Tag: devin singletary

Report card: Bills top Washington Football Team, 43-21

Report card: #Bills did well on the scoreboard and in our grades (via @NateMendelson):

The Buffalo Bills continued their offensive tear, scoring 43 points against the Washington Football Team.

Quarterback Josh Allen looked like the MVP candidate he was in 2020 while the defensive unit showed no mercy to the Taylor Heinicke led offense. The backup QB had a long day at the office.

Following the Bills’ win, here’s how Bills Wire graded Buffalo out in this week’s report card:

WATCH: Brian Baldinger highlights Emmanuel Sanders block for Devin Singletary

WATCH: Brian Baldinger highlights Emmanuel Sanders block for Devin Singletary:

Devin Singletary started the fun in the Bills’ Week 2 rout of the Dolphins. His 46-yard scamper for a touchdown to start the 35-0 win was a thing of beauty.

But Singletary himself will tell you he didn’t do it all by himself. The blocks have to be made, and not just by the offensive line.

On Singletary’s score, veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders showed he’s still a team player. He laid a perfect block which sprung the running back down the field.

NFL Network Brian Baldinger was so impressed with the effort, he highlighted it earlier this week.

Check out his breakout of the play below:

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The Morning After: Critics make Bills’ blowout of Dolphins more impressive

The #Bills didn’t have their best vs. the #Dolphins and still blew them out. In a way that makes that victory even better:

The Buffalo Bills routed the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 to the tune of a 35-0 win.

An utter dismantling of the team that, for a brief time after the season-opening weekend, was at the top of the AFC East. 

After all that was on Sunday, it feels like Buffalo reclaimed what is theirs: The division throne… by a large margin.

Of course a division crown is not won in Week 2. Bills quarterback Josh Allen was just blue collar enough to point out to his teammates in the locker room following the game that there’s 15 more outings left in 2021.

It still feels like such a way and not just because of the scoreboard. Rather, because of the finer details.

During the Allen era, the Bills have now topped the Dolphins five-straight times. It was a Charles Clay drop away from being the sixth, even.

But the biggest feeling after Buffalo’s win is how awkward it comes off. Observers of the team have plenty of critiques of the Bills’ efforts.

Yes, a 35-0 win in the NFL, is being met with some critics.

Most of those are pointing to the team’s offense. Again: Yes, following a 35-0 win in a game where the defense and special teams did not contribute any of the points being put up.

Allen himself wasn’t great as he was 17-for-33 passing for 179 yards. He added two touchdown throws and an interception in the contest.

No one else offensively blew the doors off this one, either.

The team’s best playmaker was likely running back Devin Singletary who had 82 yards rushing but 46 of them came on one play, his touchdown run. Fellow rusher Zack Moss had two scores himself but also put the ball on the ground and appeared to be benched for a short time.

Critique all you want, but this shows one overlying good thing. That the Bills can win, and win big, without Allen or the team being at its best.

Someone like the Kansas City Chiefs will require Buffalo to have everyone firing on all cylinders. Naturally the opponent losing their starting quarterback is a difficult circumstance for them as well.

But good teams find a way to get the job done.

Great teams excel such expectations and that’s exactly what the Bills feel like they did in Week 2.

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Josh Allen: Bills coaching staff added to Dolphins game plan on Saturday

Josh Allen: #Bills coaching staff added to #Dolphins game plan on Saturday, only hours before the game:

The Bills won their first game of the season in an NFL week two contest that was nothing short of eventful.

Buffalo topped the Miami Dolphins for their sixth straight victory against their AFC East rivals, 35-0. While the team’s defense shined in the shutout, so did another position area they had hoped to improve in during the offseason.

The Bills had a productive day on offense rushing the football, as the run attack played a big role along the way to the win.

RB Devin Singletary led the way with 82 yards on 13 carries, including a big 46-yard run and a TD. Fellow back Zack Moss added two TD’s of his own in an efficient 26-yard day on eight carries.

Josh Allen, who added 35 yards with his legs himself, revealed after the game that Bills coaches had installed new offensive plays only a day before Sunday’s victory, all while crediting his offensive line.

