eight degrees with a -14 wind-chill.

The frigid weather resulted in some hard ground for the teams to play on at Soldier Field, and the difference went noticed by members of the Bills offense.

Guard Ryan Bates, playing in place of starting center Mitch Morse (concussion) was among those to speak about it after the game.

“You felt like you were playing on a basketball floor, just cause the ground was so hard,” Bates said to the Buffalo News. “You couldn’t really get your footing, you couldn’t really drive off of it, because you would just slip. So, credit to the backs, for keeping their center of gravity under themselves, keeping their shoulders (over) their feet, and just playing the adversity of the weather.”

Among those backs who had a big day, was the Bills’ Devin Singletary, who went 100+ yards rushing and combined with fellow back James Cook for total yards on the cold ground.

“It was cold, the grass felt like concrete so at times it was hard to get your footings,” Singletary said following the win. “But it was still fun.”

Though the weather did factor into the playing conditions on the field, it didn’t appear to have too much impact on the Bills overall offensive game plan. When asked whether the weather was a factor, Singletary was to the point.

Devin Singletary, James Cook ‘one-two punch’ Bills vs. Bears

Devin Singletary, James Cook ‘one-two punch’ #Bills vs. #Bears:

The Bills finished their game on Christmas Eve in Chicago with a 35-13 win over the Bears, clinching their third straight AFC East division crown in the process.

Buffalo went ahead and added to their lead over the second half of the game, and came from behind to do so.

After entering the half down 10-6 on the back of a missed field goal, the Bills offense charged forward, scoring on consecutive drives in the third quarter to take the lead.

Those points came by way of running backs, Devin Singletary and James Cook. Singletary’s TD run was his longest of the season (33 yards), then following a turnover on the ensuing drive, Cook uncorked a long run of his own for a score (27 yards).

“I know James had a long one there and made a great cut at the end to put it in the end zone,” head coach Sean McDermott said during his postgame press conference. “I think that that one-two punch with the run game combined with the pass game, it’s just better complementary that way.”

The two RBs combined for 254 rushing yards on Saturday, the most Buffalo’s had since a December 2016 game against Miami in which two Bills backs also went for 90+ yards apiece. Which was the last time that happened.

In quarterback Josh Allen’s first-ever contest against the Bears, the Bills logged more yards on the ground than in the air for the first time this season, as the QB would throw for 172 yards and two TDs while carrying the ball six times for 41 yards and a TD on the ground as well.

“It was just the flow of the game, that’s just how it went,” Singletary said to the media. “We’re always trying to run the ball when we have to. So it’s been like that all year. … That’s just how it played out today.”

The fourth-year pro would finish Saturday with 106 yards on 12 carries to go with his TD, netting his first 100-yard rushing game of the year. Fellow running back James Cook added a career-high 99 yards on 11 carries with his score as well.

For a team that has been scrutinized for their run game in recent seasons, this year they have been the only NFL club to log 100+ yards on the ground in every game they’ve played.

After the game, Allen notably pointed to Cook’s progression and contribution to the Bills’ ground attack and impact on the field.

“He’s progressed a lot,” the QB said. “He’s learned a lot – obviously, the speed of the game. You know, it seems like it’s kind of more natural for him now. He’s understanding our concepts, what we’re asking for him, and to have a little bit of a change of pace back that can hit a hole and really go, it’s exciting.”

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Instant analysis: Bills put Bears on ice in Week 16 victory

Instant analysis: #Bills put #Bears on ice in Week 16 victory (via @jdiloro):

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The Buffalo Bills rode a strong second-half performance to defeat the Chicago Bears, 35-13, in Week 16.

The victory locked the Bills into a third-straight AFC East title.

Buffalo (12-3) shifted from their usually high-flying offensive aerial attack to a ground-and-pound focus against Chicago (3-12). With game conditions unfriendly to a pass-heavy attack and a Bears defense that was not particularly stout against the run, it made sense that the Bills would lean on Devin Singletary and James Cook.

Cook ran for 99 yards on 11 carries, while Singletary added 106 yards on 12 rushes. Both players scored a rushing touchdown.

Buffalo had trouble passing against Chicago’s zone defense. Quarterback Josh Allen threw two interceptions, both of which were passes forced into coverage.

Wideout Gabe Davis led Buffalo with three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. Stefon Diggs had a quiet, day, reeling in only two passes for 26 yards.

The Bears kept the Bills receivers from finding a great deal of separation, forcing Allen to take subpar options.

Buffalo’s defense kept Chicago’s offense under wraps.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields had a few nice passes. However, Chicago’s offense could not consistently string together fruitful drives.

Chicago opened the game with a nice eight-play touchdown drive culminating in a wide-open touchdown pass to receiver  Dante Pettis. Buffalo’s secondary lost track of Pettis, leading to the easy score.

Aside from the initial drive and a long pass to receiver Velus Jones Jr., the Bears gained little traction on the offensive end. The Bills defense, even when started with suboptimal field position, kept the Bears from reaching the end zone.

Buffalo kept Fields in the pocket, eliminating the quarterback’s dynamic running ability. Fields rushed seven times for 11 yards. Through the air, Fields completed 15-of-23 passes for 119 yards.

Fields came into Saturday with 1,000 yards rushing on the season, the only QB in the NFL to reach that milestone.

Buffalo’s defense registered 11 tackles for loss. Tremaine Edmunds led the Bills with nine total tackles. AJ Epenesa and Ed Oliver added sacks to the defensive ledger.

The special teams unit struggled through the conditions as well. Returner Nyheim Hines muffed two kicks. Tyler Bass missed a field goal and an extra point attempt. On the flip side, the coverage unit allowed the Bears to have multiple long returns to Jones Jr.

Once again, it was a game in which the Bills found the most effective path to win the game. Buffalo rushed for a season-high 254 rushing yards. They played stout defense and limited the Bears to only 184 total yards. The Bills gave up only nine first downs.

Even when the Bills didn’t have their most explosive day on offense, they still managed to put up 35 points. The Bills were patient and ended with a convincing victory.

Buffalo takes on the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) next Monday in Cincy. It will be a game that will have massive playoff ramifications in the AFC.

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Bills’ Devin Singletary opens second half with TD vs. Bears (video)

#Bills’ Devin Singletary opens second half with TD vs. #Bears (video):

Coming out of the mid-game break, the Bills (11-3) trailed the Bears (3-11) on the scoreboard, 10-6.

It was short lived.

On their opening drive of the second half, the Bills took a 14-10 lead. It concluded thanks to a 33-yard rushing score by running back Devin Singletary.

Carrying the ball up the middle, the Bills offensive line deserves some credit. They gave Singletary plenty of space to work with and he rewarded their efforts.

Check out Singletary’s TD vs. the Bears in the clip below:

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