Tag: John Brown

Report card: Bills outlast Steelers, 17-10

The Bills are playoff bound after their victory of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a victory where the Bills relied on their stout defense.

Buffalo, you can party like it’s 1999 because the Bills are sitting at 10-4, clinching just their second playoff appearance this century.

The game was an ugly, hard fought battle that saw seven turnovers between themselves and the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game which the Bills won 17-10.

Ultimately, Buffalo’s offense made more plays down the stretch that gave them the victory. It wasn’t a stellar performance from Josh Allen and company though.

With that, here’s how the Bills graded out in this week’s report card following their win over the Steelers:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Quarterback: C

Josh Allen had a tough game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he completed just 52 percent of his passes for 139 yards. He struggled throughout the game, missing some wide open receivers, his interception was a perfect example of these errant throws. Allen had a clean pocket, and threw a pass to the outstretched arms of receiver Cole Beasley, that bounced off the hands of Beasley and into arms of the Steelers defensive back. The interception doesn’t fall on the shoulders of Allen alone, but a better pass could have been caught by Beasley.

The quarterback did have his moments of brilliance, mainly coming in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. He hit a massive 40-yard strike to John Brown that help set up the game winning touchdown. Speaking of the game winning touchdown, he found tight end Tyler Kroft on third down, sealing the victory for Buffalo.

Allen also had 28 yards on the ground, and one rushing touchdown that opened the scoring for Buffalo.

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PODCAST: Bills clinch playoff berth; can they still win AFC East?

In a defensive outing between both teams, the Buffalo Bills offense did just enough to put them over the edge of victory to send them back to the post season for the second time in three years. It was a testament to coaching, discipline, and a …

In a defensive outing between both teams, the Buffalo Bills offense did just enough to put them over the edge of victory to send them back to the post season for the second time in three years. It was a testament to coaching, discipline, and a winning culture that Sean McDermott has established in Buffalo.

The Bills sit at 10-4, are officially in, and could very easily loosen up a bit, but there is still another opportunity at stake, and that is to win the AFC East title for the first time in over 20 years. The chances are slim, but it is still a very reasonable feat, as they head to Foxborough to play the New England Patriots next Saturday. The Bills need to win out, and the Patriots need to lose not only to the Bills, but the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 as well.

Buffalo and Pittsburgh brought their hard nosed defenses to the table last night for Sunday Night Football, and both teams excelled in stopping drives, forcing punts and turnovers, and keeping the game close for their offenses. It was the Bills, fortunately, that made it all happen, behind Josh Allen, John Brown, and even tight end Tyler Kroft.

It was a great win for a team, in the national spotlight, that proved many doubters wrong in the process.

Podcast host Matt Johnson recaps the big Week 15 win, and a look ahead.

 

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Instant analysis: Bills defense reigns supreme in win vs. Steelers

The Buffalo Bills clinched their spot in the 2019 postseason with a 17-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Buffalo Bills clinched their spot in the 2019 postseason with a 17-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The game carried a large weight on the AFC postseason picture, as the Bills and Steelers held the two Wild Card spots coming into the primetime matchup. At the end of the night, it was Buffalo’s defense who came out on top in this low-scoring, defensive affair. 

Tre’Davious White intercepted Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges twice on the night. Jordan Phillips recorded two sacks, while Shaq Lawson and Trent Murphy contributed sacks as well. 

Buffalo limited Pittsburgh’s offense to 229 yards on offense. The Steelers leaned on the passing attack for a good chunk of the game. Pittsburgh attempted 38 passes while rushing only 15 times. Pittsburgh mustered only 51 yards on those rushing attempts. 

Buffalo’s defense was called upon twice in the closing minutes of the game to seal the deal. Jordan Poyer intercepted Hodges in the end zone just after the two-minute warning. 

The Bills offense produced a three-and-out after the turnover, giving the Steelers a final shot at tying the game. However, as it happened to be all game long, Buffalo’s defense rose to the occasion and closed out the contest for Buffalo. Jordan Phillips recorded a sack and with time ticking down, Hodges threw up a prayer which Levi Wallace intercepted in the end zone. 

Tremaine Edmunds led the Bills with eight total tackles.

Buffalo’s offense primarily ran through Josh Allen, Devin Singletary, and John Brown. Allen scored the game’s first touchdown, a one-yard rush in the second quarter. The touchdown gave Allen the team’s rushing record for most touchdowns scored on the ground by a quarterback. 