“We changed stuff yesterday in our run game, put in new plays, and our guys rolled with it and figured out a way to go out there and apply it,” Allen said while addressing the media. “Being an O-lineman’s not easy by any means. There are so many different bullets flying at you. They get the blame sometimes when they really shouldn’t. People don’t know our blocking schemes or our run schemes and where our fits are supposed to be and stuff like that. So again, those are my guys.”

In his fourth year in the league, Allen’s offensive playbook has expanded thanks to the teams’ receiver group and he continues to embrace adopting new plays to help the team win, even if it’s on short notice.

“Just new stuff in the game plan, coaches see different things,” he added. “Again, we don’t really have much say what goes in. I think I have the most say, but I still don’t have much say. Whatever they put in, we got to run it. It’s our job to go out and execute.”

Left Tackle Dion Dawkins also noted that when plays are added late, as was the case on Saturday, it has its challenges but that they are ones the Bills O-line are up to.

“We learn how to deal with it and we have a great quarterback and great guys on the offense that make it easier for us,” he said. “They’re up there and they – well, I think the quarterbacks are the most smartest guys in the building. When they can just put little hints like ‘All right guys, this is what we’re doing,’ that’s cool. And that’s exactly what Josh did to keep us all with that right foot forward. So, hats off to Josh.”

Miami’s defense had little answer to the Buffalo offense and struggled to stop it save for some turnovers. And while Allen felt good about the win, he also saw more opportunities for growth.

“Hats off to (the Dolphins),” he said. “They’ve got some really good players over there and they made some really good plays today. But there’s some things that we need to do better communication-wise and it starts with me. There’s going to be a lot of stuff to learn from on this tape. Again, winning the way we did, it feels good.”

Report card: Buffalo Bills blowout Miami Dolphins, 35-0

Report card: #Bills blowout the #Dolphins, here’s how we graded the them out (via @NateMendelson):

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The Bills needed to rebound after a tough Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Luckily, they faced Josh Allen’s favorite opponent: the Miami Dolphins, In Week 2.

Buffalo recorded their largest shutout of the Dolphins since 1966 with a 35-0 win.

Following the Bills win, here’s how Bills Wire graded Buffalo out in this week’s report card:

Game balls: 6 standouts from the Bills’ win over the Dolphins

Game balls: 6 standouts from the #Bills’ win over the #Dolphins (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills dominated the Miami Dolphins once again, this time to the tune of 35-0 in Week 2 action. The Bills shot out to a two-score lead early in the first quarter and never looked back.

With that, here’s who earned Week 2 game ball honors for Buffalo against the Dolphins:

 

Instant analysis: Fast starts, defense lead Bills in blowout win over Dolphins

Instant analysis: Fast starts, defense lead #Bills to blowout W over Dolphins (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills relied on their defense and fast starts on offense during each half to take the 35-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

The first half started fast, reminiscent of last year’s final week 56-26 drubbing of the Dolphins, by scoring easily on their first two drives. It took 12 seconds of Bills offensive play to open the scoring for the game. Bills running back Devin Singletary burst through the Miami defense on a 46-yard rush:

On the Bills’ second drive, they moved down the field with little resistance once again, culminating with a Stefan Diggs touchdown reception. Buffalo grabbed a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. It looked like a route, but the Bills’ offense went idle for the remainder of the half.

Fortunately for the Bills, their defense was dominant when Buffalo’s offense was forced to punt. The Bills recorded four sacks in the first half, including on two of the first three defensive snaps in the game. Gregory Rousseau, Matt Milano, Micah Hyde, and Taron Johnson all recorded sacks in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bills forced three turnovers, including a Levi Wallace interception, and a Taron Johnson forced a fumble that Matt Milano recovered. To conclude the first half, Taiwan Jones recovered a Jaylen Waddle muffed fumble attempt.

The Bills left little in doubt during the initial drive of the second half. Buffalo’s offense moved the ball 75 yards in eight plays, finishing with an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox.

