Here are Jay Skurski's grades for the Buffalo Bills in their 44-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 44-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Highmark Stadium …
Bills back Ty Johnson runs for a touchdown in the first half Sunday against the Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Running game: B-
James Cook was mostly bottled up, finishing with 48 yards on 16 carries. It was the second-lowest rushing total of the season for Cook. With 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, Cook had just 16 rushing yards. He got half that total, 8 yards, on first down, which got the decisive drive going. On that possession, Cook had 23 rushing yards. He added 9 more on the Bills’ last possession, giving him 32 when the offense needed it. Quarterback Josh Allen added 40 yards on six carries. His three rushing touchdowns provided a huge boost to the ground game. Ty Johnson’s only carry of the game went for 9 yards.
Passing game: B+
On the Bills’ first drive, Allen made a ridiculous decision to try a shovel pass that was intercepted. He was also intercepted in the second quarter on a fourth-down pass and missed a few throws that he usually makes. His three touchdown passes, however, more than made up for that. The Bills got 163 yards from their receivers … and that included one catch for minus-3 yards by Khalil Shakir, their usually reliable slot target. Gabe Davis had three catches for 40 yards in his first game back with the team, while Tyrell Shavers was the star of the day with four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Running backs played a huge part in the passing attack, as Cook had three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown and Johnson added two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Keleki Latu had one catch for 4 yards – the first of his career.
Run defense: D
The Bills have a nasty habit of allowing running backs nobody has ever heard of to go off. That happened again Sunday as Tampa Bay’s No. 3 running back, Sean Tucker, had 106 yards on 19 carries. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield hurt the Bills on some scrambles, gaining 39 yards on five attempts, while Rachaad White had 51 yards on 10 attempts. Give the Bills’ run defense some credit for its effort in the second half. After gaining 136 yards in the first half, the Buccaneers were limited to 66 in the second half. A.J. Epenesa and rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker combined to stop Tucker for a gain of 2 yards on first down after the Bills pulled ahead, 37-32, in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers went three-and-out on that possession. Safety Jordan Poyer and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard shared the team lead with 11 tackles each. Two of those went for losses for Bernard, who had a better game Sunday than he did in Miami last week.
Pass defense: B+
Mayfield went 16 of 28 for 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That pick was by Cole Bishop in the third quarter, a massive play that swung momentum in the Bills’ favor. Buffalo’s only sack came late in the fourth quarter as defensive tackle DaQuan Jones drilled Mayfield, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Dorian Williams. The Bills recorded just three quarterback hits, with Greg Rousseau and Williams getting the others. It was a tough game for defensive end Joey Bosa in both run support and as a pass rusher. He took a roughing-the-passer penalty in the fourth quarter. Bernard led the defense with two passes defensed, including a big one on third-and-8 on Tampa Bay’s first possession, leading to a punt after a failed challenge by the Buccaneers.
Special teams: B-
Matt Prater probably didn’t want to kick that ball into the end zone for a touchback on the game’s first play. That was the start of an up-and-down day for special teams. The kick returners – Mecole Hardman, Ray Davis and Curtis Samuel – combined to average 39.0 yards on six attempts. That helped the Bills to an average drive start at their 44-yard line. Giving Allen that kind of field position is generally going to lead to a lot of points, which it did Sunday. The overall grade, however, was hurt by Hardman’s lost fumble on a punt return in the third quarter. The Buccaneers scored on the ensuing drive to take a 26-21 lead.
Coaching: B
It’s problematic that the run defense continues to have such big problems. Yes, it’s a good thing that defensive coordinator Bobby Babich found some answers in the second half, but it was a big-time struggle for much of the game. Nevertheless, there was a lot to like, especially about the offensive game plan. In the most simple terms, receivers were open. That’s too often not been the case. Sean McDermott’s clock management was fine. There were no wasted timeouts that came back to bite him. The number of penalties was a bit higher than preferred, at seven for 45. A couple of those were of the pre-snap variety, which McDermott won’t like. Still, the head coach liked the toughness that his team displayed, and that is fair. The Bills will need that going forward. They face some tough defenses in the weeks ahead, starting Thursday night in Houston. There is still a lot to work on. The defense is hard to trust in key moments. But it was a win the Bills needed Sunday, and they got it.
