herodotus
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In the winners' locker room
Bills vs Cards
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SpikedLemonade
Well-known member
I gave it to him.
Buffalo Bills 34, Arizona Cardinals 28
Kevin Patra's takeaways:
- Allen dominates, spearheads Bills victory. That offseason story calling Josh Allen the most overrated QB in the NFL was laughable at the time. It looked even sillier on Sunday. When Allen fumbled on Buffalo's opening possession, critics likely belly-laughed. Allen laughed back. The Bills QB led six scoring drives with just two punts the rest of the way as Buffalo overcame a 17-3 deficit. With the defense unable to get stops early, the Buffalo offense didn't have the ball much in the first half. But in the final two quarters, Allen dominated. For the game, the QB earned two rushing touchdowns and two passing scores. His ability to extend plays got him in trouble on the fumble but was key late as the Bills offense steamrolled Arizona. As expected, Allen spread the ball around, hitting 10 different targets, and the ground game leaned on James Cook (19 carries, 71 yards). With the remade defense going through ups and downs and several kickoff errors, the Bills needed Allen to shine to avoid a Week 1 upset. He did just that.
- Murray starts hot, but offense putters out. On the opening three drives of the game, Kyler Murray looked sensational. The QB avoided the rush, making plays with his arm and legs. Murray dominated on third downs, extending drives. He was in rhythm early, finding outlets and making every right read. Murray looked back to his Pro Bowl self. In the first half, he went 16-of-19 passing for 131 yards (112.9 passer rating) and added four rushes for 28 yards. Then, in the second half, Murray was bamboozled, going 5 of 12 for 31 yards, including a sack-fumble in the third quarter. After 14 first downs on the first three drives, the Cards' offense generated four first downs the entire second half. No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr. was rarely involved, catching one pass for 4 yards on three targets. Late, it was Greg Dortch getting targeted not the rookie. Expect that to change moving forward.
- Cardinals returner Dallas scores first-ever dynamic kickoff TD. The Cardinals' special teams gave the club a shot to come back late. As Buffalo looked poised to run away with the game, DeeJay Dallas took a kickoff near the goal line and sprinted 96 yards up the gut for the first score on the NFL's new dynamic kickoff. The last time the Cardinals scored on a kick return was in Week 2, 2015 (David Johnson vs. Chicago). Plays like that are what the league envisioned with the rule change. However, big returns will likely cause more teams to boot the ball into the end zone for a touchback.
NFL Research: Josh Allen recorded his fourth game with multiple passing and rushing touchdowns, tying Hall of Famer Steve Young for the most all time.
herodotus
Well-known member
Who knew, the cruds jumped out to a 14 point lead and then the Bills overcame a bunch of ref bullshit and dumb ass defensive whiffs and sean was wrong as usual
Three questions: Battle-tested poise helped Bills overcome mistakes vs. Cardinals
Three questions on our mind after Sunday’s heart-stopping victory by the Bills over the Arizona Cardinals.
1. The Bills overcame lots of mistakes. What does it say?
When a team falls behind 17-3, gives up a kickoff return for a touchdown, has a touchdown of its own called back and makes nine penalties, the odds probably are under 33% that it wins the game.
But the Bills’ four straight AFC East titles count for something. Credit them with maintaining enough poise.
Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said the team didn’t panic when it got down in the second quarter. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
“It’s the second quarter. We got plenty of time,” Dion Dawkins said, referring to his mindset at 17-3. “Don’t beat yourself. Try not to beat yourself, and hit the field going. Don’t blink. Literally, do not blink. If we would have blinked and then stuttered up, it would have been a different outcome.”
Added center Connor McGovern: “It was just, make sure we all stay calm on the sideline. We knew that first drive we started moving the ball right away. All right; we can do whatever we need to.”
2. Was the offense as good as advertised?
Josh Allen guarantees the offense has a “high floor.” With No. 17 at the helm, the Bills always should be fun to watch. The Bills overcame all their mistakes in part because they outgained the Cardinals, 352-270.
The “everybody eats” mantra of offensive coordinator Joe Brady was on display. Nine different players caught passes.
Yet, let’s not anoint the Bills’ offensive overhaul as a surefire success just yet.
The reality is, this Arizona Cardinals defense is one of the three least-talented defenses the Bills will face all season. They use safety Budda Baker as a weapon in coverage. He’s a problem for the quarterback. And the Cardinals’ offense is legit. But when Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardock are your top edge rushers, you’re still a year away in your rebuilding efforts. The Cards’ D has a long way to go.