With a 21-0 lead, the Bills defense continued to limit any sort of progress by the Miami offense. Buffalo allowed only 216 total yards on the game. Miami made 13 first downs on the game and only two first downs on the ground.

Buffalo’s defensive game plan was perfect, as they unleashed several players getting free hits on the Miami quarterbacks throughout the game. It was a creative attack, as the defense used multiple blitz packages to attack Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett.

The Bills ended the game with six sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Buffalo denied Miami on all four of their fourth down attempts.

To add salt to the wounds, Buffalo’s offense popped in two more touchdowns. Zack Moss found the end zone on two touch runs, atoning from an early fumble in the game.

It was all good for Buffalo this afternoon in South Beach. Buffalo’s offense struggled through a few moments in the game but still won the game by 35 points. That’s something for the Bills, as it leaves a positive image of what this version of the offense could be moving forward.

Quarterback Josh Allen went 17-of-33 for 179 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Devin Singletary added 82 yards on 13 carries, while Moss ran for 26 yards on eight carries. They combined for three rushing touchdowns.

Stefan Diggs led the way in the receiving game for Buffalo, reeling in four passes for 60 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.

More impressively, Buffalo’s defense completely shut down any progress of the Dolphins offense.

Coming into this week, there were worries about the Bills offensive line and their ability to dominate a game defensively. Both boxes were checked. It’s exciting to see what Buffalo will look like when the entire team puts it together. Dare we say, it’s going to make quite the challenge for Kansas City.

Next week, the Bills will square off against the Washington Football Team and Highmark Stadium. Washington is currently 1-1 after defeating the New York Giants 30-29 Thursday night.

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Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ loss to the Steelers

Stock up, stock down following the #Bills’ loss to the #Steelers (via @MckennaMiddle):

The Buffalo Bills started their season with a disappointing 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo’s offense never looked up to the challenge throughout the game, which was a shock for Bills Mafia, who expected the Bills to pick up where they left off at the end of last season. 

Ultimately, it is the first game of the season so there’s no reason to overreact after one performance, but let us examine who performed and who didn’t against the Steelers in our Week 1 stock report: 

Bills players won’t panic after opening loss to the Steelers

‘No panic’ is going around the #Bills locker room following their loss to the #Steelers:

With expectations at an all-time high, the Buffalo Bills kicked off their 2021 campaign with a disappointing 23-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While a 0-1 start could feel like the end of the world, BIlls players themselves have a different perspective.

Following the end of the defense’s postgame press conference, Bills safety Micah Hyde yelling, “plenty of games left” as fellow safety, Jordan Poyer responded with, “no panic,” according to The Athletic.

Of course losing one game in a 17-game season, does not spell doom. But it is also certainly not how the Bills wanted to kick things off following their magical run to the AFC Championship Game, the season prior.

Quarterback Josh Allen, who had a mediocre day in his first game since signing a massive $258-million extension in the offseason, knows the team let the fans down. However, he also isn’t ready to hit the panic button.

“I wish we could have put on a better show for the fans,” Allen said to the media after the game. “That’s not how they wanted it, nor us. Hopefully that next game we’ll be able to go out there and give them something they’ll like.”

“We’re gonna learn from this and we’re not gonna panic,” Allen continued. “There’s 16 games left and we know what we need to do and again we’re gonna look at the film and we’re gonna work and strive to get better.”

Bills running back Devin Singletary, who flashed late in the game when the team desperately needed an offensive spark, also emphasized things not being as dire as they appear.

“We gotta execute better, that’s what it comes down to,” Singletary told reporters. “It’s never as bad as it seems, it’s never as good as it seems, it’s just week one. We’ve gotta learn and grow from it.”

While the Bills players certainly seemed to unite on the message that it’s just one game, one person who wasn’t as quick to just dismiss the loss was Bills head coach, Sean McDermott.

McDermott was asked following the game if it was important to emphasize to his team that one loss isn’t something to overly dwell on.

“I’m really just focused on making those adjustments that we need to make,” McDermott said. “That’s what my job is and whatever message… I certainly appreciate the atmosphere today, I thought the fans were phenomenal. Our goal needs to be to get ourselves right so we can recreate that every week here at home.”

