Bills 2021 rookie class does not fare well in ESPN ranking

#Bills 2021 rookie class does not fare well in ESPN ranking:

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ESPN did not look fondly upon the Buffalo Bills’ 2021 NFL draft rookie class.

The former world-wide leader ranked the first-year pros from every team in the NFL, head-to-head. The Bills ended up at the No. 27 overall spot. Only five other teams had a worse ranking than Buffalo.

Here’s the breakdown on the Bills’ rookie class:

27. Buffalo Bills
Why they’re ranked here: The Bills draft class’ biggest contributions came from their top three picks, as Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham were each part of a strong defensive line rotation while Spencer Brown played 726 snaps on the offensive line. Rousseau recorded 30 pressures and 38 defensive stops, but injuries limited Basham to just 200 snaps in total. Brown played over 600 snaps at right tackle, and although he allowed just one sack, he gave up 30 pressures and accrued a 51 PFF pass-blocking grade.

How their top pick fared: Rousseau flashed the kind of athleticism and size that makes him a problem for offenses to deal with, as he was a useful part of Buffalo’s defensive front. He was particularly impactful in the run game, but his pass rush was more inconsistent. He posted an eight-pressure game but also has five games in which he failed to record any pressure at all.

Best value pick: Brown became a starter on the Bills offensive line, spending most of his time at right tackle but even filling in at left tackle when needed. He recorded two elite run-blocking performances, which was his stronger area of play, and was rarely a liability in pass protection.

Overall, Buffalo had a class consisting of seven total players. Those not mentioned above include offensive lineman Tommy Doyle (Round 5), returner Marquez Stevenson (Round 6), safety Damar Hamlin (Round 6), and cornerback Rachad Wildgoose (Round 6).

Of that secondary group, only Stevenson and Doyle made some meaningful impact down the stretch run of the Bills’ 2021 season. Hamlin was a special teamer himself while Wildgoose left Buffalo when the New York Jets signed him from the team’s practice squad.

What really doesn’t help the full group in such a ranking is their positions on the defensive line for Rousseau and Basham. As referenced, the Bills run a big rotation along the defensive line, so even when they did get in the lineup, snaps were limited as opposed to someone like Brown– and rookies on other teams that they are being compared to.

But with all these players being only one year into their careers, there’s still plenty of time for them to turn into impact makers. Even along the defensive line as veterans could potentially be moving on from the Bills as early as this upcoming offseason.

With Buffalo’s No. 27 spot, in a bummer, they aso rank as the lowest team in the AFC East in this poll. One actually fares very well.

Here’s a quick rundown of how the rest of the division ranked in ESPN’s poll:

1. New England Patriots

7. Miami Dolphins

20. New York Jets

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PFF names Spencer Brown as Bills’ early 2022 breakout candidate

PFF names Spencer Brown as #Bills’ early 2022 breakout candidate:

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Spencer Brown turned it on in the latter half of the Buffalo Bills’ 2021 season.

Pro Football Focus took notice.

The football analytics outlet named a potential breakout player for every NFL team during a lookahead to next season. For the Bills, the right tackle was PFF’s pick:

BUFFALO BILLS: T SPENCER BROWN
2021 PFF Grade: 59.3

Brown was known for having elite measurables for a tackle prospect in the pre-draft process. The 6-foot-8, 290-pound tackle ended up going in the tail-end of Round 3, but his rookie season showed he just might exceed that draft slot. Brown posted a 70.6 run-block grade in 2021. His pass-protection was a hindrance, though. Brown allowed 36 pressures en route to a 49.1 pass-block grade.

In Brown, Buffalo is hoping they have the outside of their offensive line secured for years to come. On the left side, Dion Dawkins has already been signed to a long-term extension.

Down the stretch, the Bills have to like what they got from Brown. He was part of their O-line group that did not allow a sack in about a month’s worth of football late in the year.

As PFF cites, improving as a pass protector might be what Brown has to work on heading into 2022. However, when you have a quarterback like Josh Allen, it helps since he’s a mobile athlete. An offensive lineman doesn’t mind that.

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Bills vs. Patriots: 6 things to watch for during wild-card round

#Bills vs. #Patriots: 6 things to watch for during wild-card round:

The Buffalo Bills will begin another long postseason journey this weekend. The Bills (11-6) host the New England Patriots (10-7) for a third time to start that attempt.

Once this wild-card battle nears, there will a few particular things to keep in mind.

With that, here are six things to watch for during Saturday’s Bills-Patriots matchup:

Bills vs. Patriots: 3 key matchups in wild-card round

#Bills vs. #Patriots: 3 key matchups in wild-card round:

The Buffalo Bills will face the New England Patriots in their upcoming wild-card round matchup.

While the stakes will be very high, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch between the Bills (11-6) and Patriots (10-7):

Bills vs. Jets: 3 key matchups in Week 18

#Bills vs. #Jets: 3 key matchups in Week 18:

The Buffalo Bills will face the New York Jets in their upcoming Week 18 game.

