Tag: Tyler Kroft

Instant analysis: Bills win but leave something to be desired

A win is a win.

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A win is a win. There’s no need to apologize for that. The Buffalo Bills move to 5-2 and won a game that they were expected to be victorious in over the lowly New York Jets (0-7). However, there are definitely reasons to be concerned after the score against arguably the worst team in the NFL.

The Bills offense settled for eight field goal attempts. Rookie kicker Tyler Bass made six of them, providing all of the Bills points. All 18.

The first half was mind-numbing. The Jets led for more time in the first half than they did over the course of their first six games. New York took a 10-6 lead into halftime. The opening half was frustrating for the Bills defense, as it felt like the team was back in its bend-but-don’t-break mentality. In fact, there was a feeling the unit was giving the Jets the same treatment that Buffalo gave Patrick Mahomes last week. Except, of course, Darnold isn’t in the same stratosphere as Mahomes.

Yet, Darnold was efficient in the first half for New York, going 11-of-15 for 116 passing yards. He did throw an interception. Bills rookie Dane Jackson made his first-career interception, which was also Buffalo’s first pick by a member of their secondary this season.

But Jets running back Frank Gore ran for 46 yards on eight carries, while La’Michal Perine added 36 yards on 10 carries during the first half.

Buffalo could only muster six points against a weak defense. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, for his part, went 12-of-20 for 129 yards. The quarterback added 48 yards on the ground.

Things went a bit better for Buffalo’s defense in the second half, as they reflected the group that the Bills expected at the start of the season. The unit completely smothered the Jets offense. They forced four punts and effectively ended the game with an interception of Darnold with just over one minute remaining in the game. Darnold only managed four passing yards in the second half. He completed only one of nine passes.

Buffalo defensive end Jerry Hughes looked like the Jerry of old, putting constant pressure on the Jets offensive line throughout the second half. All told, the Jets only managed 190 total yards.

The Bills recorded six sacks. Hughes led the way with two, while Jordan Poyer added one sack. Six players earned half of a sack during the game: Dean Marlowe, AJ Klein, Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, AJ Epenesa, and Trent Murphy. Jackson and Hughes were on the receiving end of Darnold’s interceptions.

The second-half play of Buffalo’s defense gives some promise for the future. But that first-half still leaves a bit of a bad taste, as the Jets had no reason to have a lead at halftime. However, the blame can be pinned on Buffalo’s offense for that.

Buffalo’s offense could not find the end zone all day. The only time they did crack the goal line, the call was reversed due to an illegal formation penalty. The Bills could not keep drives moving, as they went only 3-of-11 on third downs.

Even with the Bills’ offensive struggles, there are still some positives to take from the game. The Bills adjusted to the Jets defense and worked their secondary underneath the zone, working quick passes to move methodically down the field. Allen went 30-of-43 for 307 passing yards. Receiver Cole Beasley was the most effective target in the passing game, catching 11 passes for 112 yards. Tyler Kroft stepped up as well, reeling in four passes for 64 receiving yards. The run game performed adequately, as Zack Moss, Devin Singletary, and Allen combined to average 4.7 yards per carry on 27 rushes.

Even with the positive stats, there’s just a feeling that this game was not as dominant as expected. Buffalo’s offense can get away with field goals against the Jets. The defense held strong in the second half, but the Bills are still looking for a total 60-minute effort from this unit.

It won’t be so easy next week, as the Bills return home to take on their long-time nemesis, the New England Patriots.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 18-10 win over the Jets

Takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 18-10 win over the New York Jets in Week 7.

The Buffalo Bills are back to winning ways… albeit not in the prettiest manner.

The Bills won 18-10, but considering the manner of the victory and the opponent being the New York Jets, it was not the most confidence-building victory. Still… survive and advance, right?

With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Jets:

Bills kicker Tyler Bass. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Tyler Bass comeback szn… kind of

Oh boy, were things starting bad for Buffalo’s rookie kicker in Tyler Bass. Part of it wasn’t on him, though. To start the game, the Jets won the toss and elected to receive the ball instead of taking it at halftime. In doing so, the Jets offense looked… good. Moving the ball with ease, Buffalo’s defense managed to hold them to a field goal (not on Bass).

Following that drive, the Bills offense came back out there and did the same, lined up an early field goal. But… Bass missed it by pulling it wide left from 45 yards. All things considered, Bass was already looking like an early scapegoat for the Bills.

But credit to where it’s due. Bass then went and made four-straight kicks, finally putting the Bills ahead on the scoreboard against the lowly Jets in the second half. An added layer to his successes were the distances. Bass was selected as the winner of Buffalo’s kicker battle against Stephen Hauschka this offseason because he has the big leg. He can make those long ones, but sometimes struggles with accuracy. Bass went out and connected on distances of 53, 48, 46 and 37 yards.

