Tag: Zach Moss

Ravens vs. Raiders: Top photos from Week 2 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium

The Ravens have gone from a Super Bowl hopeful, to a team searching for answers after a shocking 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The loss dropped Baltimore to 0-2 on the season, while creating more discourse centered on the offensive line, secondary, run-pass ratios, and Lamar Jackson. The disappointing loss also creates something of a hotseat for head coach John Harbaugh with a difficult matchup against the Cowboys looming.

Here are the top photos from Week 2.

***

Tunnel Vision of Week 1

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Yards TD
 Kyler Murray 289 Pass
20 Rush		 5
 Patrick Mahomes 337 Pass
18 Rush		 4
 Tom Brady 379 Pass 4
 Jared Goff 338 Pass
14 Rush		 3
 Jameis Winston 148 Pass
39 Rush		 5
Running Backs Yards TD
Christian McCaffrey 21-98 Rush
9-89 Rcv		 0
Joe Mixon 29-127 Rush
4-23 Rcv		 1
Jamaal Williams 9-54 Rush
8-56 Rcv		 1
D’Andre Swift 11-39 Rush
8-65 Rcv		 1
Nick Chubb  15-83 Rush
2-18 Rcv		 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Amari Cooper 13-139 2
Tyreek Hill 11-197 1
Deebo Samuel 9-189 1
Adam Thielen 9-92 2
Corey Davis 5-97 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Rob Gronkowski 8-90 2
T.J. Hockerson 8-97 1
Travis Kelce 6-76 2
Dallas Goedert 4-42 1
Noah Fant 6-62 0
Placekickers XP FG
Robbie Gould 5 2
Joey Slye 4 3
Greg Zuerlein 2 3
Chris Boswell 2 3
Dustin Hopkins 1 3
Defense Sck-TO TD
Saints 2-3 0
Cardinals 6-3 0
Steelers 3-1 1
49ers 3-1 1
Cowboys 0-4 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

This seems delightfully short but last year also started with few injuries in Week 1. Just wait – it will get worse.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Hip
RB Raheem Mostert – Knee
RB Rashaad Penny – Calf
WR Jerry Jeudy – Ankle
WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside – Ankle

Chasing Ambulances

Not much reason to stand in line at your waiver wire this week.

QB  Ryan Fitzpatrick – Early prognosis suggests that Fitzpatrick will miss at least a few weeks with a hip injury, but there are fears he might have broken the bone.  Taylor Heinicke is a fourth-year quarterback on his third NFL team. He’s only had one start back when he was with the Panthers in 2018, so he’s not exactly “seasoned”.

The coaches have been encouraged by him this summer, but it is hard to see them stick with Heinicke all season if that came to be. The Football Team faces the Giants, Bills and Falcons next, so there should be an increased need to pass the ball.

RB Raheem Mostert – Early speculation is that Mostert did not tear and ACL so it is likely just a sprained knee. An MRI will confirm his status for this week. The 49ers opted to make Trey Sermon inactive even though their official depth chart has him as No. 2 and Elijah Mitchell as No. 4.

But Sermon sat out and Mitchell blew up on the Lions with 104 yards and a score. If Mostert misses time, it is expected that Sermon would be active for games. There should be more news coming out not only about Mostert’s knee, but about the roles and expectations for the backfield ongoing.

WR Jerry Jeudy – The Broncos’  starting flanker injured his ankle. While it seemed to be severe, there is hope that it is just a high-ankle sprain. That would see him miss at least a month if so, and that should promote K.J. Hamler though Tim Patrick could also be worked more.

Hamler (3-41) and Patrick (4-39, TD) both saw four targets on Sunday, so there’s no one receiver that stands to inherit all of Jeudy’s targets.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Jared Goff – Hard to believe that he’s the No. 4 fantasy quarterback for Week 1 with 338 passing yards and three touchdowns. But Goff only totaled 92 yards and one score in the first half when they trailed 31-10. The rest was trash time production. There may be more games where the opponent gives away yards or scores later in the game, but not reliably.

QB Jameis Winston – The entire matchup with the Packers was surreal, but credit Winston with an impressive game that included 14-of-20 passing for148 yards and five touchdowns. Winston even ran for 37 yards. The next two games playing at the Panthers and Patriots will be better indicators of what he can do.

