Takeaways from Buffalo Bills’ 26-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.
The Buffalo Bills hoped to bounce back after their first loss of the year last week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Instead, anything but that happened as the Chiefs handed a 26-17 loss to the Bills in Week 6.
The Bills offense didn’t put enough up on the scoreboard again, but most fingers will still point toward the defense, and deservedly so. Earlier this season, one could feel confident that this side of the ball would turn it around. Not so much anymore. What happened to this elite unit?
With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ loss to the Chiefs:
Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
This run defense stinks
There’s not really a nicer way to say it: Buffalo’s run defense… stinks.
In the early portions of the season, the Bills offense was so strong that opposing offenses had to quit running the ball early in games. Because of that, Buffalo’s defense was technically a top-10 unit against the run this season through the first four games. But actually looking at it, in terms of yards per carry, the Bills haven’t been good stopping the run at all this year.
Against the Chiefs, it might’ve hit rock bottom. It’s a good thing that Le’Veon Bell wasn’t allowed to play in this one… not that he was even needed, though. Rookie rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire started the game with 60 yards on his first six carries alone. By halftime, Edwards-Helaire was up to 94 yards rushing. Overall, Edwards-Helaire had a massive 161 rushing yards.
But it wasn’t just Edwards-Helaire. Darrell Williams had just as strong of a game, which included a rushing touchdown on fourth and inches from 13 yards out. He wasn’t even touched on the play. It ended up being just the fourth time an Andy Reid coached team had 200-plus yards rushing in a game, as the Chiefs put up 245 yards, in total, on the ground. So much for Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball all over the place?
It has been a weird week for the Buffalo Bills, and even weirder two weeks for the Tennessee Titans.
It has been a weird week for the Buffalo Bills, and even weirder two weeks for the Tennessee Titans, but the two finally managed to meet to end Week 5 of the NFL season on Tuesday.
In the early stages, it was a back and forth affair with both teams scoring in the first quarter but on two very different drives. The Bills started the game with the ball, but the drive ended early with a rare Josh Allen interception. Allen made the right read on third down finding Andre Roberts who had found a hole in the Titans zone, the ball slipped through his hands and into the lap of Malcolm Butler.
That set up a two-play touchdown drive for the Titans, putting the Bills down 7-0 early on.
The Bills bounced back on their next drive though, Allen led the team down the field, finding receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis on key downs. Allen even found Andre Roberts on a third and 15, setting up their offense up deep in the Titans’ territory. The Bills red zone offense once again brought out the tricks with an Isaiah McKenzie jet sweep toss for a three-yard touchdown.
The Bills were back in business as they tie the game 7-7.
As the first quarter ended the Titans moved the ball down the field benefiting from a porous Buffalo defense. For the majority of the first half cornerback Taron Johnson was getting picked apart by Ryan Tannehill and the Titans receiving corps, it wasn’t a pretty sight for Bills fans. Johnson’s ineptness help set up the Titans second score of the half, a one-yard run from Derrick Henry.
The Titans take the lead again to begin the second quarter 14-7.
The first part of the second quarter was a battle of field position for both. Neither offenses looked to get much done, especially the Bills. Allen forced the ball to Diggs the entire first half, leading to some dangerous throws and two dropped interceptions from the Titans. Buffalo did gain some momentum though as the Bills finally put some more points on the board, a 43-yard field goal from Tyler Bass. The Bills pull it back 14-10.
After this field goal, the wheels began to fall off for the Bills entirely. A 74-yard punt from Corey Bojorquez pushed the Titans back to their own 10-yard line with just three minutes left in the half. The Bills defense needed to make a stop, but they folded. Tannehill tore open a soft Buffalo defense and led them to a score before halftime. The Titans’ third touchdown of the game was a 10-yard scramble from Tannehill. To end the half the Titans lead 21-10.
