The Buffalo Bills came off the bye with a sluggish performance against the Green Bay Packers. However, they were able to string together a few good possessions early and then hold onto a 27-17 win at home on Sunday Night Football.
Every Tuesday we’ll go back over the game film and give each position group a game for their Sunday performance alone. While not an exact science, it does help us begin to see where the strengths and weaknesses of the team lay.
So what were the grades for Week 8?
Quarterback: B-
Is this possibly too hard on Josh Allen? Yeah, sure. But that’s also one of the consequences of having so much tape that shows an elite level of production. Allen was great in the first half, going 8-for-12 for 129 yards and two touchdowns, plus an emphatic run down to the one-yard-line. However, he struggled in the second half, throwing two terrible interceptions, and looking impatient. He even admitted after the game that he knows he needs to be much better.
Running backs: B+
Devin Singletary has been hearing about losing his job for two weeks with the media speculating on the Bills trading for every possible running back. However, on Sunday he rushed for 67 yards on 14 carries and showed that he can be an impactful runner for the Bills, especially when they can get him off tackle.
Rookie James Cook also looked the best he has all season, showing good burst and the ability to hit the crease hard when running through the line. He gained 35 yards on five carries while also registering a 41-yard reception and looks like an impactful second option in the run game.
However, Singletary ran for 50 yards on four carries on Buffalo’s first drive. That means he gained 17 yards on his next ten carries, which has to be factored into this grade. The run game was good but still inconsistent.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends: A-
It’s hard to knock this unit too much because they weren’t given a lot to do aside from Stefon Diggs, which was one of my studs of the week. He finished with six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Allen had a 156.3 passer rating when throwing his way on Sunday night. Plus he won his verbal joust with Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Dawson Knox also had a receiving touchdown and Isaiah McKenzie scored a rushing touchdown, but the slot receiver barely factored into the game beyond that, apart from a really bad reverse.
Gabriel Davis also had a bit of an off night with 35 yards on two catches, but he also took a stupid personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter that took the Bills out of field goal range.
Offensive Line: B-
This was an up-and-down performance from the offensive line, which showed flashes of strong run blocking, but also allowed a fair amount of pressure, two sacks, and field to open up many running lanes in the second and third quarters.
If you use Pro Football Focus’ grades (which are certainly flawed), you can see the mixed results overall for the offensive line. Dion Dawkins graded out at a 56.5 and took two penalties, Rodger Saffold finished with a grade of 69.3 (his best of the season), center Mitch Morse had a 61.5 grade, Ryan Bates graded out at a 70.5, and David Quessenberry finished with a 64.4 mark.
As has been the case, all of them graded out better in pass protection than run protection, and this remains a fine but not tremendous unit.
Defensive Line: C+
This defensive line has been a strength for the Bills all season, but Sunday may have been their worst performance as a unit. Yes, they registered two sacks, and Greg Rousseau was a stud for me given his ability to push the pocket. Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle Jr. also made some flashy plays in the interior, but they also allowed over 200 yards rushing and Aaron Rodgers had all day to throw on certain plays, like the touchdown to Romeo Doubs.
We don’t want to overreact to just one game, but the Buffalo pressure rate has now dropped in three straight games, and this was an emphatically poor showing from the run defense.
Bills Linebackers: B
The poor run defense also falls onto the linebackers. Tremaine Edmunds may have led the team in tackles, but he was too often blocked out of his lane in run defense or unable to disengage from his blockers. Matt Milano dropped one interception but was able to secure another late and always seems to be around the ball, but neither player was overly impactful on the night. A solid but not overly dominant performance.
Secondary: B
On one hand, Aaron Rodgers had just 203 yards passing. On the other, it felt like he could have had a lot more if the Packers had decided to throw more. He hit Romeo Doubs in the end zone in the first half on a beautiful pass and catch and was able to find Doubs against Dane Jackson a few more times in the second half.
Damar Hamlin also lost track of Samori Toure for a long touchdown in the fourth quarter, and this unit overall just wasn’t particularly inspiring. It will be nice to get Tre’Davious White back, but the Bills need to hope that Jordan Poyer’s elbow injury isn’t serious.
Special Teams: A
Not much to criticize here. Tyler Bass was perfect on the night, going 2-of-2 on field goal attempts and 3-of-3 on extra points. Sam Martin had two punts with one landing inside the 20, and the Buffalo coverage unit limited Keisean Nixon to 16.8 yards per kick return.
Week 8 Team Grade: B-
Yes, the Bills won by double-digits, but they just seemed bored or asleep for long portions of this game. They’ll need to study the tape and find a way to clean up some of the weak points that Green Bay put on tape for the rest of the league on Sunday night.
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