Bills’ Brandon Beane: ‘Little disappointed’ in Keon Coleman
Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft as one of the Bills’ first high-profile moves following the departures of their top two targets in the passing game that offseason.
This year, as a new offseason begins, he’ll have some work to do to develop ahead of his second professional campaign to rise closer to the potential for which he was drafted.
Coleman had a notable dip in his production in the final stretch of Buffalo’s season, though in Joe Brady’s offense, his targets could be more situational and less frequent.
Making the need for making a play when the ball is thrown his way all the more important.
During his end-of-season press conference, GM Brandon Beane noted a Week 9 wrist injury as a potential point where that shift took place.
“I would say probably was a little disappointed in the return from the injury,” he said about Coleman’s final six games. “I did not see the same player down the stretch from a physicality, some of the things that he needs to use his size.”
“He was really starting to get it,” head coach Sean McDermott added. “And then he had the injury, he didn’t play his best down the stretch and some of it was due to coming off the injury but it is something he can learn from and improve on moving forward.”
That injury was sustained in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins when safety Jordan Poyer made helmet contact with the 21-year-old Coleman’s hand, which caused him to miss four games.
Amidst the well-dispersed and spread-out Joe Brady offense, the Bills still don’t have a clear No. 1 receiving option for big moments, which showed at times down the stretch.
For example, when the offense failed to convert a fourth-and-5 against Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.
They did add WR Amari Cooper, who could re-sign with the team as he fits as a high-caliber receiver, and with the Bills’ culture, but who also dealt with injury late in the season.
Regardless, Buffalo will look to high-draft selections such as Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid to take the next steps to put in the work in their offseason in the hope they’ll see a step forward in their development as well.
Beane said as much about both members of the Bills’ offense during his media session while reminding the press that Coleman is still a younger player, and showed some promise in his first season with the club.
“He’s a young player, we got to remember,” Beane said. “And some of the guys that get drafted in the first round are 24 or 25. So let’s give him a little grace here. His career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. … He’s going to have to work very hard this offseason, him and Josh continue to work on that rapport together. But I’m optimistic that he’ll do those things and that we’ll see him continue to improve going into year two.”
Bills’ Brandon Beane backs decision to trade for Amari Cooper
Veteran receiver Amari Cooper joined the Bills via trade this season, adding some needed pro talent to a position where the team was looking to replace productivity after losing their top targets in the offseason.
Yet he was the least-used target in their final games, raising questions about his productivity.
Cooper came to Buffalo in a deal with the Browns, making some big plays and contributions in some games while seemingly mostly commanding coverage in others.
“I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time,” GM Brandon Beane said to the media about Cooper. “He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back and missed some games but fought through it.”
Injuries to the Bills’ pass catchers were a factor that impacted the passing game late in the season, as was some questionable play-calling as Joe Brady is still developing in his second professional run as an offensive coordinator.
“You guys kind of know the mantra that was established this year by Josh and Joe Brady of everybody eats,” Beane added. “Adding him was not going to get away from that, but does that take a little pressure off of Shakir, Knox, Kincaid, the run game, all that? So I do not regret the move. I think it did help us. I think it did help us despite what his personal numbers were.”
In terms of snaps, Cooper was the least-used receiver in the games he played for Buffalo.
While an injury certainly was a factor, so was the learning curve.
“You’re talking about a player who’s never been in this offensive system,” Beane continued. “He’s got to learn the playbook, he’s never thrown with Josh Allen. You have to acclimate with your team, learn an offense. The games keep going and so I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time. He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back, and missed some games but fought through it. Honestly, his wrist could have required surgery and I feel sure that at least one of the doctors recommended it, but he wanted to keep playing.”
Bills QB Josh Allen voiced his support as well.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Amari Cooper,” Allen said. “I will never in my life say a bad thing about him. For him to come into this situation and understand the role that he was brought here to do, he is a true football player, a true teammate, and I’m just honored to share the field with him.”
When asked if he wanted to return to the Bills as he now is a free agent, Cooper said, “I mean, just to give it another run, have another opportunity at doing what we just did. But, you know, obviously finishing, so yeah. Been through a lot this year – injuries, trades, and things of that nature. Just keep going and never stop until you know it’s time to stop.”
Bills defense on doubters: ‘Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it’
The Buffalo Bills completed a perfect 10-0 run of home games this season including the playoffs and Sunday’s ice-cold 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
While the Bills offense usually grabs headlines, their defense shined in the win.