The Titans started the second half and had a tepid drive, making little headway against a reenergized Bills defense. Tremaine Edmunds broke up a Tannehill pass to force a Tennessee punt. The Bills had the opportunity to bring this game back with a score, and it went all according to plan for Buffalo. Allen was finding Cole Beasley underneath, and Stefon Diggs outside. It was a promising drive for Buffalo, and as they moved into Titans territory, Allen made a costly mistake. The quarterback dropped back and threw it to Butler on a forced passed and returned the ball 68 yards.
These backbreakers defined the game for the Bills.
Tennessee started this drive in their own red zone, and they made quick work. Tannehill found his tight end Jonnu Smith, who boxed out Dean Marlowe at the goal line, bringing the score to 28-10, breaking the camels back, essentially.
Cclosing in on the fourth quarter the Bills offense needed to put something on the board and give them a shot for any sort of comeback. Frankly, it was the drive that the Bills needed Allen looked sharp, where he again found Beasley underneath, and Diggs longer downfield. Once Buffalo got into striking distance Josh Allen threw a laser from 22 yards out to TJ Yeldon who was in the back of the end zone. Buffalo tried a two-point conversion but failed, it was still a two-score game for the Bills though.
The defense then needed a stop… Like before though, they crumbled. Tannehill and the Titans put together a six-minute drive, capped off by a Derrick Henry touchdown. This touchdown was completely preventable, but the Bills couldn’t get themselves off the field. Most of the Titans’ big plays came off errors made by the Bills defense, whether it be penalties, missing tackles, or not setting the edge. The Titans didn’t beat the Bills, Buffalo beat themselves. The Henry touchdown put Tennessee up 35-16, and it was all over.
To make matters worse for Buffalo, Andre Roberts fumbled the ball in on the ensuing kickoff, giving the ball right back to Tennessee. In just three plays Tannehill throws another touchdown to Smith.
An utter blowout at 42-16.
It was a hard pill to swallow for Buffalo because as mentioned earlier, the Bills really just beat themselves. Tennessee didn’t change their game plan, it was just an avalanche of unforced errors by the Bills.
If Allen didn’t turn the ball over the twice, and the Bills defense made a few more stops, this could have been an entirely different result. Alas, Buffalo can’t wallow for too long, because next week they host reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills looked really good, then really bad, then really good again after their week three victory over the Rams
Bills Mafia… you can take a deep sigh of relief as the Buffalo Bills had an epic collapse against the Los Angeles Rams, but eventually came back in the final seconds as quarterback Josh Allen found his tight end in Tyler Kroft in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in a 35-32 decision. It was a sensational start for the Bills as they had a 28-3 lead in the third quarter, but then the defense collapsed in the third quarter and defensive tackle Aaron Donald of the Rams started wearing down the Bills offensive line.
It was a thriller from start to finish and moved to 3-0 on the season. It was a game of highs and lows for the Bills and the play of few represented that inconsistent play.
Following the win, let’s take a look at Week 3’s stock report for the Bills:
Quarterback Josh Allen has had a tremendous start to the 2020 season, with 1,046 passing yards, an average completion percentage of 71 percent and 12 total touchdowns. Not bad. The Bills needed five touchdowns from Allen on Sunday. The quarterback from Wyoming completed 72.7 percent of his passes, threw for 311 yards, and four touchdowns against the Rams. He also rushed for a touchdown, the 19th of his career. Allen was also dropping dimes throughout the game against a stout Rams secondary. The likes of wide receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis benefited most from these passes with the two receivers combining for 181 yards on 10 grabs.
Allen didn’t have a perfect game, he was sacked four times, threw a controversial interception, and had the ball stripped from his hands. With that being said, he was the reason the Bills won the game. His deep shots to Davis and Beasley electrified Bills Stadium, and helped lead the team to victory.
Devin Singletary
After a few weeks in the proverbial dog house, Devin Singletary had a great game against Donald and the Rams. Singletary had 13 rushing attempts for 71 yards, an eye watering 5.5 yards per carry. His performance against the Rams was reminiscent of his rookie season, he was making defenders miss in the backfield and powering through smaller defensive backs in the open field. It was a refreshing performance because in the past two weeks the sophomore back looked stagnant, hopefully this can be the game that propels his season forward.