QB Jalen Hurts – Impressive opening for Hurts when he tossed three touchdowns with 264 passing yards. But he was also the leading rusher among quarterbacks with 62 yards on seven runs and that helps his consistency with fantasy points.

RB Elijah Mitchell – As noted above with the Raheem Mostert injury, the 49ers sixth-round pick was the No. 2 back in the game and took over once Mostert went down. He’ll be scraped off waiver wires this week, but he faced a terrible Lions defense,  and was all alone once Mostert left. That won’t happen in maybe any other week. More should be known about Trey Sermon’s apparent one-week demotion, so Mitchell’s ongoing value is still very unknown. If you are dumping a player who landed on IR, then holding Mitchell to see what happens makes some sense. But the odds are not in his favor that this is more than a one-game event.

Broncos backfield – They already had the best rushing schedule in the NFL and Week 1 backs that advantage. The worst that could happen is for both backs to look good – which is likely – and that neither distinguishes themselves enough to receive a bigger share of the touches. Javonte Williams ran for 45 yards on 14 carries and caught one pass for a net four-yard loss. Melvin Gordon accounted for three catches for 17 yards and was stuck at ten rushes for 31 yards until he broke a 70-yard touchdown at the end of the game. Facing the Jaguars and Jets next is going to make both of them still look good.

RB Damien Harris – The Patriots went with a run-heavy attack versus the Dolphins, and Harris dominated the rushing with 23 runs for 100 yards plus two catches for 17 yards. He also lost a fumble at the Bengals’ 11-yard line that prevented a game-winning field goal or touchdown. Rhamondre Stevenson was a star in the preseason, but he fumbled a reception in the first quarter and never saw the field again. Harris ran well, but it is too early to be comfortable with him consistently taking such a big chunk of the workload.

RB James White – With the Patriots shifting back to a more standard passing scheme with Mac Jones staying in the pocket, White resumed his role as a favored relief option when he caught six passes for 49 yards.

RB Zach Moss – The Bills running back was a healthy scratch on Sunday and all Bills coach Sean McDermott would say was that it was about “numbers.” Singletary went on to gain 72 yards on 11 rushes while Matt Breida  turned four runs into four yards. Assumedly more information will come out regarding Moss, but the success of Singletary versus the Steelers doesn’t bode well for Moss.

Cardinals backfield – Despite Chase Edmonds atop of the depth chart, James Conner still maintained a significant role with 16 rushes for 53 yards in the win over the Titans. Edmonds settled for 12 carries for 63 yards and added four receptions for 43 yards. And, of course, the only rushing touchdown belonged to Kyler Murray. Edmonds is the better fantasy play with receptions included, but Conner is not just a change of pace back.

RB Tony Jones – The back that suddenly became the No. 2 when Latavius Murray was released turned in 11 runs for 50 yards and caught one pass for three yards. That was effective but went against a Packers team that was one of the worst rushing defenses last year, and just never showed up in Week 1. He’s a handcuff for Alvin Kamara but hasn’t offered stand-alone fantasy value so far even in a game where there were 31 rushing attempts by the backfield.

RB James Robinson – He faced what should have been a dream matchup in Houston, but the new coaching staff leaned more towards Carlos Hyde (9-44) than they did Robinson (5-25) who also added three catches for 29 yards. Hyde ended with two receptions for 14 yards, and it appears that HC Urban Meyers has ruined the only part of the offense that worked last year.

RB Mark Ingram – The Texans collected as many mediocre running backs as they could in the preseason, but at least they settled on Mark Ingram (26-85, TD) in Week 1. Phillip Lindsay (8-25, TD) didn’t figure in much until the game leaned heavily for the Texans. David Johnson ran three times and scored on his three catches for 18 yards. This is a committee, but in the likely rare case they can rely heavily on rushing the ball, Ingram is the clear preference.

Eagles backfield – Miles Sanders ran very well on his 15 runs for 74 yards and he added four catches for 39 yards for a busier than usual workload. But Kenneth Gainwell also had nine carries for 37 yards and a touchdown, along with two short catches. Both the rookie and Sanders were effective rushing, but hosting the 49ers this week can confirm if the ratio will be consistent each week.

