Buffalo Bills Week 3 Offensive and Defensive Team Grades

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams (95) runs on the field prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills notched their first win of the season last Sunday in a 33-18 home win vs. the Arizona Cardinals, bringing their record to 1-2 this year.

It was the first enjoyable Sunday for Buffalo Bills‘ fans this season as their team hosted the Arizona Cardinals last week. The game ended 33-18 in Buffalo’s favor as they avoid starting the season 0-3.

The Bills had their backs against the wall coming into this game and took advantage of every opportunity they were given. The offense finally found their running game that they had last season and the defense was consistent throughout the game and added a dominant fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at the final box score from Week 3 vs. the Cardinals:

	1	2	3	4	T
Bills	10	7	13	3	33
Cardinals	0	7	6	5	18

It was the first game this season that the Bills were without their former offensive coordinator Greg Roman, marking the beginning of the Anthony Lynn era. With a much more faster-paced offense and simplified scheme, the Bills took advantage of the running holes early.

It wasn’t long before the Cardinals had their backs against the wall.

A few days before the game was played, I published my weekly predictions for the Buffalo Bills. Coming into this game, I was 1-for-7 in my predictions through two weeks. Let’s see what my predictions were for the Week 3 game:

I actually did very well, with the only thing wrong being the exact score. The Bills won, although it was 33-18, LeSean McCoy scored his 2nd TD this season in the first quarter on a 24-yard run and Lorenzo Alexander, Jerry Hughes and Kyle Williams all finished with sacks on Palmer.

3-0 this week brings me to 4-for-10 on the season. Let’s hope I can add to that this week vs. the Patriots.

Enough with my predictions, though. We are here to grade the Buffalo Bills, not me. Let’s get started.

As for the grading format, here’s how that will work:

A – Couldn’t have performed better.

B – Above average play.

C – Average play.

D – Needs to improve.

F – You said this is football? How do I play?

We begin with the offense.

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Deone Bucannon (20) dives to try and make a tackle on Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) during the second half at New Era Field. Bills beat the Cardinals 33-18. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills’ offense easily had their best game this season, despite lacking a passing attack.

We are going to dip right into it.

Here are the Buffalo Bills‘ Week 3 offensive grades for passing, rushing, receiving and the offensive line.

Buffalo Bills’ Offense

Passing

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have yet to display a dominant passing attack this season. There was a lot of hype throughout training camp and preseason that Tyrod Taylor can be a top quarterback in this league and that he would have all of the weapons needed to make that statement. However, it just hasn’t transitioned into the regular season yet.

Taylor’s only good game this season was against the Jets, but it still was only average. Sure, he had 297 yards and 3 TD, but those yards and touchdowns basically came off three throws. His struggles continued vs. the Cardinals, where he only posted 119 yards and one interception off 14/25 passing.

Those numbers simply need to improve and that’s why the Bills’ passing was graded with a ‘D.’ Safe to say, if the Bills can find their passing game, then this offense can be a pretty dominant force in this league.

Rushing

Buffalo Bills

I’m not going to sugarcoat anything here, the Bills’ ran the ball like it was the only thing they knew how to do. I mean, so far that is really the only thing we can do, but it worked. For the first two games of the season, LeSean McCoy had shown glimpses of his explosive ability, but hadn’t put it on full blast yet. For Week 3, he put it on full blast.

McCoy finished with 110 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns off 17 carries vs. the Cardinals. He was consistently making big runs throughout the game and helped control the ball for Buffalo. the thing that surprised me, though, was Tyrod Taylor’s ability to run the ball. In the first two weeks, Taylor had combined for 36 yards rushing off 7 carries. He compiled 76 yards on 9 carries, adding a touchdown vs. the Cardinals.

If the Bills want to begin a win streak, they will need this type of running vs. the Patriots on Sunday.

Receiving

Buffalo Bills

There’s a few things to point out with the receiving game for the Bills. First and foremost, the Bills were without Sammy Watkins vs. Arizona, which took away our biggest threat — hurt or healthy. Behind Watkins, we have some capable weapons, but I’m not sold on any of them being a WR2, let alone a WR1 when Watkins is sidelined. Robert Woods has never blossomed into a consistent player, Marquise Goodwin seems to always be injured and Charles Clay — apart from having small injuries all the time — just can’t seem to get the ball.

Point is, our receiving game will never be good if we don’t invest in it. I think bringing in a WR2, through trade or free agency, is the Bills’ best option right now. Robert Woods would make a great WR3/slot player, but until we bring in a consistent pair of hands, a quarterback that can find his target and an offensive line that can protect him, this receiving attack will always be limited.

Simply put, the Bills need to figure out their passing game because it’s broken.

Offensive Line

Buffalo Bills

I’m giving the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line a ‘B’ in this one, fully due to the effect they had on the running game, which totaled 208 yards vs. the Cardinals. In the first two weeks combined, the Bills’ offense ran for just 151 yards. They surpassed that number by 57 yards in Week 3 alone.

I would’ve easily given the offensive line an ‘A’ if the passing game were in tact, but it wasn’t. It’s really the only thing missing in this Bills’ offense — in regards to their game vs. Arizona. The good news is, Richie Incognito looked like a beast, Eric Wood looked great at center and John Miller also looked good in the win.

We will need a better outing from Jordan Mills and Cyrus Kouandjio if we want to open our passing game up vs. the Patriots.