While he contributed in the run game, he also caught four passes for 50 yards, an average of 12.5 yards per catch. He tallied a combined 121 yards, creating plenty of drive extending plays.
Tyler Kroft
If at the beginning of the week someone had tweeted that tight end Tyler Kroft would have two touchdown catches, and one being the game winner, many would be skeptical. Kroft did just that though, he had just four catches, for 24 yards, and two scores. While not eye-popping numbers, he was incredibly efficient and incredibly clutch. Like Singletary, this could be a game that kicks starts Kroft’s season.
Gabe Davis/Cole Beasley
This is cheating, but the Bills passing attack was led by these two receivers. Davis had his first career touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 2. Against the Rams he had a career high in catches and yards, he had four grabs for 81 yards, and was a safety blanket for his quarterback in the first half. His highlight play came in the form of a 39-yard reception where he displayed some great footwork to drag his toe down the sideline… great technique from the rookie.
Cole Beasley had another great game in a Bills’ uniform, he had six grabs for 100 yards, an average of 16.7 yards per reception. Beasley had an incredibly clutch catch on the Bills’ game-winning drive, where he picked up 24 yards on a third-and-22. This was an important step for the Bills offense who didn’t need to rely on either Stefon Diggs or John Brown to make plays for the unit, instead having contributions across the board, a good sight to see.
Honorable mentions:
The defense got absolutely rinsed in the second half against the Rams, but the first half looked like they were going to shoutout Rams QB Jared Goff & Co. The defense was bolstered by the return of linebacker Matt Milano who tallied one sack, and a Levi Wallace interception… even rookie AJ Epensesa got in on the action. The former Hawkeye tallied his first sack of his career on a Goff rollout.
The Buffalo Bills are a few short weeks away from arriving for training camp in Western New York. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the preseason festivities will be diminished; the team will not hold their sessions at St. John Fisher College, their training camp location since 2000.
Nevertheless, the aim of the training camp remains the same. The organization must prepare players for the preseason, which depth players will compete in their final battle for a roster spot.
Training camp could hold greater importance this year, as the trimmed down preseason slate leaves fewer opportunities for players to impress the coaching staff.
The Bills Wire will complete a position-by-position analysis of each group on the Bills roster. This edition will focus on the cornerback position:
Players (age)
Tre’Davious White (25: 4th season)
Josh Norman (32: 9th season)
Levi Wallace (25: 3rd season)
EJ Gaines (28: 6th season)
Cam Lewis (23: 2nd season)
Taron Johnson (23: 3rd season)
Dane Jackson (23: Rookie)
Ike Brown (22: Rookie)
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. (AP Photo/Rich Barnes)
2019 recap
Tre’Davious White was the story last year. He tied for the league lead with six interceptions. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. White’s stats include 58 total tackles, 17 passes defended, and even a sack on the 2019 ledger. Pro Football Focus gave White the fourth-best coverage grade in the league last year, even as the third-year pro habitually was manned up against the opponent’s best wideout. To top it off: he didn’t allow a touchdown his was during the regular season.
Levi Wallace started 16 games opposite White. Wallace totaled 76 tackles and two interceptions. He’s been consistent for the Bills, often an unheralded and underappreciated piece of Buffalo’s defense. Kevin Johnson played as the team’s primary reserve cornerback. However, he was called upon to start the Wild Card matchup against Houston, recording nine tackles in the playoff game because of an injury Wallace suffered in Week 17.
Taron Johnson worked out of the slot for the Bills. He piled up 50 tackles and one sack last year. Siran Neal, primarily a safety, matched up against opponents playing in the team’s “big nickel” packages.
Now here’s a rundown of storylines to follow in this position group:
Can Tre’Davious White keep up his exceptional play?
White is the Bills’ unquestioned No. 1 shutdown cornerback. He took on difficult assignments in stride in 2019. The league finally recognized his contributions.