WR Brandon Aiyuk / Trent Sherfield – His standout rookie season had Aiyuk as the leading receiver for the 49ers, so when the same offense and quarterback returned for Week 1, it was a surprise that he never received even one target. HC Kyle Shanahan explained that Aiyuk’s playing time was reduced (eliminated) because of the time he missed with a hamstring injury, even though he was not on the injury report and playing in the same offense he already knew. Trent Sherfield is a fourth-year wideout with 28 career catches, but he was chosen to start over Aiyuk. Sherfield only caught two passes for 23 yards but one was a five-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Aiyuk became the starting punt returner.  This is a surprising and seemingly sudden decision to phase out the previous No. 1 wideout.

WR Deebo Samuel – After injuries limited him to seven games last year, Samuel was expected to remain the No. 2 wideout to Brandon Aiyuk. Instead, he posted a career-high 189 yards on nine receptions and one score in the win over the Lions. At the least, it shows he is healthy for now and a preferred target for Jimmy Garoppolo. George Kittle was held to four catches for 78 yards in the opener and will be more involved this year, but Samuel lays claim to the No. 1 wideout.

WR Christian Kirk – What little was said about Kirk this summer was not good, and the focus was more on the rookie Ronald Moore (4-68) and even a supposedly rejuvenated A.J. Green (2-25). But Kirk caught all five of his targets to gain 70 yards and score on 26 and 11-yard touchdown receptions. He didn’t have more targets than the rest other than DeAndre Hopkins, but he burned the weak Titans secondary. His next two opponents are the Vikings and Jaguars, so he could reassert his role as a receiver.

The Big 3 – The first wide receivers taken in the draft all debuted to impressive games as one of their team’s top receivers. Ja’Marr Chase (5-101, TD),  Jaylen Waddle (4-61, TD), and Devonta Smith (6-71, TD) all scored and played on winning teams.

Compare those to the top running backs drafted – Najee Harris (16-45 rush, 1-4 receive). Travis Etienne (injured reserve), Javonte Williams (14-45 rush, 1-(-4) receive), Trey Sermon (inactive), and Michael Carter (4-6 rush, 1-14 receive). But sure, running backs are plug-n-play while wide receivers take time to learn their position.

WR/TE Juwan Johnson – The Saints receiver is listed as either a wideout or a tight end depending on where you look. But the second-year receiver from Oregon only caught four passes as a rookie and yet turned in three receptions for 21 yards and two touchdowns in the beatdown of the Packers. His second score used his 6-4 frame to outleap the defenders. He was a wideout last year, but the current depth chart has him as the No. 3 tight end. Jameis Winston’s first start used him as a red-zone target while Adam Trautman settled for a scoreless three catches for 18 yards. Trautman was the most targeted player with six passes, so Johnson isn’t reliable after just one game. But worth tracking.

WR K.J. Osborn – The Vikings rarely used the No. 3 wideout last year, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette was their 5.13 pick this year that received minor hype this summer. But Week 1 saw last year’s fifth-round pick K.J. Osborn assume the third wideout role. He never caught a pass as a rookie  but turned in seven catches for 76 yards in the loss to the Bengals. Only Thielen (10) had more targets than the nine for Osborn and he outgained Justin Jefferson on the day. That’s no reason to grab him as a fantasy starter, but a name to remember if either Jefferson or Thielen miss time.

WR Nelson Agholor – His first start as a Patriot saw him assume the No. 1 top fantasy spot with five catches for 72 yards and one score. Jakobi Meyers was the best wideout last year, and he ended with a team-high nine targets for six catches and 44 yards. That’s a favorable sign that the top two wideouts were the biggest targets during Mac Jones’ debut. The Pats upcoming opponents include the Jets (twice), Buccaneers, Texans, Cowboys, and Chargers by midseason.

TE Kyle Pitts – The highest-drafted tight end in NFL history had a quiet start with only four catches for 31 yards during the sputtering debut of  HC Arthur Smith’s new offense. There are reasons to be concerned about Pitts already, though none stem from his abilities. The Falcons looked unprepared in the blowout loss to the visiting Eagles. But Pitt’s eight targets tied with Calvin Ridley for the team lead. Better days will come, but this offense looks like a slow starter and has to play at the Buccaneers, at the Giants and and then host the Football Team over the next three weeks.

TE James O’Shaughnessy – The Jaguar’s tight end can sit on the waiver wire for now, but this is a new offense with a new quarterback. And O’Shaughnessy caught six passes for 48 yards in the opening loss to the Texans. Lawrence still relied more on the top three wideouts, but the eight targets for his tight end are worth notice.