And they used the doubt and questioning heard in the outside noise of the media to motivate them.
“What were they all saying?” defensive tackle Ed Oliver asked postgame, via The Athletic. “I know you know. So what were they all saying?”
During the week leading into the matchup, the media scrutinized the Bills for not having enough size on defense to stop Ravens running back Derrick Henry or the ability to stop mobile quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“I didn’t hear nothing!” He replied to his own question with a smile. “I’m trying to get it right now. So they said we weren’t big enough, weren’t physical enough?”
The Buffalo defense held Henry to 84 yards while preventing any big breakout plays, and defended and limited Jackson.
The highest-graded Bill in the divisional round by Pro Football Focus (PFF) against the Ravens, defensive end A.J. Epenesa (82.6), commented on the motivation factor as well.
“We have a lot of pride in ourselves, what we do here as a defense,” Epenesa said. “Just speaking as a defense, we were told all week how they were going to do this, how they going to do that, and that just, I’d like to say, fueled us a little bit.”
While the Bills struggled to defend on third down, they forced three turnovers on the day including two on Jackson, and had 10 points off those takeaways.
And a motivational video helped fuel that effort as well.
“Our highlight video this week was all the media people, talking,” fellow defensive tackle Jordan Phillips shared. “They can’t do this. They can’t do that.’ Our coaches suck. We’re too small.
Well, now what?”
In the regular season, Buffalo finished with the third-most takeaways in the NFL in 2024 (32) and was facing the Ravens who were among the top clubs in the NFL at protecting the football. The question was which team would prevail.
“That was our motto all week: Let’s see who’s better,” Phillips added.
Buffalo’s offense seized those opportunities to add 10 points off the turnovers, and the team is now tied for the NFL record for consecutive games with an even or positive turnover margin (21).
All three takeaway plays were made by Buffalo starters who did not play the first meeting between the two teams in NFL Week 4 in Baltimore when the Ravens beat the Bills in the regular season.
Safety Taylor Rapp kicked things off early with an interception, outside linebacker Von Miller recovered a fumble, and linebacker Terrel Bernard caused and recovered a fumble.
“Biggest play of the game, bro. Not even close,” Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas said of the play by Bernard, who Phillips carried off the field in celebration.
“You try your best to ignore outside noise,” Bernard said, “but in games like this, moments like this, sometimes you can’t avoid it. We did see a video of outside people talking about what we can and can’t do.
“To make it this far in your career and to be a professional athlete, at some point you’ve been doubted. Everybody’s felt that. Everybody has had to deal with that. Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it.”
Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘We don’t listen to outside noise’
On the 216th birthday of writer Edgar Allan Poe, whose work the Baltimore Ravens are named after, the team poetically fell to another Allen as the Buffalo Bills beat them 27-25.
It was the latest instance of exceeding expectations for the Bills, written off by many as a rebuild project before the season even began and an underdog at home for the first time in franchise history.
“We don’t listen to the outside noise, but everyone was saying this and that about us and that we didn’t have enough talent, weren’t good enough to be in these positions and, our guys just continue to work hard and we’re internally driven,” Allen said to the press postgame. “We love each other, and I think you saw how much we played for each other there.”
The Bills ran a clean and conservative offense that leaned on the run game in the snowy conditions of Orchard Park Sunday night.
Allen went 16 of 22 for 127 yards passing with two rushing touchdowns, guiding the team to touchdowns on three of their first four drives of the game.
Buffalo would take a 14-7 lead by the second quarter and keep the lead the rest of the way.
Much like the outside noise about the team, their head coach had a similar perspective about their fans.
“Our guys heard it all — they heard it all week long. We’re not big enough, we’re not strong enough. Not talented enough. Whatever it is, they heard it,” Sean McDermott said.
The Bills had a win by way of complimentary football, with their defensive unit playing consistently strong while forcing three Ravens turnovers including two from Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson.
“We gave our defense a chance to go make a play,” Allen said of Sunday’s win. “We made a play there at the end. I’m just so proud of our guys.”
With the win, the Bills advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs where they’d exited the postseason for three consecutive years.
It will be the second conference title game that McDermott and Allen will have gone to, once more returning to Kansas City for a chance to redeem a 2020 loss in the AFC Championship to the Chiefs.