From there, Bass did again have another one that he pushed wide from 37 yards… but to his credit again, the first-year kicker went back out there, made a chip shot from 29 yards and split the uprights on a crucial 40-yard attempt late, putting the Bills up by a touchdown, giving us our final score of 18-10. Bass, now the holder of the record for most field goal attempts in a single Bills game with eight, hopefully can build some confidence from this one.

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Buffalo Bills hit with COVID-19 outbreak

The Buffalo Bills are in rough shape heading into their game with the New York Jets.

It is a good thing the Buffalo Bills are playing the New York Jets Sunday. Because between injuries and now COVID-19 concerns, the AFC East leaders are going to be challenged to break their two-game losing streak.

The Bills have COVID-19 issues as of Saturday:

Of the four, only tight end Dawson Knox has tested positive, the team said. The other three players on the list are tight ends Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney and Nate Becker, all of whom have been deemed as having had close contact with Knox.

Here is their injury report as of Friday:

Out

  • LB Tyrel Dodson (hamstring)
  • TE Dawson Knox (calf)
  • OL Cody Ford (knee)
  • QB Jake Fromm (quarantine)
  • WR John Brown (knee)
  • CB Josh Norman (hamstring)

Questionable

  • CB Cam Lewis (wrist)
  • LB Matt Milano (limited)
  • CB Tre’Davious White (back)

Will play

  • TE Tyler Kroft (not injury related)
  • QB Josh Allen (shoulder)
  • S Jaquan Johnson (back)

 

Bills at Jets: 3 keys to the game for both teams

Buffalo Bills, New York Jets keys to game Week 7.

The Bills and Jets are facing each other for the second time in 2020, and while it has only been seven weeks, so much has changed. The Jets are vastly different, losing running back Le’Veon Bell and many others. For the Bills, there’s a much different feeling, as the defense has shown it’s true colors.

As poor as the Jets are, this game shouldn’t be overlooked. Here are the keys to victory for both teams:

New York Jets

1. Rally behind Sam Darnold

Though he’s been out on injury over the last two weeks, the world is starting to see that Sam Darnold is a gamer, and the New York Jets franchise has let him down. His performance against the Denver Broncos, which didn’t yield a victory, but did involve Darnold breaking off a 46-yard touchdown run to get his team moving.

Despite the lack of weapons, Darnold moved the ball effectively in the second half against the Bills in Week 1, and despite some “questionable” injury designations on the Jets, Darnold may be able to move the ball against this Bills defense that is banged up and playing poorly.

Let Darnold loose, as best as he can be. Designated runs, albeit not being a rushing QB, might be a way to catch this Bills defense off guard. Short and mid-ranged passes to attack the linebackers work, too.

2. The “Old Man” can still go

When Bell went on injured reserve after the first Bills and Jets encounter, Frank Gore became the guy in their backfield. While he’s not close to what he once was, Gore can still break off runs when needed. More of a power runner than an elusive back.

Is the Jets’ offensive line bad? Absolutely, but so is the Bills rush defense. While he doesn’t have to be an every down back, Gore should be game planned as often as possible. Gore is averaging 3.3 yards per carry, and the Bills are giving up and average of 4.8 yards per rush. It’s quite obvious.

There might be a bit of revenge mentality as well, with Gore having played in Buffalo last year, and having opportunities taken from him as the team transitioned toward Devin Singletary. Gore’s a true pro, and that may be drastic, but, how sweet would it be to have a season high game against the team that dumped you for the new kid.

3. Be Aggressive on Defense

The Bills offense has gone against much tougher competition than the Jets since their first game, this team has done a good job of beating itself in recent weeks. Penalties, overthrows and general mistakes have had the Bills look night and day different from what they had in weeks one through four.

It’s a Gregg Williams defense, which is trained to be more physical then most. Aggressive play from a defensive front is enough to rattle Allen, and we’ve seen in recent weeks what that can do. It might be the most important key to giving this Jets team an opportunity to win.

Play disciplined and penalty free football, while being hard nosed and physical. The Bills offensive line woes should come into play here, and may be the best opportunity for a Jets defense to find success.

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What we learned from the Bills’ win over the Rams

What We Learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams, NFL Week 3.

If the Buffalo Bills continue on this pace, their fans are going to need defibrillators to get through the rest of the season.