3. What should we make of Bobby Babich’s debut?
It was encouraging, because the Bills made adjustments in the second half to get Kyler Murray to hold onto the ball a little longer. The Bills adjusted their pressures and got more heat up the middle.
Arizona scored on each of its three possessions in the first half. But it managed just one field goal on five possessions in the second half. (The Bills would have had more breathing room if not for the kickoff return touchdown.)
The defense also had to adjust to the loss of slot cornerback Taron Johnson. The play of backup defensive backs Cam Lewis and Ja’Marcus Ingram was encouraging.
Like the offense, however, it’s a work in progress. The Miami Dolphins’ fastest show on turf awaits the Bills on Thursday. There’s an NFL cliché that “Week 1 is a liar.” That means don’t overreact to openers. It’s a long season.
Report card: Bills do just enough to earn season-opening win over Arizona
Here are Jay Skurski's grades for the Buffalo Bills in their 34-28 victory Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals.
Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 34-28 victory Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals at Highmark Stadium …
Running game: A-
There was a commitment to running the ball as the Bills racked up 33 rushing attempts to 23 passes. “Staying in front of the chains, when we can run the ball like that, we’re going to find success because it helps play action, it helps our O-line, not just sitting pass set the whole game,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “It allows us to do different things and have different personnel and force their hand, whether they want to play base or nickel, to some of our personnels.” As he so often is, Allen was a big part of the rushing attack, with 39 yards on nine carries, including two touchdowns. James Cook started the game with a 9-yard gain on the Bills’ first offensive play – a sign of a good day to come. Cook finished with 71 yards on 19 carries, with a long gain of 15 yards. Rookie Ray Davis had a 13-yard gain in the third quarter on a touchdown drive.Passing game: B+
Allen was ultra efficient, finishing 18 of 23 for 232 yards and two touchdowns – a passer rating of 137.7. It’s not quite an ‘A’ day, though, as he held the ball too long in the first quarter, getting sacked and losing a fumble as a result. The “everybody eats” mentality was on display, as 10 different receivers were targeted, and nine of them made catches. Rookie Keon Coleman led the way with five targets, which produced team highs of four catches and 51 yards. Allen was sacked twice, and avoided several others with his out-of-this-world ability to make the first rusher miss. Moving forward, the Bills will want to involve Dalton Kincaid more than they did Sunday, as he finished with just one catch on two targets for 11 yards. Khalil Shakir again showed outstanding contact balance on his go-ahead, 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter.Run defense: B-
The bulk of the damage on the ground for Arizona was created by quarterback Kyler Murray, who scrambled his way to a team-leading 57 yards on five rushing attempts. It’s a good bet most of those runs came on called pass plays. Arizona’s longest play was a 29-yard scramble by Murray. James Conner had 50 yards on 16 carries, and one touchdown. Connor had one 20-yard rush, but averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on his 15 other attempts. The Bills made just one tackle for loss in the run game, by Greg Rousseau on Arizona’s opening drive. Middle linebacker Terrel Bernard finished with a team-leading 11 tackles, while Dorian Williams had nine tackles.Pass defense: A
Murray was hot at the start, going 16 of 19 for 131 yards and a touchdown in the first half. An early screen pass to Conner went for 22 yards on Arizona’s opening drive, which reached the end zone. The Bills, however, held Murray to just 5 of 12 passing for 31 yards in the second half. The pass rush came alive, led by Rousseau. Ja’Marcus Ingram made the play of the game, sealing the win with a pass defensed on Greg Dortch with less than 30 seconds to play. Ingram had one of the Bills’ three passes defensed, with DaQuan Jones and Taylor Rapp getting the others. Cam Lewis stepped up in Taron Johnson’s absence and played a strong game, finishing with nine tackles, which was second on the team. "When Cam comes in, he's a guy that can do everything, too," Bernard said. "He's physical, he's smart, he can blitz, he's obviously good in coverage, and then, he made a lot of plays in the run game today."Special teams: D
It wasn’t all bad. In fact, most of it was good. Rookie Brandon Codrington took his first kickoff as a member of the Bills back 53 yards to set up a drive start in Arizona territory. He also returned one punt for 7 yards. Tyler Bass was perfect on two field goals and four extra points – a good sign after a shaky summer. Then, disaster struck. The game looked to be in hand, but the Bills gave up a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to DeeJay Dallas – the type of mistake that simply can’t happen. Then, after his field goal put the Bills up, 34-28, Bass kicked the ball out of bounds, allowing the Cardinals to start their final drive at their 40-yard line. Those were two mistakes that can’t happen.Coaching: B
Week 1 is always a bit wonky, but the Bills did not look prepared to play at the start. The defense gave up points on every possession in the first half. Credit, however, goes to defensive coordinator Bobby Babich for settling down his group at halftime. Penalties were an issue, particularly against the offensive line. The pre-snap penalties will surely drive Sean McDermott nuts. “We've got a lot of room for improvement. We're beating ourselves in an undisciplined fashion and manner at times,” McDermott said. “Pre-snap penalties in particular and just beating ourselves overall with some execution issues. We can take a lot from this game.” Despite those miscues, the Bills found a way to fight back for a much-needed win, which McDermott correctly called a great sign for the team, especially considering the changes to both the coaching staff and personnel coming into the year.
