Tag: devin singletary

Bills explain passing the ball so much vs. Ravens, early plans vs. Chiefs

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on passing ball and game plan vs. Baltimore Ravens, look ahead to Chiefs.

The case can be made that the Bills offense starts and ends with quarterback Josh Allen each and every game. Perhaps that’s true, but no game displayed this more than their AFC Divisional round meeting against the Ravens.

In their 17-3 win, the Bills came out and called 20-straight passing plays. The only rush among all of those was a scramble from Allen on a passing play that broke down.

On Monday, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said via video conference that decision to call plays in such a manner came down to two factors. First, Allen’s abilities. Second, the Ravens defense.

“We weren’t afraid to throw the ball. We did it… I don’t know how many times in a row… and that’s because we have a lot of confidence in him. The whole football team does,” Daboll said. “(Allen) played the way he needed to play to help us win the game.”

“You watch Baltimore play Tennessee and Derrick Henry and what they did, so you’re not going to try and bang your head against a wall,” Daboll added.

Good points all around by Daboll, but one could argue that giving Devin Singletary some kind of workload on a handful of plays might’ve helped build momentum for him and keep the Ravens defense a bit more honest when Allen drops back. Hindsight is 20/20 though, and the Bills still won, after all.

In that same mindset, it sounds like Buffalo shouldn’t get used to seeing such a game plan. Ahead of facing the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, Daboll already said that the running game will be “important part for us” this week.

“Kansas City is good at both [run and pass defense] and we’re going to have to be good at both of them,” Daboll said.

But using the run won’t just be the only thing the Bills will have to do… they’ll have to improve upon doing it as well. The Bills and Chiefs first faced off in Week 6 and the running game played a huge part.

Kansas City had 245 rushing yards to Buffalo’s 84. The Bills’ running back duo of Singletary and Zack Moss averaged 2.8 yards per carry in that 26-17 loss.

In potentially attempting to do both of those things on Sunday, Singletary has already expressed his confidence in Buffalo having a better run-game production vs. KC.

“That was kind of early on. I feel we grew a lot since then, came together a lot. We just a better offense since then,” Singletary said following the Ravens win.

Allen himself acknowledged it probably won’t be all on him moving forward, either.

“It’s going to take everyone moving forward,” Allen said via video conference postgame. “Guys have to step up and make plays for us.”

Then again, maybe it’s just a smokescreen we’re seeing from Daboll…? We’ll find out on Sunday.

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Report card: Bills top Ravens, 17-3

Buffalo Bills report card from AFC Divisional win vs. Baltimore Ravens, 17-3.

The Buffalo Bills defense had a banner day leading to a 17-3 win for the club in the AFC Divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens.

After essentially shutting down Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2019, the Bills produced another strong game against him. Jackson didn’t finish the contest, but even prior to that the Buffalo defense gave him fits, while the offense did just enough to give the Bills a win.

Following the game and after watching the film back, here’s how Bills Wire graded out Buffalo in their AFC Divisional victory against the Ravens:

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

Stock report from Buffalo Bills’ AFC Divisional round win vs. the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills are going to play in the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1994… and it feels good.

The Bills faced a red-hot Baltimore Ravens team in a game that was a defensive chess match, as Buffalo tried to stifle the stampede of Baltimore. While the Ravens tried to shutdown the high-flying Bills. The chess match was ultimately won by Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and he had the perfect game plan to stifle the NFL’s best rushing attack in the Ravens.

The game was tight throughout it and the 17-3 score line reflects that/

With that, here’s this week stock report from Bills Wire following the Bills’ win over the Ravens in the AFC Divisional round:

Stock up

Matt Milano #58 of the Bills. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Taron Johnson

Starting with the obvious, Taron Johnson won the game for the Bills. As the third quarter was winding down, the Ravens were knocking on the door of Buffalo’s end zone. But as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson dropped back and unleashed a fastball towards his tight end Mark Andrews, Johnson jumped the pass. Johnson read Jackson the entire way, making the interception look quite easy, but once the ball was his hands he had to outrace the entire Ravens offense. He took the ball from end zone to end zone, an exceptional 101-yard pick six.

Outside of the pick-six, Taron put pressure on Jackson when he dropped back to pass, stepped up in trying to stop the run with six tackles, and broke up a pass. Johnson had a slow start to the season, but in the back half of the season he improved his game. Becoming a key contributor for a resurging Buffalo defense.

