The Buffalo Bills hosted the Houston Texans for what would be a 40-0 shutout on a rainy day in Orchard Park.
Bills QB Josh Allen had a slippery passing day on account of the rainy weather but it did not prevent him from finding Dawson Knox for a pair of touchdowns.
Knox scored for the third straight game to begin the 2021 NFL season, and his second TD of the day marked his fourth time finding the end zone this season which is a career-high for the third-year tight end out of Ole’ Miss.
New Bills WR and NFL veteran Emmanuel Sanders expressed his praise of Knox after the game, saying “You just see even at practice it just clicked for him. He’s a heck of a player. Just watching him practice you can tell he’s gonna have a big game”
When the TE was asked about Sanders’ observations that something had “clicked for him”, he spoke candidly about what has made the difference.
“It’s just trying to get better every day, whether it’s catching, run blocking, pass protection,” Knox said while addressing the media after the game. “I don’t think a whole lot has changed but just stacking good days on good days, like in practice. Treating every day like it’s a game, you know just getting mentally prepared, getting in the weight room- Just the little things you do start to add up.”
Allen, who has been a vocal advocate of the TE, interrupted Knox to throw his support behind him.
“The little things you do RIGHT start to add up, and this guy does everything right throughout the week, and it’s awesome to play with him,” Allen said. “You see the progression, how he’s trusted the process. He does everything right whether it be blocking, whether it be pass-catching, whether it be running routes, he just finds ways to get open, I have supreme trust in this guy right here.”
The Bills TE had an efficient and impactful day on offense, finishing with 35 yards on five receptions including the two touchdowns.
Allen noted the impact Knox made off the ball as well.
“I think that’s something that people really don’t realize about his run blocking, how much better of a run blocker he’s been this year,” the QB added. “He’s really put in the time, that’s a focus that tight ends need to be able to do, and we’ve got one of the best in the league that can do it.”
The 96th overall pick in the third round of the 2019 draft was a selection the Bills took to address their needs at the tight end position.
After a 2020 campaign that saw Knox fall short of expectations in his second year, talk began outside the organization among the press that perhaps the team might look for a TE by way of the NFL draft or a trade.
But GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott stuck by Knox in their commitment to developing their own players.
And the 24-year-old 215 lb 6’4 TE appears to be making good on that investment after working out in the offseason with the “Tight End University” that fellow NFL TE’s Travis Kelce and George Kittle hosted.
The progress did not go unrecognized by his HC on Sunday, who took time after the game to talk about the TE’s contributions on offense.
Knox became the first Bills TE with a three-game TD streak since 2016, per Buffalo Bills PR.
Even with his big role in the Bills big win, the TE gave the credit to the teams’ defense in the shutout.
It must be Easter with all these goose eggs left out by our defense
— Dawson Knox (@dawson_knox) October 3, 2021
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