Okay… Titans in what seems to be a rare home game.
- Thread starter sukie
- Start date
Jim Kubiak: Josh Allen's effort vs. Titans (plus Amari Cooper) proof the Bills can be one of NFL's elite
As long as the Buffalo Bills have balance and Josh Allen is protecting the football, this team has a chance. Should Sean McDermott’s defense stay healthy, continue to develop and continue to take the ball away, there will be little opponents can do to change their fortunes, Jim Kubiak writes.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills defeated the Tennessee Titans decisively, 34-10, with a tremendous second-half surge Sunday afternoon. In the first half, Allen and the Bills’ offense struggled as he completed just 4 of 11 attempts passing for 65 yards and no touchdowns. Allen’s second half, however, was dramatically different, as he completed 18 of 22 attempts for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
New wide receiver Amari Cooper, acquired in a trade from the Cleveland Browns last week, proved valuable with four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. This was a great move by general manager Brandon Beane. Former Bills coordinator Ken Dorsey is now running the offense in Cleveland, and the Bills’ offensive terminology is similar, making Cooper an immediate impact player.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks to pass during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at Highmark Stadium. Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News
Multiple factors affected the Bills’ first-half efficiency, including a drop by Cooper on a third-and-1, a deep shot on a third-and-10 and a pass that was high and knocked away on a third-and-6. The Bills’ offense punted five times on six possessions. Credit the Titans, who early in this game achieved 13 first downs and nearly doubled the time of possession in the first half, 19:49-10:11. The Titans ran 38 plays to the Bills 20 and gave them a significant advantage in total yardage, 218-90.
Credit offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Allen for the offense catching fire in the second half, when Allen completed 82% of his passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He found his rhythm, and Brady kept calling for passes into the fourth quarter as the Bills’ offense flowed up and down the field, scoring 27 unanswered points.
FIRST QUARTER
Play selection: Nine plays (five passes, four runs)Allen: 1 for 5 passing, 5 yards; 0 carries for 0 yards.
Performance grade: 77%
Score: Titans, 3-0.
The Bills started with two runs by James Cook that landed the offense in a third-and-1. Here, Allen went through the air to Cooper. Allen wanted to get Cooper involved immediately with this quick hitch, but this perfectly thrown ball went right through Cooper’s hands and forced the Bills’ first punt of the game.
On their next drive, following a 5-yard completion to Dawson Knox, the Bills were called for a false start on Dion Dawkins on the next play. This was the Bills’ 12th false start this season; they had just 13 all last season.
It is difficult to say why the Bills have so many false starts this year, but two things may play factors: NFL officials have made it a point of emphasis to flag offensive tackles moving a split-second before the snap, and the Bills might be playing on a silent count in loud stadiums. Sometimes defenders talk and simulate quarterback sounds, although that's not supposed to be allowed.
In any, event false starts are up for the Bills this season. This set the drive back and increased Allen’s sense of urgency to get something going.
On third-and-10, Allen’s frustration may have gotten the better of him as he missed a wide open completion trying to get a big play down the field.
Third-and-10: Tight end was open; Allen scrambled, tried to throw it deep
The Titans’ strategy here was to bluff the blitz. As you look at the video, both inside linebackers were in a “double-mugg,” meaning they are both lined up in the Bills' A gaps. This is a common tactic in the NFL, often indicating a blitz of some kind and thus man-to-man coverage behind the blitz. The Titans pulled out and played zone, which fooled Allen. As he slid and scrambled left, he missed a wide open Dalton Kincaid on an angle route.This was an excellent tactic by the Titans’ defense, as it had Allen guessing and pressing.
Jay and Ryan also discuss the big contributions among the Bills' other offensive weapons, including rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman's first 100-yard game, tight end Dalton Kincaid's big game and Khalil Shakir's return to form.
They also examine the Bills' troubling trend of slow starts through the first seven weeks of the season and look ahead to the Week 8 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Bills punted for a second time, giving the underdog Titans a chance to take an early lead. The Titans responded with a 15-play drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Allen and the offense took possession with 2:57 remaining in the quarter from their own 30-yard line. Then, on third-and-6, the Titans again bluffed a seven -man blitz and dropped into zone coverage.
Here, Allen had to be ready to throw hot if the Titans blitzed – but again, after the snap, the defense dropped into zone. Allen was a bit surprised again and had to adjust. This was the intent of the strategy. Allen didn’t process his two short mesh routes, and instead tried to get a big gain with a deeper throw.