For the second week in a row, the Bills won a wild, high-scoring game that required fourth quarter heroics from quarterback Josh Allen. This one was a little different from last week’s 31-28 victory against the Dolphins, a game which was close throughout. On Sunday, the Bills nearly went down to defeat due to the biggest blown lead in franchise history. After giving up four straight touchdown drives and a 28-3 lead to the Rams, Allen and the Bills rallied on their final drive. Aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down, Buffalo found the end zone for the victory as Allen hit Tyler Kroft for a three-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining to secure a 35-32 win at Bills Stadium.

The big picture is that the Bills are 3-0 and remain in first place in the AFC East. But there are several cracks in the foundation of their first-place start that the team will have to correct as they depart for back-to-back AFC road games against the Raiders and Titans.

The wheels completely came off the Buffalo defense in the second half between the 6:55 mark of the third quarter and the 10:30 mark of the fourth frame. The Bills surrendered 28 first downs and 400 yards of total offense for the second-straight game. Even the return of linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds to the lineup could not correct the troubles the Bills have had on defense.

But the defensive issues may not matter as long as Allen continues to play at an MVP level. Allen threw for four more touchdowns on Sunday, ran for another, went over 300 yards passing for the third-straight game, and led another game-winning drive. His play remains the story not only of the Bills’ season, but perhaps the entire league.

As the Bills begin a difficult stretch of upcoming AFC games, here are four things we learned from another memorable victory in this 2020 season:

Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Allen May Have Fourth Quarter Magic

When all seems lost, Allen has been the hero there to save the Bills. That was certainly true on Sunday as Allen led a game-winning drive that saved a staggered Bills team that had just taken the blow of four consecutive LA Rams touchdowns.

Sure, Allen made some mistakes that contributed to the Rams’ comeback. And the final drive was by no means a clinic. But all that matters is that the winning points went up on the scoreboard as Allen hit Tyler Kroft in the end zone with 15 seconds remaining.

For Allen it was not just the second-consecutive game-winning fourth quarter drive he has directed. It was the eighth fourth quarter comeback he’s led in three NFL seasons.

Is Allen “clutch?” Does he know how to get it done when it matters most? It’s easy to make that claim when you think of the game-winning fourth quarter drives he’s put together. Three of the last four Bills’ victories dating back to last season have included a go-ahead touchdown drive led by Allen in the fourth quarter. He also led a drive for a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation in the Bills’ playoff loss at Houston.

The truth of it is that the Bills have found themselves in a position where they need to come back in the fourth quarter far too often. That’s largely because Allen has had games with subpar play through three quarters. That’s not the case this season as the Bills have scored 66 points in quarters 1-3 so far through three games. It is true, however, that two costly Allen turnovers helped put the Bills behind the eight-ball in the fourth quarter. Allen threw an ill-advised interception after the Rams’ first touchdown that put a tired Buffalo defense right back on the field, though it appeared the interception should have been overturned by replay (it was not). He also had the ball ripped from his hands by Aaron Donald on a sack in the final frame.

Still, Allen put it all together to pull out the win on the final drive. It was a rocky ride that included a sack and an incomplete pass on back-to-back plays that put the Bills in a third-and-22 hole, as well as a 15-yard facemask penalty on Allen as he tried to avoid a sack, and an incomplete pass on fourth down that was bailed out by a pass interference penalty. But it also included passes of 18, 22, and 19 yards to Cole Beasley, and a 17-yard throw to Stefon Diggs on third-and-25 that put the Bills in a manageable situation to convert on fourth down.

The Bills can’t rely on Allen to bail them out every week. A true mark of a title contender is its ability to win games easily. But the league’s upper echelon quarterbacks are known for pulling games out that appear lost. The Bills never seem out of a game as long as Allen is dealing. That level of trust and confidence in their quarterback could go a long way for Buffalo in 2020.

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Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Rams

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:

Stock up 

Bills running back Devin Singletary shakes Rams tackler Troy Hill. (Gannett photo)
Josh Allen 

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. 

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Bills TE Tyler Kroft says clutch performance was emotional

Buffalo Bills tight end Tyler Kroft says Week 3 two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams was emotional for him.

Tyler Kroft came out of nowhere for the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Kroft had four catches for 24 yards on five targets from quarterback Josh Allen in the 35-32 win. That alone is the best production the Bills have got  out of their tight end position this season.

But factor in two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the dying seconds? It’s the best game by any Bills tight end in… a very, very long time and after Kroft struggled during his first season with the Bills in 2019, there were some emotions in the Bills locker room after the win.

Among his teammates, wide receiver Cole Beasley and offensive lineman Mitch Morse both admitted via video conference following the win that they got emotional seeing Kroft deliver.

