The Buffalo Bills had their way against the Denver Broncos, improving their record to 8-3 after a 20-3 victory Sunday afternoon.
The Buffalo Bills had their way against the Denver Broncos, improving their record to 8-3 after a 20-3 victory Sunday afternoon.
You might wonder, “How could a team dominate but win by only 17 points?” In reality, the game was not really as close as the score indicated.
Buffalo’s defense dominated a weak Broncos offense. Denver quarterback Brandon Allen was under duress all afternoon. Shaq Lawson recorded two sacks, while Star Lotulelei and Ed Oliver each added a sack to the team total. Lawson was in Denver backfield all afternoon, blowing past the Broncos offensive tackles with ease.
Tre’Davious White was a blanket on the Broncos best player, Courtland Sutton, all afternoon. Sutton only reeled in one pass out of eight targets, a catch on Denver’s first drive. White was credited with five passes defended on the day.
Linebacker Matt Milano was all over the field as well, registering six tackles and three passes defensed.
As a unit, the defense completely shut down the aerial game for the Broncos, allowing the fourth-year pro to collect only 82 yards through the air. Erase the yards lost via sacks by the Bills, and the Broncos gained only 49 net yards through their passing game.
Offensively, it took some time for Buffalo to put some distance on Denver. However, they stuck to the plan, and it turned out favorably for the team.
The Bills ran wild on Denver’s defense, gaining 244 yards on the ground as a team. Devin Singletary totaled 106 yards on 21 carries, while Frank Gore gained 65 yards on 15 rushes. Josh Allen added 56 yards on nine runs on the day.
Gore, the consummate professional, added another record to a memorable career. On a six-yard carry in the fourth quarter, Gore passed Barry Sanders for third all-time on the career rushing list.
Singletary also reached a milestone, as he eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career.
Josh Allen had another solid game for the Bills, throwing two beautiful touchdown passes. He went 15-for-25 and 180 passing yards on the day. His streak of games without an interception ended with an errant pass in the second quarter. However, that miscue did not hurt Buffalo, as the defense eliminated any progress of the Broncos on the subsequent derive with a Tre’ Davious White interception.
Cole Beasley reeled in an 18-yard drive. His route was perfect and Allen put a throw on a rope to complete the score. The worries of Allen’s deep ball were put to rest in the fourth quarter, as the quarterback delivered a perfect pass for 34 yards to John Brown. The play initially was ruled incomplete, but the call was revered as Brown’s dive into the back corner of the end zone showed a clean catch.
Beasley led the Bills with six receptions for 76 yards.
Stephen Hauschka hit both of his field goals and point-after-touchdown attempts, helping put to rest some of his struggles from earlier in the season. Andre Roberts had a good day in the return game, averaging 8.2 yards on punt returns. He also returned a kickoff for 25 yards as well.
It was a complete game for Buffalo. The team followed the game plan by putting pressure on Denver through the Bills run game. They also played strong defense, forcing the Broncos to rely on their passing game, which was obviously not a strength this afternoon.
This are looking good for Buffalo, as they move to 8-3 for the first time since 1996.
Buffalo has a quick turnaround, as the team will get ready for their Thursday night Thanksgiving tilt against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. It will be a big game for both teams, as the Bills are working toward solidifying their second playoff berth in three years while the Cowboys are facing a challenge from the Philadelphia Eagles for the top spot in the NFC East.
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