TE Pharaoh Brown –  Also a watch instead of a free agent grab, but the Texans’ tight end only managed 20 catches over his three-year career. He became the No. 2 receiver for Tyrod Taylor on Sunday when he caught four passes for 67 yards. His five targets were more than all but Brandin Cooks. While there is a new head coach in David Culley, his offense is still directed by the same offensive coordinator of Tim Kelly. But a lack of wideouts could prop Brown up to having fantasy value.

Huddle player of the week

Kyler Murray  –  The Cardinals star quarterback started 2021 with a bang when he threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns and ran in a score on his five rushes for 20 yards.  All four scores went to the two starting wideouts, which was a way of saying “you cannot stop me.” Judging by his schedule for the next month, this may not be the only time he ends up here.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Jared Goff 338/14 3 QB Aaron Rodgers 133 0
RB Jamaal Williams 110 1 RB Ezekiel Elliott 39 0
RB Elijah Mitchell 104 1 RB Aaron Jones 22 0
WR Sterling Shepard 113 1 WR Brandon Aiyuk 0 0
WR Christian Kirk 70 2 WR Julio Jones 29 0
WR Zach Pascal 43 2 WR Mike Evans 24 0
TE Pharaoh Brown 67 0 TE Kyle Pitts 31 0
PK Joey Slye  4 XP 3 FG PK Mason Crosby  1 FG
Huddle Fantasy Points = 146 Huddle Fantasy Points = 21

Now get back to work…

ESPN gives Bills 2020 draft class top-10 ranking

ESPN ranked the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 draft class a top-10 ranking at No. 9 overall.

[jwplayer yit7dffx-ThvAeFxT]

ESPN ranked the Buffalo Bills 2020 draft class as the ninth-most productive in the NFL this year. The rankings once again revealed general manager Brandon Beane’s draft acumen, as the Bills had a fruitful draft even without the benefit of a first-round pick.

While Buffalo didn’t have a rookie who hit superstar status, the Bills’ collective productivity put them on the map for having one of the best rookie groups.

The rankings, which used Pro Football Focus’ Wins Above Replacement as its central measure, placed the Bills as the most productive class in the AFC East. Buffalo slotted in as the fifth-best rookie class among AFC playoff teams.

Buffalo’s ranking benefited from late-round picks performing well. In particular, third-round pick Zach Moss, fourth-round choice Gabriel Davis, and sixth-round selection Dane Jackson, performed “well above expectation relative to their respective draft slots.”

PFF highlighted that Davis earned the best value for the Bills:

While Davis produced inconsistently from game to game, there were a handful of times this season where the fourth-rounder looked like anything but a Day 3 selection. He had three single-game grades above 84.0, joining Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson as the only first-year receivers to accomplish that feat. Davis also ranked in the top three among rookies in 20-plus yard receptions (11).

Buffalo’s top pick this year, defensive end AJ Epenesa, did not impress the analytical organization. highlighting that his WAR was “below expectation.” They added:

Buffalo’s ranking benefited from late-round picks performing well. In particular, third-round pick Zach Moss, fourth-round choice Gabriel Davis, and seventh-round selection Dane Jackson, performed “well above expectation relative to their respective draft slots.”

Epenesa struggled in run defense, posting a poor 50.4 grade across 130 such snaps. His pass-rushing output also left a lot to be desired. He recorded a 67.1 pass-rushing grade in 2020, with half of his 20 pressures being charted as unblocked or cleanup.

Buffalo also received a solid season from rookie kicker Tyler Bass, going 28-of-34 on field goals, including a long of 58 yards. Bass added 57 extra points on 59 attempts.

In regard to the conference and division, Buffalo was labeled the fifth-best rookie class in the AFC. No other AFC East team made it into the top-10 overall, as the New England Patriots were the closest rival at No. 13. The New Jets and Miami Dolphins rounded out the divisional at 15 and 28, respectively.

The Bills pick 30th in this year’s upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=77863,77860,77856,77852]

ESPN gives Bills 2020 draft class top-10 ranking

ESPN ranked the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 draft class a top-10 ranking at No. 9 overall.

[jwplayer yit7dffx-ThvAeFxT]

ESPN ranked the Buffalo Bills 2020 draft class as the ninth-most productive in the NFL this year. The rankings once again revealed general manager Brandon Beane’s draft acumen, as the Bills had a fruitful draft even without the benefit of a first-round pick.