Allen ended the night 13-of-25 for 139 passing yards. He managed the game well, limited mistakes and taking whatever the challenging Steelers defense would allow at Heinz Field. The signal-caller added 28 yards on seven carries. 

Singletary and Brown had strong games as well, as Singletary gained 87 yards on the ground on 21 carries. Brown racked up 99 receiving yards on seven receptions. The duo gained 186 of Buffalo’s 261 total offensive yards. 

The game-winning touchdown came from an unfamiliar source this year, as Tyler Kroft caught a 14-yard pass from Allen midway through the fourth quarter. 

There were a few miscues throughout the game, but none really haunted the Bills in end. Allen’s only interception was a pass that went off the hands of the usually reliable Cole Beasley and dropped into the arms of Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson. 

Devin Singletary fumbled twice, losing one of the miscues. However, head coach Sean McDermott relied on the rookie despite putting the ball on the ground. It paid off, as the FAU product found a way through an aggressive Pittsburgh defense. 

White left the game for a few moments after making a tackle, suffering an apparent shoulder injury. He returned on the next series, and his interceptions from tonight give him six on the season, which is tied for the league lead. 

The game followed the script if the Bills were to be successful. The defense led the way, dominating the game. The offense, while not necessarily a juggernaut, finalized drives when it was most needed. Pittsburgh’s defense is very good, and the Bills were able to punch in two touchdowns when needed. 

The defense put the ball in the hands of Devlin Hodges and without a doubt, that worked into Buffalo’s favor. They forced four interceptions and thwarted virtually every attempt the Steelers made in the red zone. 

It was an impressive performance for Buffalo, as now they are playoff-bound for the second time in three seasons. The Bills hit double-digits in the win column for the first time in two decades. 

Buffalo travels to Foxboro next Saturday to face off against the New England Patriots. The Bills still have an outside shot at winning the AFC East, so a victory Saturday and some help along the way could give the Bills a chance at a home playoff game.

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Bills at Steelers: 5 matchups to watch

Five matchups to watch during the Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 15 meeting on Sunday Night Football.

The Bills and Steelers faceoff in a Sunday Night Football contest with massive AFC playoff implications.

With both teams at 9-4 and 8-5, respectively, both also hold the two Wild Card spots in the conference.

The games, within this game, will make a load of difference across the NFL.

With that, here are five matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills meeting with the Steelers:

Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

WR John Brown vs. CB Joe Haden

Over the course of the last three games, the Bills haven’t gotten good production from John Brown. In the absence of their No. 1 wideout, slot target Cole Beasley has continually stepped up. In Brown’s last three games combined, he has eight catches for 91 yards. That’s not very good for a guy who was once leading the AFC in receiving yards. The only thing that salvaged three games ago against the Broncos was a late touchdown.

On the outside, Brown will likely draw cornerback Joe Haden. The former Brown is Pro Football Focus’ 27th best corner in the NFL this season, via their grading system. The Steelers also have some impressive safeties over the top, namely Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has five interceptions, so getting Brown involved in this one might be difficult.

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Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 15

Five starters to sit and five sleepers to start in fantasy football Week 15.

It’s crunch time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week in the playoffs. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 15:

Starts
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

QB Jimmy Garoppolo

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is fresh off the best game of his career when his team edged out the Saints 48-46 on the road. Garoppolo had 349 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. The Saints defense over the years has been terrible, but this year they’ve been average. En route next for the 49ers is the Falcons, who’ve been a bottom-feeder defensive team all season. That, and the 49ers have home-field advantage this time around.

RB Kareem Hunt

In PPR leagues, Kareem Hunt is a solid starter as the Browns face the Cardinals this week. This meeting pins two poor defensive units up against each other and Hunt has shown production over the past few games, even with Nick Chubb, scoring a touchdown in three-straight. This game could even turn into a shootout.

RB James White

Like Hunt, James White will be more productive in PPR leagues but he still has value, regardless. The Patriots have the lowly Bengals en route. Cincy is bad all-around, but particularly bad against opposing running backs, who grab an average of 45 yards in receiving against the Bengals. While White does most of his damage in the air, the Bengals also sport the NFL’s worst run defense heading into this one as well.

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Bills snaps counts: Depth chart breakdown vs. Ravens

Buffalo Bills snap counts vs. the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Week 14.

The Bills hung tough with the Baltimore Ravens before falling 24-17 in the end.