The Bills have won four regular season head-to-head matchups with the Chiefs with Allen under center and were the only team to beat them this season at home. During that time the Chiefs have beaten Buffalo in all three of their playoff matchups.
The Bills will look to avenge a 2020 AFC Championship loss next Sunday against their AFC rivals to take their place in NFL lore.
But to get there they needed to beat Baltimore first, and they did just that. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.
Sights and sounds from first half as Bills hold a 21-10 lead over Ravens in divisional round
The first half appeared to be a reverse of Week 4, and two Lamar Jackson turnovers played a pivotal part in Baltimore trailing 21-10 after 30 minutes of football in Buffalo. The Bills held the Ravens to 73 yards rushing in the first half and 28 offensive plays. According to Next Gen Stats, Jackson has been under pressure on over half of his dropbacks (54.5%) for the first time since Week 4, 2023. He’s been pressured 6 times and sacked once on 11 dropbacks (as of Damar Hamlin’s strip sack).
With the second half underway, here are seven takeaways from the first 30 minutes.
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The MVP chants are going strong in Buffalo @JoshAllenQB
Dion Dawkins had a word with the official after this holding call. And for good reason. Bad call from the officials. #Bills#Ravenspic.twitter.com/Al8R6KZFWH
Bills vs. Ravens: 3 key matchups to watch in Divisional round
The Buffalo Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in the NFL’s Divisional round.
For this AFC battle between Sean McDermott’s Bills (13-4) and John Harbaugh’s Ravens (12-5), it will be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.
Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Ravens clash:
LB Terrel Bernard vs. RB Derrick Henry
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As always, it’s not on one player to stop a running back. But as the “quarterback” of the Bills defense, Bernard has to have his teammates in the right positions and ready to face Henry.
While Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is going to be the one with a lot of eyes on him, Henry was the one who torched Buffalo in the Ravens’ 35-10 win against the Bills in Week 4.
Along with 199 rushing yards and a touchdown in that outing, Henry’s resume against Buffalo is very solid. He averages 93 yards per outing against the Bills and has nine total touchdowns against them in six games.
WR Keon Coleman vs. CB Brandon Stephens
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The Ravens’ top cornerback is Marlon Humphrey. His 81.4 grade via Pro Football Focus‘ analytics has him with the fourth-best cornerback mark in the NFL currently.
One could expected Humphrey to follow around the likes of Bills receivers Khalil Shakir and Amari Cooper. That might leave Coleman to beat Stephens, who is PFF’s 99th best cornerback out of 117 qualifying players. His coverage grade has him at 109th.
Coleman had three catches for 51 yards in Baltimore earlier this season.
OL Spencer Brown vs. ED Kyle Van Noy
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The veteran in Van Noy is still going strong as his 12.5 sacks led the Ravens defense in 2024 and it was his first season with double-digit sacks in his career. Brown has had a solid year for the Bills. PFF grades him at a positive 74.3 mark.
Brown stopping Van Noy has plenty to do with Nnamdi Madubuike as well. He lines up next to Van Noy on Baltimore’s defensive front and that dynamic duo cannot be allowed to thrive.
With the team’s success, specifically on offense led by quarterback Josh Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady, they are now in a position to make more history:
Most players with a receiving TD in a season
Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) runs after making a catch with wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) running alongside in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
With Tyrell Shavers’ long catch and run for a touchdown in Week 17, the Bills tied the NFL record for most players with a receiving touchdown in a season.
The following players caught a touchdown in 2024: Khalil Shakir; Amari Cooper; Keon Coleman; Mack Hollins; Curtis Samuel; Tyrell Shavers; James Cook; Ty Johnson; Ray Davis; Dalton Kincaid; Dawson Knox; Quintin Morris; Josh Allen.
With the Bills slated to play their backups for much of the Week 18 game, they have a good chance of breaking this record. Some players who haven’t had much of an opportunity this year will have the chance to be an NFL record-breaker.
Some potential practice squad guys who could find the endzone in Week 18 are TE Zach Davidson, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR KJ Hamler, and WR Jalen Virgil. If FB Reggie Gilliam scores his first TD of the year that would break the record as well. And, there’s always the chance an offensive linemen could catch one. Josh Allen caught a touchdown this year so nothing can be ruled out.
First team to pass and rush for 30 TDs in a season
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On the season, the Bills have compiled 33 rushing touchdowns and 29 passing touchdowns. No team in NFL history has had 30 of each in a season. The Bills can be the first to do so by throwing one more touchdown pass, and it could set this record as well as break the record above in one play.