While Buffalo didn’t have a rookie who hit superstar status, the Bills’ collective productivity put them on the map for having one of the best rookie groups.

The rankings, which used Pro Football Focus’ Wins Above Replacement as its central measure, placed the Bills as the most productive class in the AFC East. Buffalo slotted in as the fifth-best rookie class among AFC playoff teams.

Buffalo’s ranking benefited from late-round picks performing well. In particular, third-round pick Zach Moss, fourth-round choice Gabriel Davis, and sixth-round selection Dane Jackson, performed “well above expectation relative to their respective draft slots.”

PFF highlighted that Davis earned the best value for the Bills:

While Davis produced inconsistently from game to game, there were a handful of times this season where the fourth-rounder looked like anything but a Day 3 selection. He had three single-game grades above 84.0, joining Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson as the only first-year receivers to accomplish that feat. Davis also ranked in the top three among rookies in 20-plus yard receptions (11).

Buffalo’s top pick this year, defensive end AJ Epenesa, did not impress the analytical organization. highlighting that his WAR was “below expectation.” They added:

Buffalo’s ranking benefited from late-round picks performing well. In particular, third-round pick Zach Moss, fourth-round choice Gabriel Davis, and seventh-round selection Dane Jackson, performed “well above expectation relative to their respective draft slots.”

Epenesa struggled in run defense, posting a poor 50.4 grade across 130 such snaps. His pass-rushing output also left a lot to be desired. He recorded a 67.1 pass-rushing grade in 2020, with half of his 20 pressures being charted as unblocked or cleanup.

Buffalo also received a solid season from rookie kicker Tyler Bass, going 28-of-34 on field goals, including a long of 58 yards. Bass added 57 extra points on 59 attempts.

In regard to the conference and division, Buffalo was labeled the fifth-best rookie class in the AFC. No other AFC East team made it into the top-10 overall, as the New England Patriots were the closest rival at No. 13. The New Jets and Miami Dolphins rounded out the divisional at 15 and 28, respectively.

The Bills pick 30th in this year’s upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=77863,77860,77856,77852]

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

The Bills won their final game of the season and moved to 13-3 over their dismantling of the Miami Dolphins.

In the regular season finale the Buffalo Bills asserted their dominance over the Miami Dolphins with a 56-26 victory. It surprised most with the fact that the majority of starters played the first half, but it worked out perfectly for Buffalo (13-3). In that first half the Bills hung 28 on the ‘Fins (10-6), with all 28 being scored in the second quarter. Buffalo’s star quarterback Josh Allen had 224 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, putting the game away early.

But while it was a huge game against from the Bills QB, a number of Bills players affected the outcome of this one. Here’s Bills Wire’s latest stock report following their win over the Dolphins in Week 17:

Stock up

Isaiah McKenzie

The pre-game build up was all about the return of Josh Brown, we guess Isaiah McKenzie didn’t get the memo? McKenzie was the star of the show in the first half, catching two touchdowns, and adding an electric 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.

A hat-trick of touchdowns are always impressive, but this was his best game in terms of catches and yards. McKenzie had six grabs for 65 yards as well. Not bad. The Bills have Super Bowl aspirations, and if they want to win it, they’ll need performances like this from their rotational players.

Dean Marlowe
Dean Marlowe has been with the Bills since 2017 and has been used sparingly since. This isn’t to slight Marlowe, he just happens to be behind two of the best safeties in the league, but against Miami, he shined. Marlowe played the majority of the second half, and produced two interceptions.
His two picks came off two overthrows from rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and Marlowe was in the right place at the right time. Outside of the two picks he also broke up two other passes, an impressive outing from the backup.
Antonio Williams

If you were one of the people watching the game, and said “who?” when running back Antonio Williams entered the game, you’re not alone. Williams was either on the Bills practice squad or was being cut for most of the year.

The rookie from North Carolina had an excellent debut, he led the team in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Williams ended the game with 12 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed in the passing game, with one catch that went for 20 yards.

Corey Bojorquez

Punter Corey Bojorquez has established himself as one of the best punters in the NFL this season and against the Dolphins he had some excellent punts. Bojorquez had just four boots, with two of them landing inside the 20 yard line. One of them even landed inside of the one-yard line for a coffin corner.