Matt Milano

Linebacker Matt Milano had an outstanding game against the Ravens, having an all around impact for the Bills defense. Throughout the game the outside linebacker was in the backfield making it difficult for Baltimore to run the ball. He also was one of the key factors in the poor passing performance from Lamar Jackson. Milano was rushing Jackson off the edge making him uncomfortable in the pocket.

Milano’s statline emphasized his utility, he had seven tackles and broke up two passes. With either the Browns or Kansas City coming up on the horizon he’ll need to have another great game.

Jerry Hughes

Against the Colts in the Wild Card weekend, the Bills couldn’t create any pressure or stop the run… that couldn’t be said against Baltimore. The Bills front-four contained Jackson, and met their running backs in the backfield often. Hughes had a sensational game coming off the edge, he made Jackson uncomfortable, and forced the Ravens tailbacks to the teeth of the Bills defense. It was a performance that seemed almost unimaginable after his poor showing against the Colts.

Hughes finished the game with two sacks, three tackles, and two quarterback hits. As the longest-tenured member of the Bills, seeing Hughes put up such a big game feels good.

Stefon Diggs

What more can be said about receiver Stefon Diggs? He’s been dominate all season, and against one of the best secondary’s in the league, Diggs again was dominant. He was the safety valve for his quarterback, making big catches on third down, first down, and the all important opening touchdown. Diggs finished the game with eight catches, 106 yards, and a touchdown.

It’s safe to say that Buffalo won the trade.

Honorable mentions:

The rest of the defense, positives can be said about the entire unit. It took the whole group to stop one of the hottest teams in the league. Frazier called the perfect game, he knew what the Ravens wanted to do all night and made great calls. Quarterback Josh Allen, the pressure of the moment never fazed him, but he made some questionable throws throughout the game.

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Stopping Buffalo’s passing attack and other questions for Bills Wire

I sat down with Bills Wire managing editor to get some insight on what Buffalo brings to this playoff matchup against the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have a tough test ahead of them in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Ravens are traveling up to Buffalo to take on the Bills and their impressive passing attack led by quarterback Josh Allen.

As I wrote earlier, Baltimore is having equally tough but opposite tests in back-to-back weeks. After stopping the Tennessee Titans and running back Derrick Henry, the script flips as the Ravens now need to stymie the third-best passing attack in the game led by an MVP candidate in Allen.

Though Baltimore did beat Buffalo last season, both of these teams look and act dramatically different than in that contest. So to get some insight on what the Bills have going on right now and what the Ravens might need to do to win, I sat down with Bills Wire managing editor Nick Wojton.

Bills’ Devin Singletary on bigger role without Zack Moss: ‘I’m ready for it’

Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary following Zack Moss injury, facing the Baltimore Ravens.

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary is going to be relied upon more than he has recently against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.

The Bills (13-3) topped the Indianapolis Colts to advance to this weekend’s AFC Divisional round matchup, but that didn’t come without loss. Rookie running back Zack Moss’s season came to an end because of an ankle injury.

With him, the Bills were essentially splitting carries between Singletary and Moss. Without Moss, it’ll be more of “Motor” and he’s locked in.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Singletary said via video conference. “I could be getting more of the workload, but I’m built for it, I’m ready for it. I know the team has confidence in me, I got confidence in me.”

Now in his second season, Singletary hasn’t overly impressed. Moss really hasn’t, either. Some of that has to do with Buffalo’s passing offense taking off this year thanks to quarterback Josh Allen’s emergence and the Bills simply haven’t ran the ball as much because of that.

Plus when running backs split carries, the idea is that it make it tougher for them to settle into a game. Without Moss, could that help Singletary? While not dismissing his teammate’s abilities in the slightest, Singletary did admit there’s some truth to that.

“The more plays you get or whatever it may be, it’s definitely easier to get into the flow, we’re going to see how it plays out on Saturday,” Singletary said. “No matter how many opportunities, if it’s a lot or a little you’ve got to be ready, that’s been my mindset all year.”

In 2020, Singletary’s dip is displayed by his yards per carry which dropped from 5.1 a year ago to 4.4. Not awful, but not as good, either.