The combination of a dropped pass and two bluffed blitzes resulted in three straight punts with Allen completing just 1 of 5 attempts (20%).
This was a slow start for Allen as the Bills struggled to convert on third down. The bluffing blitzes forced Allen to have to adjust post-snap, which is difficult, as well as to be able to check the football down under the zone coverage. This was a different strategy than Allen had dealt with in previous weeks, and it had him off balance.
SECOND QUARTER
Play selection: 11 plays (six passes, four runs)Allen: 3 for 6 passing, 60 yards, sack; one carry for 7 yards.
Performance grade: 82%
Score: Titans, 10-7.
The Titans capitalized on their next possession with a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead.
Allen responded with this second-and-4 completion to rookie Keon Coleman for a 45-yard gain.
2nd-4 45-yd completion to 0, scramble rules
Here, the Titans’ defense was in split-field coverage. They played zone to Allen’s left and man-to-man on Coleman and Cook’s side. Allen found himself drifting right and looking to make something happen. As he did, Jarvis Brownlee, the player pressing Coleman, busted the coverage when Allen began to move to his side.
Allen and Coleman were on the same page and saw the same thing at exactly the same time. Coleman released down the field in a scramble-rule drill and Allen immediately threw it to him, resulting in a 45-yard completion. This was a busted coverage by the Titans but also excellent execution and connection between Allen and Coleman.
This play created the momentum the Bills needed, and Cook scored with a running touchdown on the very next play. This closed the Titans' lead to 10-7.
The Buffalo defense tightened and created a turnover, a fumble recovered by Terrel Bernard. But Allen and the Bills’ offense couldn’t capitalize because a sack ruined the drive.
Both teams traded punts, and the Titans took their 10-7 lead into halftime.
Credit the Titans’ defense, a dropped pass, a penalty and a sack for the less-than-stellar first half. The Buffalo offense only ran 20 offensive plays to the Titans' 38, and the Bills went 0 of 5 on third down conversion opportunities.
All of that changed in the second half.
THIRD QUARTER
Play selection: 19 plays (11 passes, eight runs)Allen: 8 for 11 passing, 133 yards, one touchdown; two carries for minus-6 yards.
Performance grade: 100%
Score: Bills, 17-10.
The second-half tone was set with a fourth-down stop by the Bills’ defense on the opening drive.
Brady and Allen sensed the opportunity and became aggressive on first down with a big completion to Coleman again, putting the Bills in position for this go-ahead touchdown pass five plays later.
Second-and-10 from the 12: TD pass to Amari Cooper
The Titans again bluffed their blitz. They had seven defenders who could have blitzed, and Allen had to be ready for that, as the Bills wouldn’t have had enough blockers. Instead, the Titans were in disguise, only rushing four. It appeared that this was designed to force Allen to process and adjust post-snap – but this bluffed-blitz also contained a trapping element that seemed to push Allen to his left, where defenders were waiting.The problem was that this defensive posture left the Titans’ defensive backs in man-to-man coverage, and Cooper beat his defender, Quandre Diggs, to the post.
This was a great move by Cooper to give Diggs an outside move to turn him around. Once Diggs turned to the outside, Cooper was wide open, and this was an easy throw for Allen. The Bills took a 14-10 lead with this touchdown pass and never looked back.
Cooper’s ability to be ready for this game was the direct result of his experience in Cleveland, where Dorsey is offensive coordinator. The Bills knew Cooper could step right in without a big learning curve because the formations, concepts and system mechanics that he had most recently played in came from Dorsey. This was a great move by Beane.
The Titans punted on their next possession, and Allen and the Bills’ offense mounted another 10-play drive, this time for a Tyler Bass 28-yard field goal to increase the lead to 17-10.
The third quarter was a turning point for Allen, as he completed 8 of 11 passes with one touchdown. As Allen grew more comfortable, his accuracy increased.
FOURTH QUARTER
Play selection: 15 plays (11 passes, four runs)Allen: 10 for 11 passing, 125 yards, one touchdown; 0 carries for 0 yards.
Performance grade: 100%
Score: Bills, 34-10
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Allen threw his second touchdown pass of the game, this time to running back Ty Johnson.
Second-and-goal: TD Pass to Ty Johnson vs. zone coverage
Khalil Shakir went in motion, which told Allen that the Titans were again playing zone coverage because no defender went with him. The design of the play was to break Cooper across the field to the back pylon and follow that with a Kincaid cross.Both of these routes had man/zone reads for the receivers. This meant that if it was man coverage, both Cooper and Kincaid would have continued across the field, and if it was zone coverage, they would have settled into the first open area. The great design by Brady was to release the running back right over the football. As the linebackers worked to bump Cooper coming across, they lost track of Johnson, who settled into the space they had left to make contact with Cooper. This was a brilliant zone concept that could have also been successful versus man coverage.