The Bills don’t have much time to feel sorry for themselves. The team has another tough test, this time in the division, as they head down to Miami to face the Dolphins in Week 2.

The Bills will need to be better in all three phases of the game, as they look to avoid a 0-2 start.

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Instant Analysis: Bills fail to answer in loss to Steelers

Rough start for the #Bills:

Buffalo’s fans came out in full force to support the Bills in their first home fully attended home game since the 2019 season. Unfortunately, their energy couldn’t carry the Bills to a victory, as Buffalo fell to Pittsburgh 23-16 in 2021 Week 1 action.

The game started off fairly well for the Bills, especially for their defense. Buffalo’s defensive unit only allowed 54 yards to Pittsburgh in the first half. Buffalo limited the Steelers to only seven rushing yards during the first 30 minutes. Mario Addison forced a fumble, sacking Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bills defense kept the Steelers off the scoreboard in the first half.

Buffalo’s offense struggled a little bit in the first half, but they still moved the ball methodically. Gabriel Davis scored the Bills first touchdown of the season, a three-yard reception from quarterback Josh Allen.

However, this would be the high watermark for the day for Buffalo. Pittsburgh ground out a second half that keep them in the game and ultimately, pushed them into victory territory. Buffalo, for all of the talk of their explosive offense and Super Bowl aspirations, could not handle the Steelers in front of the crowd and Highmark Stadium.

Pittsburgh scored 20 unanswered points in a multitude of different ways. Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell made two field goals in the third quarter to pull the Steelers within four points.

In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh wide receiver Dionte Johnson catch a deflected pass in the corner of the end zone to give the Steelers their first lead on the afternoon.

On the subsequent drive, the Steelers won the special teams battle, blocking a punt, scooping it up, and scoring what would be the score that would be the difference in the game.

The game highlighted several concerns for the Bills. Ahead of the game, everything seemed to line up for a wildly exciting opening to a campaign where the Super Bowl is within Buffalo’s reach.

First, the Bills offense, which was nothing short of dynamic and explosive last season, fell quite late. Buffalo could only muster 10 points in the first half. Pittsburgh created the game plan for squaring off against the Bills offense, dropping their secondary deep and daring the Bills to take anything underneath. The Steelers were quick to rally to the ball, so even the intermediate passes were largely mediocre.

Second, self-inflicted mistakes haunted the Bills. The offensive line was overmatched multiple times today. Tackle Dion Dawkins was flagged three times for holding. Mitch Morse and Daryl Williams were also called for holding.

On the defensive side of the ball, Tre’Davious White and Levi Wallace were flagged for pass interference calls, each that helped put Pittsburgh in a better position offensively. It allowed Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense to methodically push down the field.

Third, the coaching decisions of McDermott and company were worrisome. Buffalo’s offense failed on two fourth down conversion attempts. It’s not as much at the Pittsburgh defense stopped the Bills; it’s more of how wildly unsuccessful the play calls turned out. The offense still relied on quarterback-designed rushes, which were largely snuffed out by the Steelers. Devin Singletary had a nice afternoon but was largely ignored until late in the game. In the previous matchups with the Steelers, Sean McDermott clearly outcoached Tomlin. Today, it was a reversal, especially in the second half.

Finally, for all of the attention to detail, the ultimate play that ended up being the difference in the game was a blocked punt by Pittsburgh. While the kick return coverage of the Bills was a positive aspect for the team on the afternoon, the failure to block on the punt attempt was a huge flaw.

The game started with a blast, as Isaiah McKenzie took the opening kick 75 yards into Pittsburgh territory. However, it was three and out on the drive, and the Bills could only manage a field goal, even with stellar field position. Squandering that opportunity only acted as a harbinger of the struggles the Bills offense would have for the remainder of the game.

Buffalo travels to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins next Sunday. It’s obvious early to push the panic button, but the Bills will need to return to the drawing board if they think an uninspiring effort like this will get it done next well.