White is looking at a massive pay day if he keeps up this pace. The Bills already picked up White’s fifth-year option, so the first draft pick of the Sean McDermott era will be around for at least two more years. This gives Buffalo some time to work out a long-term agreement with White.
The challenge for White will be for him to erase the memory of the Wild Card game. The Texans moved wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins out of the slot in the second half, and he put immense pressure on White. Hopkins is exceptional, but for White to continue to be mentioned among the league’s best, he’ll have to shut down the best of the best out wide.
He is the state of the Buffalo Bills secondary entering the 2019 offseason.
Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the secondary, including the season that was and projecting forward:
Jordan Poyer, center, and Micah Hyde charge onto the field fpr an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The Buffalo Bills secondary has been arguably the best positional grouping during the Sean McDermott era. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, the first draft pick for McDermott, was honored with First-Team All-Pro honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl. Safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, two of the regime’s earliest free agent signings, have become cornerstones for the franchise over the past three years.
White had another stellar season, en route to entering his name into the national discussion for best cornerbacks in the league. He was regularly matched against the opponent’s top receiving threat. The LSU product registered 58 tackles, six interceptions (tied for the league lead), and 17 passes defensed.
Levi Wallace played the opposite corner position from White. The undrafted free agent has held his own, registering 76 tackles, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions. However, he has been susceptible to getting beat by receivers in his second season.
Taron Johnson worked primarily against slot receivers. He was adequate, although he did not seem to have the impact that he did as a rookie two years ago.
Kevin Johnson provided veteran depth, seeing action in all 16 games. He recorded 32 tackles, one sack, and five passes defensed. Overall, he provided the necessary support for the unit when needed.
Hyde and Poyer were great at the back of the defense. Poyer was second on the team with 104 total tackles. Hyde added 72 total tackles to the ledger this year. Both are solid leaders and essential components of this defense’s dominance.
Siran Neal, a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, was a versatile player, spelling Johnson when a bigger, more physical player was needed in the slot. He took a solid step forward in this second professional season, taking on more responsibility in the slot.
Dean Marlowe, Jaquan Johnson, and Kurt Coleman provided depth in the secondary. A good deal of their contributions came on the special teams. unit.
Bills CB Tre’Davious White. Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Contract status
White enters the fourth-year of his rookie deal. He will count $3.2 million against the salary cap. The All-Pro will have the team’s fifth-year option at hand for the 2021 season. However, the Bills will do everything in their power to sign White to a long-term deal. But with others from his rookie class such as Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano also on expiring contracts that don’t have a fifth-year option, the Bills might opt to flex that option.
Johnson will cost approximately $821,000 against the cap in his third season.
Hyde and Poyer have been bargains on their deals, outplaying their cap hits. Hyde has two more years on his deal at a cap hit of approximately $6.7 million. Poyer takes on the final year of his deal carrying a cap hit of just over $4 million.
Neal and Jaquan Johnson are moving their way through their entry-level deals, with Neal costing the team approximately $730,000 toward the cap while Johnson will constitute about $631,000 in the cap figure.
Kevin Johnson and Coleman are unrestricted free agents this year. Marlowe is a restricted free agent, while Wallace is an exclusive rights free agent.
The future
The entire starting group has outplayed their contracts. Thus, someone’s going to get PAID soon. The first priority is White. The Bills let Stephon Gilmore walk in 2017. With teams in need of matching high-powered offenses with top-flight cornerbacks, the position has taken a higher level of value in recent years. Thus, money will be dedicated to the cornerback position in the near future.
Poyer and Hyde present interesting conundrums for the team. Poyer has one more year on his deal. Eventually, several players are going to command new deals, including White, Josh Allen, Devin Singletary, Matt Milano, and Tremaine Edmunds. With Poyer fit into the team’s long-term plans? He will be 29-years-old next season. Even though he has been very productive, his work may eventually price himself out of Buffalo’s plans. This will be up to general manager Brandon Beane’s mastery to get all of these players under contract. Also, McDermott may bank on his expertise to bring along a lower-cost option in place of Poyer in 2021. There’s a lot to untangle at this spot.