This launched the Bills into a 24-10 lead, and the offense had finally hit its stride.
The Bills’ defense held again and Allen went back to work, this time on a nine-play drive on which Brady called seven straight passing plays. On the sixth play of this drive, the sixth straight pass was this receiver screen to Shakir.
Watch how the right tackle, Spencer Brown (6-foot-8, 311 pounds), went down the field on a search-and-destroy mission as he was released to the second level. He wiped out 5-foot-11 safety Amani Hooker, and after that, Diggs.
First-and-10: Search-and-destroy screen to Khalil Shakir
Watch the video a few times to fully grasp the mobility and power of Brown. He was an indestructible and unstoppable force, pancaking defenders. That was an astounding use of force by Brady and a ferocious effort by Brown that helped Shakir to this gashing 20-yard completion.Three plays later, it appeared that Allen completed his third touchdown pass of the game, but this was reviewed and called incomplete. The Bills finished the drive instead with a Bass 30-yard field goal to increase the lead 27-10 Buffalo.
The Titans committed their second turnover of the game on their next drive. Damar Hamlin picked off Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph, giving the Bills one last opportunity to add to their lead.
Allen “alert” to Keon Coleman, 57 yards
Here, with 4:36 remaining and a 17-point lead, Brady was just trying to keep the clock moving. The Bills brought in a “heavy” 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends), utilizing a sixth offensive lineman, Alec Anderson, as one tight end and Quintin Morris as the other.This was a running play with an RPO “alert” built into it. Allen had the green light to throw the ball to Coleman if the defense was misaligned, if they were too soft, or, as it was in this case, if the Titans had nine players at the line of scrimmage. Coleman slanted to the inside and Allen delivered the quick strike. The result was a 57-yard completion that set up the game's final touchdown, a thundering 16-yard run by Ray Davis.
CONCLUSION
It is difficult to put your finger on exactly why Allen and the offense have slow starts sometimes, or why, with so much talent, they don’t execute for periods of time in some games.If Brady or Sean McDermott had those answers, they would be able to fix the issues with different strategies. It may be a combination of emotions, hiccups (like penalties) or simple lack of execution that affects the focus. In some cases, it may be simply adjusting to the opponent’s strategies.
At home, Allen plays to the crowd and sometimes makes decisions that are outside of his job description for the fans. He seems to love the hype, the roar and the big plays and he desperately wants to make bigger things happen than are sometimes available. This leads to actions that are outside of his standard operating procedures, and then these plays can lead to incomplete passes and ultimately punts.
We have also seen games in which creative opponent strategies have affected Allen and the offense. Early in this game, the Titans did employ a different idea to corral Allen, and to some extent it worked in the first half. Bluffing blitzes can wreak havoc on a quarterback's thoughts and reactions and affect normal progressions. In a sense, showing a blitz and falling into a zone is kind of a trap, and to Allen’s credit, he didn’t fall into it.
The Bills again protected the football better than their opponents, taking the ball away twice while not committing a turnover themselves.
This stat – a positive turnover differential – gives the Bills an 80% chance of winning every game in which they achieve it.
To date, Allen and the Bills’ offense has committed just two turnovers in seven games, and the Bills’ defense has 12 takeaways. The Bills lead the NFL with the lowest turnover percentage at 2.4%
Brady has done a masterful job in building a ground game with Cook, Davis and Johnson that is well-suited and complemented by Allen’s unique skill set. This gives the Bills’ offense balance, consistency and big-play ability on simple little screens or alert slant routes like we saw in this game.
As long as the Bills have balance and Allen is protecting the football, this team has a chance.
Should McDermott’s defense stay healthy, continue to develop and continue to take the ball away, there will be little opponents can do to change their fortunes. And if kicker Tyler Bass settles into being the steady performer he has been in his career, only the elite teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, Vikings or Commanders will be able to keep pace.
This was another incredible game for Allen, who continues to demonstrate he can win games in many different ways. Allen can be a magician, a pocket passer, a runner and/or a complimentary football perfectionist.
It is this combination of talents, combined with maturity and a supporting cast, that will be difficult to beat.
OVERALL GRADE: 90%
21 of 33 passes, 323 yards, two TDs, no INTs3 carries, 1 yards, no fumbles