It was a lackluster game from the offense until late and the defense led the way for Buffalo.

Who took charge in both that good and bad of the game? Here’s a full depth chart breakdown via snap counts for the Bills against the Ravens in Week 14:

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Offense

Notes:

  • With Ty Nsekhe out, rookie Cody Ford played every offensive snap for the third-straight game at right tackle, and the entire offensive line played every snap in what was a tough game for the unit.
  • RB Frank Gore played in a season-low 19 percent of snaps, he had four carries for six yards. Rookie RB Devin Singletary saw a career-high 81 percent of snaps and had 89 yards rushing.
  • After playing in a season-high 42 percent of snaps last week, WR Robert Foster dipped down to 25 percent vs. the Ravens. WR Isaiah McKenzie played in 45 percent of snaps last week, after playing in 74 and 77 percent in Weeks 11 and 12. He was back to 72 percent of snaps vs. the Ravens.
  • WRs Cole Beasley and John Brown both played in 97 percent of snaps. While often the 1-2 punch, Brown typically plays in a few more snaps for the Bills each game.
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What we learned from Bills’ Week 14 loss to Ravens

What we learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens, NFL Week 14

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills did what few, if any, teams have doneso  far this season on Sunday: Slow down Lamar Jackson and the high-powered Baltimore Ravens. However, it was not enough to get them their 10th win of the 2019 season.

The Bills’ three-game winning streak was snapped by the Ravens, 24-17, in a game where Buffalo will get plenty of credit for hanging with perhaps the NFL’s best team right to the final minute of the game.

In the end, Baltimore left Orchard Park with it’s 11th win of the season and a playoff berth because they hounded and frustrated the Bills’ offense, especially quarterback Josh Allen. One week after his best and most efficient outing as a pro, Allen had one of his least efficient performances of the season, completing just 17-of-39 passes for 146 yards.

Still, Allen found his groove a bit in the fourth quarter and led the Bills back. Trailing 24-9 in the final frame, Allen helped direct a 78-yard touchdown drive that he capped with a three-yard touchdown throw to Cole Beasley. The Bills then wisely went for two and converted (Allen to Beasley again) to cut the margin to just seven with seven minutes to play.

Buffalo then forced a three-and-out and had a chance to drive for the tie or, perhaps, the lead in the final minutes. Aided by a couple of unnecessary roughness penalties and a 26-yard pass interference penalty, the Bills moved the ball inside the 20, but the drive stalled. With one last chance, on 4th and 8 from the Baltimore 16, Allen threw incomplete to John Brown near the goal line, and Baltimore was able to kneel out the game.

While the game was ultimately a disappointing one for the Bills, a lot went right for them on this Sunday afternoon. The Bills’ defense turned in one of it’s best performances of the season in holding the Ravens, the league’s highest-scoring team, mostly in check. Jackson finished with just 40 rushing yards and 145 passing yards. Similar to the Bills’ Week 4 performance against New England, it was the type of defensive effort that should earn praise and raise eyebrows across the league, even in a loss.

Also, the Bills got some help away from New Era Field as Oakland, Houston, and Indianapolis all lost, meaning the Bills can clinch their second playoff berth in three seasons simply by beating the Steelers next Sunday night in Pittsburgh. Oh, the Patriots also lost too, meaning the Bills are still just one game back in the race for the AFC East crown.

Here are four things we learned as the Bills fell to 9-4 Sunday at New Era Field:

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What they said: Bills offense feels it let down defense

What member of the Buffalo Bills offense said about “letting down” the team’s defense vs. Baltimore Ravens in Week 15.

The proof was in the pudding. The Bills defense played well in a 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The offense, well… did not.

Buffalo’s offense had a look to tie the game up late, once again thanks to the defense. To the offense’s credit, they did score a touchdown and add a two-point conversion in the final frame. But they were outmatched all afternoon by the Ravens defense.

It wasn’t enough, and that’s what plenty of members of the Bills offense thought in the locker room following the game.

Here’s what some of reaction from the Bills offense was following their loss to the Ravens:

QB Josh Allen

“First, especially the first quarter, I have to find more completions early on. Take what they give us. Maybe felt like I was pressing a little bit when they were bringing some good pressures that we maybe hadn’t seenxz, or they brought it, and they brought a good game plan. They played a
great game. That’s a great team that we just faced. At the end of the day we didn’t make enough plays. Like I said I have to be better in that aspect. Our defense played fantastic. I want to shout them out and let them know, we’re going to have their backs. We’re going to have games like this where we’ll have to find a way to win, and our defense played spectacular today.”