Not only will Saturday vs. the Ravens (11-5) be an opportunity for Singletary to show he’s better than those numbers, it’ll be a chance for him to show he’s better than he was when Moss first missed time. From Weeks 3-5 at the start of 2020, Moss missed time with a hamstring injury.

In those three games, Singletary had 42 carries, 152 rushing yards (3.62 avg) with a touchdown. He also had 10 catches for 79 in that time frame with a receiving touchdown.

Even so, the most important analysis of Singletary’s game is the one from the top. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott approved of the way Singletary has preformed this year.

“I think his role has been pretty consistent. Sometimes the ebbs and flows of a game cause the load of who gets the carries to fluctuate from week-to-week. His role has always been the same for us and our confidence in Motor has always been very high,” McDermott said via video conference.

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TJ Yeldon to take Zack Moss’ spot in Bills lineup vs. Ravens

Buffalo Bills RB TJ Yeldon will play in Zack Moss’ spot in line vs. Baltimore Ravens in AFC Divisional round/

The Buffalo Bills have not ruled calling running back Antonio Williams or Devonta Freeman up from their practice squad for the team’s upcoming Divisional round matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.

Neither will be taking Zack Moss’s spot in the lineup, though.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said on Thursday via video conference that it will be TJ Yeldon who will do that job.

“TJ will be the one that’s brought up in Zack’s spot. TJ Yeldon, just to give you that information. We do have a lot of confidence in Antonio and we were impressed by what we saw in that game against Miami,” McDermott said, referencing Williams’ two-touchdown effort in Week 17.

Earlier in the week, McDermott hinted that Devin Singletary will assume No. 1 duties without Moss (ankle) in the lineup against the Ravens (11-5), saying the second-year pro is “more than capable” to do so. Prior to that during the regular season, Singletary and Moss were essentially splitting carries in the Bills (13-3) backfield.

From Weeks 3-5 at the start of 2020, Moss missed three games with a hamstring injury. At that time, the Bills also opted to use Yeldon in a No. 2 role. Yeldon had 10 carries and 70 yards and added a receiving touchdown.

In those three games, Singletary had 42 carries, 152 rushing yards (3.62 avg) with a touchdown. Singletary also had 10 catches for 79 in that time frame with a receiving touchdown.

In most other cases, Yeldon was inactive on game day as the assumed No. 3 behind Moss and Singletary, which again holds to be true.

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Sean McDermott: Devin Singletary ‘capable’ to carry load without Zack Moss

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott updates running back situation on Devin Singletary, Zack Moss.

The Buffalo Bills rarely reveal any plans of theirs. Head coach Sean McDermott often keeps his cards close to his chest.

In regard to the latest news surrounding the Bills’ running back room, McDermott did let his guard down a tad.

Most would expect the next-man up to be second-year pro Devin Singletary. That appears to be confirmed, a bit, by the coach on Monday after McDermott confirmed the news that rookie rusher Zack Moss would miss the rest of the playoffs with an ankle injury.

“I told (Singletary) it’s his time to step up,” McDermott said via video conference. “This team is one hundred percent confident in Devin Singletary.”

“He’s very aware of that and more than capable,” McDermott added.

While the Bills coach did reveal a little nugget in there, it’s not the most shocking thing. During the regular season, Moss and Singletary had split snaps for the most part. After the midpoint of the year, Moss did start to see the slight edge on Singletary in terms of snaps played, but both guys were getting touches.

In 13 games, Moss averaged 4.3 yards per carry, putting up 481 total. Singletary saw his yards per carry drop from 5.1 a year ago to 4.4 in 2020. Moss led the Buffalo running back room with 687 yards, but didn’t miss time like Moss had. Singletary did feature as the Bills’ pass-catching back more than double the amount of Moss as well, notching 38 catches to the rookie’s 14.

Where the more intriguing decision lies is replacing Moss’s roster spot. In most cases during the season, when both Moss and Singletary were healthy, they were the only running backs active on game day. Behind them for most of the year was presumably TJ Yeldon.

Yeldon appeared in three games for Buffalo in 2020, Weeks 3-5, while Moss was injured. In that time, Yeldon had 10 carries for 70 yards with one catch for 22 yards, which also went for a touchdown. In Buffalo’s other 13 games, he was mostly inactive or on the team’s COVID-19 list for a brief time.