Mack Hollins leads the team with five receiving touchdowns while James Cook leads the team with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Most wins in a regular season in franchise history
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The Bills have never had 14 wins in a regular season in team history. A win over the Patriots in Week 18 would cement this squad in its team history.
The Bills have now had five years in team history with 13 regular season wins: 1990; 1991; 2020; 2022; 2024.
Backups will likely see the majority of snaps in the game, but they could still etch their spot in team and NFL history with a strong performance.
One more time: Bills’ Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper high-point touchdowns
The Bills rolled the Jets and put a lot of points on the scoreboard in Week 17.
The Bills (13-3) took a 40-14 win over the lowly Jets (4-12). While the Bills’ first-team players were on the field, they were far-and-away the better team.
Of all the big plays that happened for the Bills, a pair from Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman stood out the most. The Bills receivers both high-pointed touchdown grabs in the second half against the Jets. Those scores put the game to bed.
Before moving on to the Bills’ season finale against the Patriots on Sunday, check out both plays one more time right here:
One more time: Bills’ Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper high-point touchdowns
The Bills rolled the Jets and put a lot of points on the scoreboard in Week 17.
The Bills (13-3) took a 40-14 win over the lowly Jets (4-12). While the Bills’ first-team players were on the field, they were far-and-away the better team.
Of all the big plays that happened for the Bills, a pair from Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman stood out the most. The Bills receivers both high-pointed touchdown grabs in the second half against the Jets. Those scores put the game to bed.
What we learned from the Bills’ Week 17 win vs. Jets
The Buffalo Bills ar rounding out their 2024 schedule, most recently with a Week 17 win over the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium, 40-14.
The Bills (13-3) and Jets (4-12) have trended in opposite directions for much of this season, the former being dubbed as overachievers and the latter underachievers. Buffalo took care of business at home against a struggling New York squad and have now positioned themselves firmly as the second seed in the AFC playoffs with a week to spare in the regular season.
Next, the Bills will take on the New England Patriots (3-13) on the road at Gillette Stadium without anything to play for in Week 18.
Granted, it was over the four-win Jets, but they bucked some trends that could be telling for what’s to come in the postseason.
Buffalo had a quarterback pressure rate of 43.2%, which ranked fifth out of every team in Week 17. For the season, they rank middle-of-the-pack in the NFL with a pressure rate of 34.7%. And, they only blitzed 13% of the time on Sunday. This is a sign that the defensive line is stepping up down the stretch.
The Bills also held Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers without a third-down conversion (0-for-5). Going into the game, Buffalo’s defense ranked among the worst in the NFL on third downs. They ranked 32nd in the NFL against the pass on third down and 31st against the run (EPA/play).
These are good signs from the defense for what’s to come. The two-seed is wrapped up and the defense can continue to get healthy for the final run.
Cooper and Coleman provide a huge boost for the offense
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Wide receivers Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman haven’t been on the field consistently for the Bills, and when they have been on the field they haven’t gotten consistent targets. But one thing is clear: they can make plays when given the opportunity.
Cooper has played only eight games for Buffalo this year and has seen three or fewer targets in six of them. Coleman has played in 12 games and has seen two or fewer targets in five.
The Bills haven’t needed to break glass in case of emergency much at all this season. So, two of their better playmakers have had limited touches. But, as you saw in Week 17, they are more than capable of coming down with difficult catches when relied upon.
Both found the endzone against the Jets on highlight-reel plays. In the postseason, the Bills may lean on them a bit more, especially Cooper who has been around the block in the NFL without getting many chances in the postseason.
Cole Bishop flashing potential at safety
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Second-round rookie Cole Bishop has three starts under his belt, the latest being Week 17 as he filled in for Damar Hamlin.
Bishop has made his share of rookie mistakes, but he has shown flashes of what he can become and why he was picked early in April’s NFL Draft. Head coach Sean McDermott has been impressed with him.
Ahead of the Week 17 game, McDermott said, “I’m impressed with his improvement, and it’s good to see. His first game [Week 5 at HOU] was a bit rocky as it is for most rookies… it’s been fun to watch Cole develop so we’re looking for more as the season moves forward here.”
Bishop, even as a rookie, seems to give the run defense a boost at the very least with his downhill style of play. He’ll be one to watch in the final week of the season. He could be a starter come Week 1 of 2025 and may be needed before that.
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