The Bills earned a wide range of grades for their performance against the Ravens on Sunday.
buffalonews.com
Grading the Buffalo Bills in their wild 41-40 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Highmark Stadium …
Running game: B
It was tough sledding much of the night for No. 1 running back James Cook, who had 13 carries for 44 yards. The Bills’ best run of the night actually came on a pass – albeit a backward pass – to Ty Johnson for 17 yards in the first quarter. Elijah Moore also gained 8 yards on a jet sweep. Those runs in space had more success than going straight ahead, as Josh Allen also gained just 30 yards on 14 attempts. No. 2 running back Ray Davis got just one carry, which went for 2 yards. So, why a “B” grade? Three touchdowns. One by Cook and two by Allen. When the Bills needed to get it across the goal line, they came through.
Passing game: A+
Allen finished with an absurd stat line – 33 of 46 for 394 yards and two touchdowns. That doesn’t come close to fully explaining his performance. The game is just never over with him leading the huddle. Keon Coleman finished with 112 yards on eight catches, one of which was a diving fourth-quarter touchdown on fourth down. It’s exactly the type of step forward the organization was hoping for out of the second-year receiver. Dalton Kincaid opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown catch, also the type of impact play the organization needs from him.
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid makes a touchdown catch in the first quarter Sunday against the Ravens in Orchard Park.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Run defense: F
Yikes. Derrick Henry torched the Bills for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns, needing just 18 carries to do so. He averaged 9.4 yards per carry, and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did even better than that, averaging 11.7 yards per attempt (six rushes, 70 yards, one touchdown). Bills safeties Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop trying to tackle Henry in the open field was not a fair fight. It wasn’t all bad, though. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver forced a huge fumble by Henry in the fourth quarter that was recovered by Terrel Bernard, allowing the Bills to pull within two points. Needing a stop to get the ball back, Greg Rousseau stopped Henry for a 1-yard gain on first down; and linebacker Matt Milano dropped Ravens receiver Zay Flowers for no gain on a rushing attempt on second-and-9, forcing Baltimore into a third-and-long.
Pass defense: D
For most of the game, the Ravens were in “why throw it when we can run it?” mode, and for good reason. Jackson attempted just 19 passes, completing 14 of them for 210 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills had no answer for Flowers, who had a career-high 143 receiving yards on seven catches with touchdown. The Ravens weren’t afraid to throw at Christian Benford, including when Jackson lofted a 29-yard touchdown pass to veteran DeAndre Hopkins. Benford had tight coverage, but Hopkins made a spectacular catch. Oliver recorded a big sack in the first quarter that forced the Ravens to lose 15 yards. Milano had the other sack, which went for no gain. Rookie defensive back Dorian Strong got the start. He was penalized for defensive holding but otherwise didn’t seem to have many glaring errors. Joey Bosa and Rousseau will have nightmares of trying to bring Jackson down.
Special teams: A-
It took one play for Brandon Codrington to make an impact, as he returned the opening kickoff 41 yards to set up the Bills at the 50. Codrington is going to break one; it’s only a matter of time. Shortly before halftime, the Bills did give up a 40-yard return. Punter Brad Robbins had a shaky first game, including just a 28-yard punt in the fourth quarter. He averaged 38.0 net yards on four punts, placing one of them inside the Ravens’ 20-yard line. Veteran kicker Matt Prater came through when it mattered most, hitting the game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired. Prater went 3 for 3 on field goals and converted both of his extra points. Not a bad debut.
Coaching: C-
It would be easy to gloss over the bad following such a remarkable victory, but to do so would be a mistake. The Bills have a ton to clean up after this game. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s group had no answers for most of the game. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s play-calling was, at times, painfully conservative. It shouldn’t take the need for a furious rally to open up the offense, especially with Allen playing out of his mind. The Bills don’t seem to push the ball down the field much early in games. Sean McDermott acknowledged after the game that the defense has to improve, and that’s spot-on. The changes to that unit in the offseason did not pay dividends Sunday.