WR John Brown

“Just have to make a few more plays. On offense we have to execute better. I have to make more plays. I should’ve made that last play.”

OL Jon Feliciano

“I think we had seven or something three-and-outs. We just have to do better on first down. They were in our backfield a little bit…

“We believed in our defense, and our defense did a hell of a job today. Man, we believed. I had no doubt in my mind if we would’ve scored that last touchdown, we would’ve won in overtime.”

Head coach Sean McDermott

“It’s a good defense. It’s a veteran defense. They’ve got Marcus Peters, who they traded for, Earl Thomas. They’ve got good players on their defense. They’re ranked where they are for a reason. I don’t think they surprised us at all. When we turned the tape on they played some good football – a lot of good football – and at the end of the day we did not execute. Our fundamentals, throwing and catching were not where they needed to be offensively.”

RB Devin Singletary

“We feel like we’re letting our brothers down.”

WR Cole Beasley

“We got in a funk early and we tried to get out of it and guys did a good job battling. But, we didn’t have it today and it’s a shame because our defense played their [expletive] off.”

OL Mitch Morse

“I think it’s a tale of two halves, or even three quarters. I can only speak for myself. Just one person off, here and there, and I put that onus on me putting everyone in the right position. Kudos to them. They played their tails off and they out-executed us, out-executed me today.”

** Beasley, Morse comments via WKBW-TV.

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John Brown unhappy with officiating during loss to Ravens

The Bills offense had their hands full against the Baltimore Ravens defense during a 24-17 loss in Week 14. 

The Bills offense had their hands full against the Baltimore Ravens defense during a 24-17 loss in Week 14.

The passing offense specifically never got going. Buffalo’s No. 1 receiver in John Brown was limited to only three catches and 26 yards on five targets. After the game, the wideout suggested his team wasn’t just facing problems from the Ravens.

Brown said that the referees were missing calls against Baltimore, even suggesting that they should be hit where it hurts most, their wallets.

“One thing… refs need to start getting fined, maybe that will make it a better game,” Brown said. “They got away with a lot of stuff.”

To Brown’s point, there were a few plays on the field that seemed questionable, and more than just a missed holding penalty here or there.

On one missed call including a Bills receiver, Robert Foster was clearly touched by Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith during a target on Sunday:

While Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott did not address the officials during his postgame press conference, he was certainly upset doing the game and his anger was clearly directed at referee:

Other missed calls by the refs could’ve included the Ravens appearing to have too many men on the field early the game as well. But when it was all said and done, the Ravens were actually the team handed more penalties in the game, nine of them for 99 yards compared to the Bills’ five penalties for 49 yards. A big chunk of those penalty yards for the Ravens came via defensive pass interference calls as well.

While Brown would likely say those calls were too little, too late, he didn’t only take things out on the men in stripes.

“Just have to make a few more plays. On offense we have to execute better. I have to make more plays. I should’ve made that last play,” Brown said.

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PODCAST: What went wrong with Bills offense in loss to Ravens?

Buffalo Bills NFL podcast following Week 14 24-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills fell to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at New Era Field, 24-17. It certainly wasn’t the Bills’ finest game offensively, but there is a lot of optimism and growth than can come from a loss like this.

No, this isn’t the Bills first loss in 2019. The reason that this loss feels differently though, is that the Bills hung tough with the NFL’s finest team.

The Baltimore Ravens offense has been one of the most explosive forces in 2019, and have been a delight to watch as a fan. The Bills defense contained the young and very spry Lamar Jackson on the ground, perhaps laying a blueprint for a future team, or even themselves, to continue to restrict Jackson”s scrambling ability.

The problem though, Lamar Jackson can throw pretty well, and in tight spaces. Jackson torched the Bills secondary on a blown coverage touchdown to tight end Hayden Hurst, and several mid-range passes, but overall, the defense did it’s job. Held the hottest and one of the highest scoring offenses to a reasonable score. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t take advantage.

The team is already looking ahead, as they have a big Sunday Night Football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that is also currently in the playoff picture, and looking to improve their spot. The Bills have a competitive, but not overwhelming final three game stretch, including a Patriots team, that of course shouldn’t be overlooked, but is not having their best season in quite some time, despite their record.

Here’s the latest episode of The Bills Wire Podcast following the Bills’ loss to the Ravens:

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