While the stakes will be very high regarding the playoff race, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch between the Bills (10-6) and Jets (4-12) in the season finale:

The Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the Falcons

The #Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the #Falcons:

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It was a big week for the Buffalo Bills offensive linemen.

The Bills (10-6) finally had a 100-yard rushing day from a player not named Josh Allen and the hog mollies up front were rewarded with some positive grades from Pro Football Focus for their efforts.

Of the Bills’ top-five player grades from the football analytics outlet from their win over the Atlanta Falcons, two were blocking for running back Devin Singletary:

Left tackle Dion Dawkins blew away his teammates and Falcons defensive linemen on Sunday, finishing with a grade of 92.6. That’s Dawkins’ highest this season.

He led the way for Singletary on the edge and protected Allen’s blindside. Allen wasn’t sacked and he was only hit three total times.

On the opposite side of Dawkins and coming in fifth is right tackle Spencer Brown. Brown has struggled in recent weeks as his position shifted from right to left depending on Dawkins’ health but the developing lineman put together a noteworthy performance versus Atlanta.

Another rookie takes a spot on the top-five list with pass rusher Gregory Rousseau at second with a 79.6 grade. Rousseau had three tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit.

It’s his fourth sack of the year and first since Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Linebacker Matt Milano was fourth with a 77.6 grade. He finished the game with six total tackles – four solo – and a pass defended.

It’s the 10th time he’s had five or more tackles this season. He ranks third on the Bills with 84 total tackles, only behind Tremaine Edmunds (104) and Jordan Poyer (89).

Finally, wideout Stefon Diggs had a five-catch, 52-yard performance. He was targeted nine times. Diggs has gone over 50 yards in all but three games this season.

He became the first receiver in Buffalo Bills history to record 90-plus catches in consecutive seasons.

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Report card: Bills top Patriots, retake division lead

Report card: #Bills top #Patriots, retake division lead (via @NateMendelson):

The Buffalo Bills retook control of the AFC East and their playoff destiny. The 33-21 defeat of the New England Patriots might be Buffalo’s best win all season.

The Bills (9-6) played a complete game and excelled offensively against some major adversity vs. the Patriots (9-6).

Here’s how Bills Wire graded Buffalo, position-by-position, in the win:

Turns out Bills’ Spencer Brown was fined for beer celebration

Turns out this round wasn’t on the house:

Buffalo Bills offensive line Spencer Brown found a way to appeal to fans once again last week.

During his team’s 31-14 win against the Carolina Panthers, Brown, one for his celebration antics on the field, did it again… but with a beer.

Brown grabbed one out of the stands from a fan in Highmark Stadium’s front row. He ended up pouring it out for him and wide receiver Stefon Diggs after the receiver scored.

Brown has now revealed that beer was not on the house.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Brown was fined $5 thousand for snatching the beer.

At least Brown saw the fun it in. He had a laugh about the fine on his social media account via Twitter.

An expensive brew, he said:

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Bills at Patriots: 3 key matchups in Week 16

#Bills at #Patriots: 3 key matchups in Week 16:

The Buffalo Bills will face the New England Patriots in their upcoming Week 16 game.

While the stakes will be very high regarding the AFC East, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch between the Bills (8-6) and Patriots (9-5):

Bills’ Spencer Brown on penalties, struggles vs. Panthers: ‘Can’t happen’

#Bills’ Spencer Brown on penalties, struggles vs. #Panthers: ‘Can’t happen’

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The Buffalo Bills were dealt a tough card late last week. Starting left tackle Dion Dawkins was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.

That came as a surprise since Dawkins had already tested positive for the virus during training camp.

But then the reality of the situation settled in. What do the Bills do?

The answer ended up being Spencer Brown and despite the Bills (8-6) defeating the Carolina Panthers (5-9) 31-14 on Sunday, Brown struggled as he kicked over from right tackle to the left side.

Guarding some good pass rushers, notably the Panthers’ Brian Burns, Brown took several penalties. He was flagged for three holdings, a false start and a taunting penalty.

After, Brown wasn’t making any excuses for himself. The rookie was hard on himself.

“We can’t sit here and use the excuse of, oh, he’s at left tackle and he’s probably new to it,” Brown said via video conference. “Going into the next week if Dion is back, hopefully he is, I don’t know his situation. (But) If not I gotta go into next week and I gotta learn how to play left tackle just a little bit better and get the penalties down. Because obviously it hurts teams and kills drives. Can’t happen.”

While it’s honorable that Brown wants to take responsibility, it is true that he was in a difficult spot. Dawkins tested positive on Friday so he had to switch gears in a hurry.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott did express he wants Brown to be better. and learn However, the coach did level with the rookie.

“He’s a good player, a young player for us,” McDermott said. “I just wanted to settle him down and remind him it was all about the team.”

“You study one side of the deal and who you may play against on this side and then all of the sudden you’re playing against maybe someone else,” McDermott added. So it’s a little bit different.”

It’s unclear how the Bills will proceed moving forward. Dawkins is known to be a vaccinated player, so once he shows one negative COVID test with no symptoms, he’s good to return to the team.

That’s clearly what the Bills are hoping for with a massive meeting with the New England Patriots en route.

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