But since Yeldon’s time in the lineup, another running back has captured the hearts of those in western New York, Antonio Williams. Formerly an undrafted rookie this past offseason, Williams has been on and off of Buffalo’s practice squad all year. In Week 17 he was finally called up from the taxi squad and produced with a big game which included two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins.

Finally there’s Christian Wade, the international who shined in the 2019 preseason.

McDermott mentioned all three players as potential replacements, perhaps in an effort not to give away too much intel to the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their Round 2 meeting on Saturday, but McDermott did add a little extra on Williams.

“We’ll look at guys on our roster that we have a lot of confidence in, T.J [Yeldon], Antonio [Williams], Christian [Wade]. We’ll take a look at what our options are,” McDermott said.

“He certainly popped,” McDermott mentioned on Williams.

The Bills could go numerous ways with their decision, but rolling with Singletary primarily would appear to be the smartest play on paper.

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

The Bills won 27-24 over the Indianapolis Colts in a tense battle to kickoff the Wild Card weekend.

The Buffalo Bills broke their 25-year playoff winning drought with their 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday’s Wild Card outing. It was an intense atmosphere that saw both teams exchange leads, a 54-yard field goal, plenty of officiating reviews, and a failed Hail Mary. The Bills ultimately prevailed and will get to host another playoff game in the divisional round.

Following the Buffalo victory, here’s how the Bills fared in this week’s stock report:

Stock up

Josh Allen

There were a ton of questions being asked of quarterback Josh Allen entering the Wild Card weekend, most of them were if he could shake last years collapse against the Houston Texans. To answer those questions, yes… yes he could. Allen was dynamic against one of the best defenses in the league, lighting them up for 378 total yards and three total touchdowns.

Credit to the Colts, they made life difficult for Allen flushing him out of the pocket, and forcing him to make tough throws. Unfortunately for the Colts, their secondary couldn’t cover receivers Gabe Davis or Stefon Diggs when the play broke down. Of course, if his receivers weren’t open he made plays with legs, rushing for 54 yards and one touchdown.

These types of performances will be needed from Allen if the Bills want to continue beyond the Wild Card weekend.

Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis

What more can be said about Stefon Diggs? He’s an elite receiver who can make even the best of defenses look foolish. Diggs’ first catch showed one of his more underrated talents… his toughness. It was a 37-yard grab over the middle where he took a shot from the Colts safety. Diggs got right back up, and immediately started jawing at the Indianapolis secondary.

He wasn’t just tough, he also put up great numbers.  Diggs had six catches for 128 yards and one touchdown to lead the Bills. A sensational effort for his debut performance in front of Bills Mafia.

We’re not done talking about the receiving corp though… how good is Gabriel Davis? The rookie made clutch catches throughout the game, especially on the Bills final drive of the first half. Both of his catches came down the sideline, helping set up a Josh Allen touchdown to the end the half.

Like Diggs, Davis had an impressive stat line, four grabs for 85 yards. An average of 21.3 yards per catch. A big play waiting to happen.

Micah Hyde

The Bills defense had a shaky performance against Indy, they struggled to stop the run, allowing 163 yards on the ground, and didn’t put any pressure on Philip Rivers. So when the Bills needed a big play, Micah Hyde delivered. He stepped up in the run in the game, denying Jonathan Taylor in the red zone, and made the play of the season so far in the closing seconds of the game.

To set the scene: The Bills are hanging onto to a three-point lead, and there are just four seconds left in the game. Future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers has a shot to steal the game for the Colts, he launches a 60-yard Hail Mary towards receiver T.Y. Hilton. Buffalo has seen this before, Week 10, the Hail Murray. Hearts are in the throats all throughout Western New York, but before Hilton can break the hearts of Buffalo, Hyde spikes the pass down with authority sealing the victory.

Honorable mentions

Both linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano had good games, breaking up passes, and meeting running backs in the backfield. Kicker Tyler Bass hit a 54 yard field goal, setting the playoff record for longest field goal made by a rookie. Finally, offensive linemen Daryl Williams. Williams jumped on Josh Allen’s fumble in the 4th quarter, which could have been disastrous if the Colts recovered.

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9 studs, 3 duds in Bills’ 56-26 win over Dolphins

Studs and duds from the Buffalo Bills’ Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

In terms of a top-to-bottom effort from a team in the NFL, it’s hard to get much better than the effort the Buffalo Bills gave against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.