Honorable mentions:

Josh Allen had a great first half with 224 yards and three touchdowns, while breaking the Bills single-season record for passing yards. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had nine tackles, one for loss, and a sack. Finally, rookie kicker Tyler Bass (or Tyler Bas$$ if you’re cool), broke Buffalo’s single season point record with his eight extra points made.

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Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the 49ers

Buffalo Bills stock report following their Week 13 Monday Night Football win.

The Buffalo Bills returned to Monday Night Football in their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, where they beat the Bay Area team, 34-24. By the end of the first quarter, it seemed like the game would slip through the Bills’ fingers, but they managed to bounce back. After a turnover that set up the first 49ers touchdown, Buffalo (9-3) handled its business and took care of a depleted San Francisco (5-7) squad.

With the Monday Night Football drought finally broken, here’s Bills Wire’s latest stock report following the team’s Week 13 win over the Niners:

Stock up

Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17). (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Josh Allen

It was another barn-burning performance from quarterback Josh Allen, where he became the first Buffalo quarterback to complete 80 percent of his passes and throw for four touchdowns in a game.

Not bad.

The Bills quarterback wasn’t afraid to spread the sugar against the 49ers, completing passes to seven different pass catchers. And Allen completed plenty of passes. In fact, he completed 32 of them for 375 yards and the aforementioned four touchdowns. He also completed a variety of throws, whether it was finding Cole Beasley down the seam, or hitting Gabriel Davis in the middle of the field.

Allen couldn’t have played a better game against a strong 49ers defense on a national stage.

The receiving corps

We’re going to cheat here but it wouldn’t be fair to leave out any of the Bills pass catchers, because all of them produced.

Starting with the man of the hour, Cole Beasley. He had nine grabs for 130 yards and one touchdown. The wideout did a lot of his work out of the slot, which shouldn’t have surprised anyone because he came into the game leading all slot receivers in receiving yards. While getting open in the middle is great, he also showed his ability to get open when the play broke down, which is just as important when Allen is your quarterback.

Let’s move to the man of the year, Stefon Diggs. The standout receiver was a nightmare for anyone who tried to cover him. His silky route running gave him space in San Francisco’s zone and he made them pay. Diggs finished the game with 10 catches for 92 yards, putting him over 1,000 yards for the season.

Now let’s end with the rest of the group. Davis had another standout performance, coming down with just three catches, but he had 68 yards and the game-sealing touchdown. The likes of tight end Dawson Knox and wideout Isaiah McKenzie also caught touchdown passes. It was a great performance from the pass catchers – just about all of them.

Micah Hyde

Hyde hasn’t made a lot of plays this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s had a bad season. Hyde has been one of the more consistent forces when the Bills try to stop the run, and has played some decent coverage in the red zone. His performance against San Francisco was something the Bills Mafia has come to expect; he had 12 total tackles and the first of two interceptions by Buffalo.
Hyde has made his career by being in the right place at the right time and playing hard-nosed football. This was one of those games for the defensive back.

Offensive line

Sorry, but we’re going to cheat again. The Bills offensive line had a stellar game against a vaunted 49ers front-four. The front-five for Buffalo looked comfortable when protecting Allen, giving him plenty of time to find the open receiver. They were also very consistent. There have been games where the line had a few really good series, then a few really bad series. Against San Francisco, though, it never seemed outmatched and kept Allen upright, for the most part.

It wasn’t all roses for them, though. They seem to have fits when trying to block inside runs. Whenever the Bills try to run between the tackles, the running back always seems to be hit before he can reach the hole. Dion Dawkins also gave up one sack, but in fairness, it was an excellent pass rush from Dion Jordan.

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

The Buffalo Bills beat the Chargers in an ugly 27-17 win.

The Buffalo Bills met an AFL rival in the Los Angeles Chargers, and it was an ugly affair that saw Buffalo win 27-17 on Sunday. It was a game where there were four turnovers in the fourth quarter, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen only threw for 157 yards, and an outing  where the Bills ran for 172 yards.
With the win against the Bolts, the Bills moved to 8-3 on the season, and closing in on their first division title since 1995.