Season opener gives first taste of Bills' revamped wide receiver corps
The Bills’ 34-28 season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals gave a first look at their revamped wide receiver room. While none of the receivers put up video-game numbers, they each ran and blocked and unselfishly played their way to a win.
To get to the end zone, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir ran through multiple Arizona defenders, laid on top of defensive tackle Justin Jones, and eventually backwards somersaulted his way to a touchdown. But before he got flipped upside down, Shakir was watching his teammates block for him.
Fellow receiver Mack Hollins was one of those blockers. Hollins, who is in his first season with the Bills, saw the play as a healthy sign for the Bills’ offense.
“We’ve said it a couple times just about how we try to protect each other in the room. And it doesn’t matter who gets the ball,” Hollins said. “Everybody eats. I want my guys to score the same as I want to score. And I know that my block is critical on that one. So as soon as I knew I made my block, I know Khalil can get shifty and make something happen.”
The Bills’ 34-28 season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals gave a first look at their revamped wide receiver room. While none of the receivers put up video-game numbers, they each ran and blocked and unselfishly played their way to a win.
“I think it was exactly what we’ve been trying to be, is a group that doesn’t matter who’s in the game,” Hollins said. “Plays can be made, and the ball can come to anybody, and we can make it happen for this offense.”
Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman led the team in targets (5), catches (4), and receiving yards (51) in his debut. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman led the Bills in targets (5), catches (4), and receiving yards (51) in his debut.
Allen was 18 of 23 for 232 yards, but those targets were spread out. Players were fine with that; it’s part of what they’ve been planning all along.
“I think the big thing is we realize that not every wide receiver can have 200 yards a game, right?” Shakir said.
Shakir finished with three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, it wasn’t just wideouts at the receiving end of Allen’s targets. Allen connected with nine different receivers, including two running backs and two tight ends. That is in line with what has always been the goal – to get the entire offense involved in multiple ways.
“Oh, it’s great,” Allen said. “Everybody’s gonna find a way to get their touches. And again, I don’t know what the stats were and who caught how many and how many completions I had. But it felt like every time I looked up, it was somebody new finding a way to get open and catch the ball. ...
“Obviously, you want to get some guys more touches to get them going, but it’s hard to argue with the results that we’ve got right now.”
There’s still plenty to work on; the Bills’ offense took a bit to get going, though the defense didn’t do it any favors early on. But once the offense got going, the group was able to stay balanced.
Receivers Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scanting combined for three catches and 34 yards.
“I thought Josh was doing a good job of moving the ball around, taking what the defense was giving him,” coach Sean McDermott said. “That’s huge, right? – when you’re doing that and knowing to be patient against a split safety, primarily split-safety defense.”
The Bills’ first touchdown of the season came on an Allen run. The first receiving touchdown was by Hollins.
“Had an in-breaking route, and knew that I had to cross face to give Josh a chance to complete the ball, and was able to beat the guy across his face, and I guess the rest is history, as they say,” Hollins said.
Hollins finished with two catches on two targets for 25 yards, including the 11-yard touchdown.
Allen also gave credit to offensive coordinator Joe Brady for his play calling.
“Yeah, they went zero. We had an alert on the play, so it was a good call by Joe (Brady) and found a way to alert it,” Allen said. “We’ve repped that play quite a bit of times, and the job there is get inside, and give him a catchable ball, and Mack did a great job of doing that and scored a touchdown.”
Two drives later, it was Shakir’s 11-yard touchdown that gave the Bills their first lead of the day. On top of pointing out Hollins’ block on the play, Shakir gave props to left tackle Dion Dawkins.