When the Bills (13-3) put their starters in? Great work. Then when the Dolphins (10-6) took on Buffalo’s backups? They still were too much for the visitors to handle.

After looking at the tape and letting the dust settle, here are nine studs and three duds from the Bills in their win over the Dolphins:

Duds

RB Devin Singletary

Both Devin Singletary and Zack Moss only had three carries in this one. Moss had eight yards to Singletary’s seven. Neither guy had much of a workload, but Singletary usually has a promising catch or two. Instead, Moss turned heads in that role with an angry run early off a grab in the flat. Both will have more opportunities in the playoffs.

TE Dawson Knox

Dawson Knox had a nice catch late from Matt Barkley 20 yards down the field, but his effort came into question on a deep target on an early third down. In addition, Knox had eight targets throughout the game and only hauled in two of them. That’s not great for a guy who’s not exactly a touted blocker.

Sloppy starts

Slight bit of nervous energy there from the Bills in the first quarter, specifically on offense. Passes sailed, running plays went nowhere, balls were dropped, drives were not extended. Not a lot went right for the Bills in the opening quarter, as the team only gained 42 total yards and turned the ball over. Somehow, all whopping 56 points came after the first frame.

Push

CB Josh Norman

The veteran cornerback had a pick-six interception, Josh Norman’s first since 2015 when he was back with the Panthers. However, DeVante Parker finished with seven catches for 116 yards. Parker has a thing for solid games against the Bills, but about half of his grabs, slightly more even, came against Norman. Levi Wallace allowed his longest grab, though.

WR Andre Roberts

Andre Roberts is a deserved Pro Bowler. But he has one big problem as Buffalo’s return man: Roberts never scores. Isaiah McKenzie took backup snaps in the this role for Roberts and he scored the Bills’ first punt return touchdown since 2014. Funny how things work like that sometimes.

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

The Bills won their final game of the season and moved to 13-3 over their dismantling of the Miami Dolphins.

In the regular season finale the Buffalo Bills asserted their dominance over the Miami Dolphins with a 56-26 victory. It surprised most with the fact that the majority of starters played the first half, but it worked out perfectly for Buffalo (13-3). In that first half the Bills hung 28 on the ‘Fins (10-6), with all 28 being scored in the second quarter. Buffalo’s star quarterback Josh Allen had 224 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, putting the game away early.

But while it was a huge game against from the Bills QB, a number of Bills players affected the outcome of this one. Here’s Bills Wire’s latest stock report following their win over the Dolphins in Week 17:

Stock up

Isaiah McKenzie

The pre-game build up was all about the return of Josh Brown, we guess Isaiah McKenzie didn’t get the memo? McKenzie was the star of the show in the first half, catching two touchdowns, and adding an electric 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.

A hat-trick of touchdowns are always impressive, but this was his best game in terms of catches and yards. McKenzie had six grabs for 65 yards as well. Not bad. The Bills have Super Bowl aspirations, and if they want to win it, they’ll need performances like this from their rotational players.

Dean Marlowe
Dean Marlowe has been with the Bills since 2017 and has been used sparingly since. This isn’t to slight Marlowe, he just happens to be behind two of the best safeties in the league, but against Miami, he shined. Marlowe played the majority of the second half, and produced two interceptions.
His two picks came off two overthrows from rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and Marlowe was in the right place at the right time. Outside of the two picks he also broke up two other passes, an impressive outing from the backup.
Antonio Williams

If you were one of the people watching the game, and said “who?” when running back Antonio Williams entered the game, you’re not alone. Williams was either on the Bills practice squad or was being cut for most of the year.

The rookie from North Carolina had an excellent debut, he led the team in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Williams ended the game with 12 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed in the passing game, with one catch that went for 20 yards.

Corey Bojorquez

Punter Corey Bojorquez has established himself as one of the best punters in the NFL this season and against the Dolphins he had some excellent punts. Bojorquez had just four boots, with two of them landing inside the 20 yard line. One of them even landed inside of the one-yard line for a coffin corner.

Honorable mentions:

Josh Allen had a great first half with 224 yards and three touchdowns, while breaking the Bills single-season record for passing yards. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had nine tackles, one for loss, and a sack. Finally, rookie kicker Tyler Bass (or Tyler Bas$$ if you’re cool), broke Buffalo’s single season point record with his eight extra points made.

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