With that here’s Bills Wire’s stock report for Week 12’s win over the Chargers:

Stock up

Gabriel Davis
In the absence of fellow receiver John Brown, Davis slotted into the No. 2 role for Buffalo, and it wasn’t a pretty game from the Bills passing attack outside Davis. Davis led the team in receiving yards with 79 and had one touchdown. The rookie had just three catches but he averaged 26.3 yards per reception, he’s a big play waiting to happen.

While his touchdown was impressive due to the fact he caught the pass from fellow receiver Cole Beasley. His best catch though was his 44-yard reception, where he high pointed the ball, and out leaped the defensive back on the sideline.

Davis has had a solid rookie season, with 22 catches, 354 yards, an average of over 15 yards per catch and four touchdowns.

A.J. Klein

A.J. Klein has had a run of stellar form these past few weeks, and that form continued against the Chargers. Klein led the team in tackles with 14, and 10 of them were solo tackles… another three of those coming from behind the line of scrimmage. Klein came into the team to fill the void of Lorenzo Alexander, which would always be a tough task due how important Alexander was to the defense because of his versatility. It looks like Klein has started to fill the shoes left behind by Alexander.

While Klein’s tackling was impressive he was also strong when pressuring the quarterback. Klein had 1.5 sacks on rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, making his season total so far a respectable 3.5 sacks.

Tre’Davious White

After a quiet first half of the season Tre White has come back with an impressive three weeks. In the last three games he’s broken up three passes, and grabbed two interceptions. Against the Chargers he broke up two passes and helped seal the game with a pick.

His interception was very reminiscent when he picked off Russell Wilson. At the line of scrimmage he showed that he was playing man-to-man coverage. As the play developed he dropped into zone coverage, which fooled the rookie quarterback, making it a comfortable interception for White.

He was also fourth in the team in tackles, making eight, four of them being solo tackles.

Zach Moss/Devin Singletary

As mentioned earlier, it wasn’t pretty from Buffalo’s passing attack, so the offense relied on the run more than they usually do. The two young backs combined for 20 total carries for 141 yards, an average of seven yards per carry.

At times this season, the rushing attack as either been abandoned or utterly failed, but when the team needed the two backs against Los Angeles, they produced.

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Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ loss to the Cardinals

The Buffalo Bills faced the Arizona Cardinals in a duel in the desert, as Arizona outdueled the Bills.

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The Buffalo Bills faced the Arizona Cardinals in a duel in the desert, as Arizona outdueled the Bills. It was a back and forth game with each teams taking leads throughout, and the Bills thought they had won it with just 36 seconds left as Josh Allen found Stefon Diggs in the end zone. It wasn’t meant to be though, as Kyler Murray heaved up a Hail Mary pass to DeAndre Hopkins to win Arizona the game, 32-30.

With that, here’s Bills Wire’s stock report following the Bills’ loss to the Cardinals:

Stock up

Bills kicker Tyler Bass. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Bass

The rookie kicker started his career in Buffalo with two missed field goals against the Jets. After his first game though, he has had a good season. Against the Cardinals, he kept the Bills alive with three field goals, with all three being hit from 50 yards or longer.

Bass was drafted due to his big leg, and Buffalo needed it against Arizona. He hit from 53-yards, 54-yards, and an outstanding 58-yards. Bass’s kicking form might be unconventional, but it’s working for Buffalo at the moment.

Stefon Diggs

The Bills were on the brink of victory due to Stefon Diggs, and Diggs throughout the game made some key plays. He came into the contest leading the NFL in receiving yards, and added to that tally, with 10 catches for 93 yards, and one touchdown. This leaves Diggs with 906 yards this season and four touchdowns.

The most impressive part of Diggs’ performance was that he was lined up against one of the best defensive backs in the league, Patrick Peterson. Diggs has consistently shown his value throughout the season, and the game against the Cardinals didn’t prove any different.

Cole Beasley

While Diggs had a great game, he wasn’t the Bills’ leading receiver, that honor falls upon Cole Beasley.

Beasley was the safety blanket for Josh Allen throughout the game, finding himself open on crucial third downs. His most impressive catch was a no-look one-handed grab on third down, that kept a Buffalo drive alive.

Beasley ended the game with 11 receptions, 109 yards, and one touchdown.

AJ Klein

Like Bass, AJ Klein hasn’t had the best start in Buffalo, but for Klein, his poor form stretched until week nine against the Seahawks. Klein extended his run of good form against the elusive Murray. Klein had 11 tackles and one sack on the day.