“He just laid some dude out,” Shakir said. “When somebody makes a play like that, it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ but I realized I’m carrying the ball. I got to get in the end zone, you know, so great blocks by him, great blocks by everybody all around on that play. I know Mack was on, was in the three spot, and then came out and picked up a big block as well.”
It wasn’t the only play that spotlighted Shakir’s clutch ability to stay on his feet. In the second quarter, on third-and-6, Allen looked for the third-year and longest-tenured Bills wide receiver. Allen ran around, hit Shakir, who then got hit hard by Cardinals cornerback Max Melton. But Shakir ricocheted off Melton and stayed on his feet, eventually picking up 19 yards and the first down.
“His balance control is pretty off the charts. He finds ways to kind of bounce off of guys,” Allen said. “And he did a great job on that one. Throughout the game, finding ways to get open, catching hard catches, making contested catches, and then again, run after catch, being tough with the football in his hands.”
While it wasn’t a touchdown, one of the best catches of the day came from Coleman. Allen looked to Coleman deep on the sideline, with Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V in tight coverage. Coleman proved early he can catch those 50-50 balls, boxing out Thomas, hauling in the catch and staying in bounds. The catch was good for 28 yards, and the Bills scored two plays later.
“I feel like I could have thrown a touchdown earlier in the game to him on a little post route at the goal line,” Allen said. “I elected to run, but after looking at that, I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna trust the kid and let him do what he does. And (he) made a great play there.”
It was the longest catch of the day for either side. To the Bills, it doesn’t matter who’s making the big plays.
“Any one of us can make a play at any given time,” Shakir said. “Everybody kind of had their bit, and in showcasing what we can do as a wide receiver room.”
The Week 1 experience can often be an adventure. There’s always a feeling-out process in the first game, as rosters with a different twist from the previous one can bring on new wrinkles teams may not have prepared for without a lot of film available.
A roller coaster best describes the Bills’ 34-28 Week 1 victory over the Cardinals. The Bills’ defense couldn’t get a stop early on in the game, ceding a 17-3 lead to the visitors with only a few minutes left to play in the first half. It forced the offense to be nearly perfect the rest of the way.
But that’s just what franchise quarterback Josh Allen did, putting a touchdown on the board on four of their next five drives and accounting for 74 percent of the team’s yards. Even with 34 points scored, the Bills still nearly lost to the Cardinals but ultimately arrived at a victory and a 1-0 start to 2024.
What stood out? Here are several takeaways from the Bills’ helter-skelter Week 1 win.
Greg Rousseau delivers on summer of promise
The Bills defense was reeling in the first half. They couldn’t get themselves off the field, the pass rush wasn’t getting into the backfield well enough and the Cardinals were taking advantage of all the Bills’ individual weaknesses. But in the second half, fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau took over the game. Rousseau’s sack on third down of the Cardinals’ initial possession in the second half set the tone for the rest of the game. And then, just after the Bills’ offense was forced to punt for the first time on their ensuing drive, Rousseau answered right back with a strip-sack to put the Bills on the doorstep to take the lead, to which the offense obliged.But Rousseau’s performance is a continuation of the massive potential he had shown all throughout training camp. The defensive end has always had the makings of becoming a top-tier pass rusher, and he was easily one of the best players all summer.
“Those are things that, we’re not surprised at all with how he’s been doing,” defensive end A.J. Epenesa said.
“Domination. It’s awesome to watch,” defensive tackle Austin Johnson added. “I mean, he’s just a freak of nature.”
And it was more than just the sacks. He kept getting into the backfield, chipped in well on run support and even had a pass breakup on tight end Trey McBride late in the game. If this is the start of things to come, Rousseau could wind up being a major player on a defense in desperate need of difference-makers.
The defensive concern is real
Even though the defense pulled things together in the second half, their early-game performance provided massive reasons for concern moving forward. Even late in the game, when the Bills held strong to limit the Cardinals’ second-half points, Arizona clearly missed on some clear opportunities for points with busted coverage and dropped passes. The Bills showed they were concerned about second-year linebacker Dorian Williams in coverage, as they followed suit from a 2023 strategy to bring on a sixth defensive back on obvious passing downs. But it was clear that the Cardinals were targeting Williams with misdirection early in the game.The safety play, particularly by Taylor Rapp, is another cause for concern in the coming weeks. He was caught out of position a handful of times and was bailed out by a poor throw on a play in which he was clearly beaten in coverage. Along with the uncertainty at free safety, teams will likely continue to make the Bills prove it’s not a weakness. And yet another significant injury to one of their best could make the defensive volatility even more concerning.