For now, Hyde and Poyer will continue to a strength of the defense.
Taron Johnson and Neal could battle for first-team reps at the cornerback spot. Neal demonstrated a physicality and flexibility that was impressive for his role.
The most intriguing spot will be opposite White. Wallace played well at times, but also faced bouts of inconsistency. Buffalo would most likely not entertain free agent starting options, so the draft could be an interesting spot for consideration. Virginia’s Bryce Hall, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, and Utah’s Jaylon Johnson could be players to watch as the Combine takes place.
Kevin Johnson could be re-signed for depth purposes if he is cost-effective. Wallace, as an exclusive rights free agent, most likely will return to Buffalo. However, it may be challenging for him to return as the starter after the offseason.
Buffalo Bills players that need to step up in 2019 playoffs against Houston Texans.
The Bills are now in win or go home mode heading into the 2019 playoffs. That journey will begin on Saturday in Houston against the Texans.
While the Bills have had a successful season to this point, some players will certainly need to step it up if the Bills are going to win their first playoff game in over two decades.
Here are seven players who need to step up for the Bills in the playoffs:
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Cody Ford. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
RT Cody Ford
The status of offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe is up in the air this week. He injured his ankle again in Week 17 against the Jets. He’s practiced in a limited capacity this week, but regardless, Cody Ford will see playing time and Nsekhe likely won’t be 100 percent, at least.
No longer a rookie, Ford cannot afford to be the weak link of Buffalo’s offensive line. That’ll involve a very tough matchup as defensive end JJ Watt is going to return to the lineup this week for the Texans. Watt was once thought to be done for the season with a pec injury, but remarkably will return to face the Bills. How close to full health he’ll be will be a question mark, but he’s still a former three-time Defensive Player of the Year. He can end a gameplan before it ever gets going.
Stock report following the Buffalo Bills’ 24-17 Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Bills lost their chance to make the AFC East title interesting on Saturday, falling 24-17 to the New England Patriots.
While the Bills locker room will tell you there are no “moral victories” anymore for this team, it was still a solid showing in some aspects for the Bills. But still, Buffalo lost the game.
Here’s how the stock report for the Bills looks following their Week 16 loss to the Patriots:
Stock up
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
WR Cole Beasley
As it’s been all season for the Bills, outings are usually defined by Cole Beasley or John Brown in the passing game. One or the other, rarely, if ever at all, both of them. Brown did have a deep catch on the day, but overall, was relatively ineffective against the likes of Stephon Gilmore.
With that, Beasley did have a big game. After back-to-back quieter weeks, the slot receiver had a huge game, seven catches for 108 yards. It was his second 100-plus receiving yard game with the Bills this season. With 56 yards against the Jets in Week 17, Beasley will set a career-high number of receiving yards in a single season.
The Bills had their first chance to win the AFC East in 20 years on Saturday, but couldn’t seal the deal in New England.
The Buffalo Bills went to Foxborough and gave the New England Patriots an intense matchup that resulted in a 24-17 win for the home team. Both defenses played well in the cold New England night.
Buffalo made the game competitive, but they couldn’t seal the victory in the fourth quarter.
With the unfortunate loss against the Patriots, here’s how the Bills were graded against New England:
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Quarterback: C
Josh Allen started off the game terribly, completing just three passes before the end of the second quarter. At the end of the first half Allen found his footing and drove the offense down the field, and tied the game. That drive saw Allen hit a deep ball to Dawson Knox, and the touchdown came from finding Dion Dawkins in the back of the end zone on the final play of the first half with some trickery.
The second half Allen found more consistency, and again connected on the deep ball but this time to John Brown. Brown made a great move against Stephon Gilmore to create separation, and walked into the end zone with the ball was in hands.
Allen had an improved stat line from his first game against the Patriots, he completed 13 of his 26 passes for 208 yards and had two touchdowns. His biggest flaw though was his accuracy. He missed Cole Beasley twice, once in the middle field, and again on an out route where the ball was behind Beasley.