The Bills defense on a whole played well against one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Klein led the charge. He was always around the football on crucial downs and making big plays. If Klein can continue his run of good form, the Bills can be serious contenders come January.

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

The Buffalo Bills had to rally against the Jets to seal their fifth victory of the season.

The Bills needed a bounce back after two consecutive loses to the Chiefs and Titans, respectively, and they got it against the Jets. It wasn’t easy, especially in the first half, but the Bills rallied from being down 10-0, to pull out an 18-10 victory.

The Bills needed rookies from all across the roster to make plays, whether it was fullback Reggie Gilliam, cornerback Dane Jackson, defensive end AJ Epenesa, or kicker Tyler Bass. It was a great team performance, that was marred by an inconsistent red zone offense, poor decision-making, and bad penalties.

Buffalo still pulled out the victory to sweep the Jets in 2020 and move to 5-2 on the season. With that, let’s see who performed or underperformed in New Jersey via this week’s stock report:

Stock up

Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Dane Jackson

The Bills came into their game against the Jets with a secondary that’s missing some key pieces, cornerbacks Josh Norman and Levi Wallace were both out due to injury. It’s also a secondary that hasn’t made many plays this season, but rookie Dane Jackson, in his first career game, looked up to the task. Jackson started off strong by breaking up a pass on third down to force a New York field goal early in the contest.

Jackson continued his debut by making three tackles, breaking up two more passes, and picking off quarterback Sam Darnold once. It was the type of performance that the Bills secondary hasn’t seen this season, and Jackson could have played himself into a starting role in the backend of the season.

Tyler Bass

Kicker Tyler Bass hasn’t had the best start to his NFL career, but the Bills never had to rely on the rookie… until they faced the Jets. Buffalo’s offense struggled once they made it into Jets territory, that meant Bass needed to produce. He attempted eight field goals, making six of them, with a long of 53 yards.

Frankly, Bass was one of the reasons that Buffalo beat the Jets, while Bass hasn’t been perfect this year, he showed up when his team needed him.

Cole Beasley

While Buffalo only scored 18 points they moved the ball relatively well up until the they hit the red zone and receiver Cole Beasley was a big part of that. Beasley finished the day 11 catches, a new career high, for 112 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen found Beasley on the underneath routes, and then Beasley made defenders miss when the ball was in his hands.

Beasley also made a tremendous one handed grab in the red zone, showing his awareness and great hands.

Jerry Hughes

This spot could have gone to the entire defensive line because for the first time this season the Bills generated consistent pressure with their front four. The Bills defense sacked Darnold six times, with two of the six coming from Jerry Hughes. The other four came from the likes of: Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, AJ Epenesa, and Trent Murphy.

Hughes finished the game with six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and the game sealing interception.

Honorable mentions

Josh Allen had a bounce back performance with 368 total yards, but made some bad decisions that cost his team points. Zach Moss, the rookie back, had a strong second half, finishing the game with 72 total yards. Tyler Kroft, the lone tight end had four catches for 64 yards.

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PODCAST: Bills survive Jets; look to continue against Patriots

In a much needed victory, the Bills swept the Jets for the 2020 season. While New York put together a much better game plan this time around, it was not enough to keep the spunky Buffalo team down. The Bills now are 5-2 and move on to a much …

In a much needed victory, the Bills swept the Jets for the 2020 season. While New York put together a much better game plan this time around, it was not enough to keep the spunky Buffalo team down. The Bills now are 5-2 and move on to a much anticipated game against the New England Patriots.

The Jets led for the entire first half of the game, a surprising result for a team that hasn’t led much all year. Their offense finding some rhythm against the Bills defense. Frank Gore ripped off several big runs, and the Jets passing game looked relatively effective. That all changed in the second half however.

A testament to the Bills defense, which has mostly been a first half team this year, they stopped any momentum that Sam Darnold and the Jets offense had built. Combining that with effective offensive play, that couldn’t quite find the end zone, but moved the ball well enough for the Bills rookie kicker Tyler Bass to hit six field goals, and you have a gritty team victory.

While it wasn’t the world-beating Bills victory that we hoped to see, it was certainly a step in the right direction after two losses to great AFC contenders. There was a lot to build off of in this game, as the team pulls itself up by the bootstraps and heads toward their much tougher portion of the schedule.

Podcast hosts Matt and David take you through the Week 7 encounter between the Bills and Jets.

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