Taylor Rapp’s (left) performance and Taron Johnson’s (right) injury are causes for concern on the Bills’ defense. (Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
The Taron Johnson loss is immeasurable
Although the Bills managed to bring in a victory on Sunday, the defense took on what could be one of the most crushing injuries they could have. With star linebacker Matt Milano sidelined for the foreseeable future following a torn bicep suffered in training camp, star nickel cornerback Taron Johnson played just seven snaps on the first series before leaving the game with a forearm injury. Although they first labeled Johnson as questionable to return, the team announced just after halftime that the nickel would not return to the game. That relatively quick rule-out is not a promising sign, especially with a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game for Week 2. The Bills will have to keep their fingers crossed that this isn’t an extended absence for Johnson.In Johnson’s place was Cam Lewis, who went the rest of the way playing every defensive snap at the position. It wasn’t without error, as the Cardinals’ primary slot receiver, Greg Dortch, was their leading pass catcher. But it certainly helped that Lewis is in his sixth full season in the Bills’ defensive scheme, playing nickel corner for the vast majority of that time. There’s little doubt that Lewis will be the starting nickel corner for as long as Johnson is sidelined, but it does raise the question of how much the team will commit to nickel in all situations without their point man in Johnson. Johnson is the reason they switched to it in the first place in 2021. Should Lewis suffer an injury, their next move would likely be to put Ja’Marcus Ingram in at nickel.
Don’t worry about Dalton Kincaid’s stat line
It was a forgettable debut for second-year standout tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was held to only one reception and 11 yards on two targets. The stat line could create some anxiety about the role of one of the most talented players on the entire roster. But his overall usage tells a far different story, and if the Bills continue down a similar path moving forward, some huge Kincaid games are coming in future weeks.There was a natural concern about Kincaid’s role as it pertains to the presence of tight end Dawson Knox, because of how much they scaled back Kincaid’s role in 2023 after Knox had returned from injured reserve. The first two offensive series against the Cardinals did not alleviate those concerns, either. Knox had 11 snaps to Kincaid’s nine, closer to his late-2023 playtime percentages. However, as the offense failed to get going over their first two series, there was a clear shift in Kincaid being on the field. Head coach Sean McDermott alluded after the game to wanting to get Kincaid more involved, and his in-game message sunk in with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Kincaid went on to take 46 of the Bills’ final 52 offensive snaps. In the second half alone, Kincaid missed only three of their 41 snaps for a second half snap share of 92.7 percent. In addition to Kincaid’s usage, the proliferation of 12 personnel in the second half also saw a huge bump, with the team using it on 41.5 percent of their 41 offensive snaps. Last year, Brady made that more of a matchup tool than a staple, so it remains to be seen if the 12 personnel percentages will be sticky. But what should hold is Kincaid being out there in a full-time role. He’s a potential difference-maker. More productive days are likely ahead.
Good debut for Tyler Bass, but with a caveat
Kicker Tyler Bass went through a tumultuous summer of training camp, specifically ahead of the preseason finale against the Panthers. Despite his struggles, the team stood by Bass both with their words and actions because of how effective he’d been in the past for the team. General manager Brandon Beane stood up for Bass and then backed it up by not adding a kicker to the practice squad. In their first game of the regular season, Bass was successful on all six of his attempts — four extra points and two field goals. While it was a good confidence builder, all six of those attempts were under 40 yards — the distances that Bass hasn’t had trouble with during the summer. Over the two practices leading up to the Panthers game, and in that preseason finale, Bass went 5-of-12 from attempts of 40 yards or more. So, while this is an encouraging start, Bass still needs to conquer the distance kicks to prove he’s out of his funk.Bills MVP: QB Josh Allen — Allen issued an impressive, MVP-like performance in his first game, which Tim Graham wrote about in greater detail.
In the past, there has been some rust for Allen in Week 1 with turnovers, but that was not the case — even with an early mistake. Allen was the best player on the field, and if the defense forces him into more games like this one in 2024, this could be his best chance yet to be voted the NFL MVP, especially without a marquee receiver on the roster.
Bills LVP: Third down defense — They got better in the second half, but allowing first downs on seven of the Cardinals’ 13 attempts is unsustainable and will require Allen to go into superhuman mode more consistently should it continue.
Up Next: The 1-0 Bills head to Miami on a short week to take on the 1-0 Dolphins in an early AFC East showdown.
seandelevan
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99% of Cardinal fans agree with you.