“You talk about Tyler Kroft, you talk about one hell of a dude,” Morse said to WROC-TV. “A guy who… kind of had a B.S. deal given to him the first year, with injury… And a guy who has taken everything with grace… and a guy who’s only mentality was to take it day-by-day and come be the best player he can be. And holy cow, you talk about a guy who, when he scored that touchdown? Our sideline erupted. It’s just fun. It’s fun to see him score cause he’s just the best guy.”

Naturally if the feels were felt by his teammates, Kroft himself had some thoughts in the same direction. Acknowledging his lengthy injury history in just over a season with the Bills, Kroft said he was just grateful to be given the opportunities.

“Obviously there’s emotion that’s been brought into this. Me re-breaking my foot, blowing out my other ankle, so, I mean, playing on two bad feet last year, there’s just a lot of stuff to overcome personally. But I’ve always been taught you come to work every day, ready to go, handle your opportunities when they come and handle your business like a pro. I’m just happy I was in a position to make a play today,” Kroft said via video conference.

The tight end also had to give a shoutout to his quarterback, too.

“We have some competitive dogs in our locker room. I can’t say enough about 17 (Josh Allen). He’s competitive as hell,” Kroft said.

Kroft’s clutch plays certainly came in handy for the Bills, who continue to get big games from players all over their lineup. Sometimes it’s a guy like Kroft, others it’s a Week 2 standout by star Stefon Diggs. Regardless, the Bills locker room continues to show it doesn’t matter to them who does it, just that it gets done.

Kroft even displayed this on Sunday, too.

The only reason the veteran tight end was put in that spot was because second-year pro Dawson Knox suffered a concussion last week against the Dolphins. Overall, Knox hasn’t exactly had the big year so far that some have hoped for with only three catches and a fumble to his name in 2020.

Still, watching his teammate from the same position group put out the heroics? Knox shared his happiness during the game on social media via Twitter. Kroft took note after the game, and gave a “love you bro” right back:

The comradery the Bills have built in their locker room continues to shine and it came in handy on the field in the dying seconds, didn’t it?

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Bills Wire’s Week 3 Player of the Game: QB Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen wins the Bills Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 3.

It wasn’t pretty by any means, but Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen certainly earned his second Bills Wire Player of the Week designation against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Perhaps he was angry with us that wide receiver Stefon Diggs got it last week?

After leading the bills to a 28-3 lead early in the third quarter, the Rams mustered a near comeback, scoring 29 unanswered points. However, Allen, overcoming some penalties, including a facemask penalty of his own, took the Bills on an 80-yard, 11-play drive which concluded in a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Kroft in the dying seconds. It was another fourth-quarter comeback for Allen, as he’s earning quite the reputation for that sort of thing.

Allen went 24-for-33 passing on the day, with 311 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, one rushing score. He did have an interception, but it was a very questionable call. Nonetheless, Allen’s heroics earn him the coveted hardware from Bills Wire again this week.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 35-32 win over the Rams

Here are five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 35-32 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.

The Buffalo Bills never make it easy, do they?

But at the end of the game, the Bills had more points on the scoreboard than the Los Angeles Rams and have survived the battle of undefeated teams. Buffalo took the 38-35 win over Los Angeles to jump to 3-0 this season.

Here are five takeaways from the win:

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

Josh Allen, wow

How else do you explain that fourth quarter by the Bills quarterback? Down and out, Josh Allen found a way. While Allen did enter the game with eight fourth-quarter comebacks, which included a tie for the league-lead in that category in 2019 with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, this one was just… different.

For the first time in a comeback win for the Bills, they were down and out. No, no… they were just out cold. There were no signs of life from the Bills.

Enter Allen.

Without a doubt after three games of the season, Allen would have won the MVP Award after that showing on his final drive. Allen found deep completions to Cole Beasley on third and 22, and then another to Stefon Diggs to get into the red zone. With the help of a fourth-down penalty from the Rams, Allen found Tyler Kroft, again, in the end zone for the game-winning score. Ugly sacks and second-half penalties aside, the Bills had an incredible win in Week 3.

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Watch: Questionable call on INT set up Rams’ TD drive

The interception by the Rams’ John Johnson was quite controversial.

The Buffalo Bills’ Tyler Kroft appeared to make a stellar catch in the third quarter Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. However, DB John Johnson “stole” the ball from the tight end, setting up a review. And controversy.

Watch the play:

After a review, the play was ruled a pick and Los Angeles ball. It was Josh Allen’s first interception of the year. The play wouldn’t have been a first down for the Bills as Kroft was flagged for OPI. However, a penalty would have been more understandable than a pick.

The controversy bubbled over to social media, where many disagreed it was a pick.

The play led to a TD drive that brought the Rams within 28-17. They had trailed 28-3. In case you were wondering, the Rams have not overcome an 18+ point deficit to win since 2005.