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) and Buffalo Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito (64) during the game at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Final Thoughts on Offense

It’s clear, the Bills need a passing attack if they want to continue winning. The good news is, if our running game can return to it’s 2015 form then we will be one step ahead at utilizing our passing. We’ve figured out how to run with new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, now it’s time to let the passing complement it.

Also, with Seantrel Henderson nearing a return from suspension, our offensive line will get a big boost. Hopefully he’s ready to play after his suspension because we are going to need one.

Offense

Buffalo Bills

In the meantime, I think the Bills need to begin looking for a wide receiver that can have an immediate impact — especially in the red zone. With an efficient passing/receiving attack, the Bills could’ve easily bumped their offense to an ‘A’ grade.

I like where this team is headed and I think that first win last Sunday will give them the necessary confidence moving forward. It’s time for McCoy to completely take this league by storm.. Again.

That’s all for the offense. Now, let’s move on to the Bills’ defense vs. Arizona.

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills strong safety Aaron Williams (23) picks up the ball after a bad snap by the Arizona Cardinals and runs the ball in for a touchdown during the second half at New Era Field. Bills beat the Cardinals 33-18. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills’ defense played an extraordinary game vs. Arizona and finished with one of the best fourth-quarter outings by a defense in a while. Here’s a look at their grades.

Again, diving right into it.

Here’s the grades for the Buffalo Bills‘ defense in Week 3, which notched 21 fantasy points.

Buffalo Bills’ Defense

Defensive Line

Buffalo Bills

First off, hats off to Kyle Williams who was a beast vs. the Cardinals’ offensive line.

In Week 2 vs. the Jets, the Bills’ defensive line gave Ryan Fitzpatrick too much time and not enough pressure. The result was ugly for the Bills’ defense and beautiful for the Jets’ offense. That wasn’t the case against Arizona. Constant pressure on both the run-game and pass-game led to a limitation on the Cardinals’ offensive weapons.

Williams finished with four tackles, a tackle for a loss, two quarterback hits and one sack. Corbin Bryant and rookie Adolphus Washington helped limit the run-game, with Leger Douzable adding to that with the 30 snaps he played in. The pass-rush can still use some help, but our strong run defense made Arizona focus solely on passing. Luckily, our secondary did their job as well.

We need another solid outing from the defensive line against LeGarrette Blount on Sunday vs. the Patriots, who has been tearing up opposing defenses all season long.

Linebackers

Buffalo Bills

I’ve been hailing the Bills’ linebackers ever since Week 1. Coming into this season, there was a lot of doubt surrounding the linebacker group, but they’ve really stepped up and been the most consistent part of this defense. That reigned true once again vs. Arizona.

Jerry Hughes is a beast and there’s no getting around that fact. He has been the Bills’ best pass rusher and has helped ease the pain off a weak pass-rush coming from the D-line. Hughes finished with a sack of his own, two quarterback hits and three hurries. However, penalties continue to hit the Bills’ hard, as Hughes was called for another unnecessary roughness call that resulted in a TD for the Cardinals.

Lorenzo Alexander continues to impress, finishing with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Zach Brown led the defense with 12 tackles, even though he was only a part of around 60% of the snaps. Preston Brown played all of the snaps and continued to cement himself as a reliable linebacker for this defense. He limited David Johnson to 2 receptions and 17 yards when matched up with him.

I have a lot of faith in this linebacker core and expect them to continue tearing opposing offenses up. That won’t stop vs. the Patriots, believe me.

Defensive Backs

Buffalo Bills

This ‘A’ is well deserved for the Bills’ secondary. It wasn’t that long ago that the Bills’ defensive backs allowed two Jets’ receivers to accumulate 100+yards, with another reaching 92 yards. It was an ugly, ugly day vs. the Jets in Week 2. They definitely turned that around vs. the Cardinals.

For the first three quarters of play, the Bills’ secondary did a great job of limiting the large number of weapons on the Cardinals’ offense. Carson Palmer simply couldn’t find ANY of his receivers — especially in the first half. Their top-three receivers finished a combined 195 yards off 17 receptions — which isn’t that bad of a stat line between three receivers. However, they also combined for 34 targets, only bringing half of them in. Also, no touchdowns to any receivers.

The fourth quarter is where the secondary really heated up. They finished the quarter with 4 INT’s on Palmer, adding a 53-yard fumble recovery TD by Aaron Williams in the third quarter. Stephon Gilmore only allowed 3 receptions on the 8 times his coverage was targeted, adding two interceptions of his own. Corey Graham added a sack and another INT, while Corey White — who was filling in for the injured Ronald Darby — also grabbed an INT.

We need this kind of play from the secondary vs. the Patriots.

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills free safety Corey Graham (20) jumps to make a interception during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at New Era Field. Bills beat the Cardinals 33-18. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Final Thoughts on Defense

The Buffalo Bills received a lot of criticism on their defense before Week 1 was played. With countless injuries and suspensions, many thought this defense would be the worst in the league.

As of right now, they rank 3rd in the league in sacks (10), 5th in interceptions (4), 4th in passing touchdowns allowed (2), 5th in yards allowed per rush attempt (3.4), 5th in total takeaways (7), 5th in total giveaways (2) and third in give/take difference (+5). Rankings can be found here.

Defense

Buffalo Bills

Just imagine how good this defense can be with Marcell Dareus back from suspension, Shaq Lawson back from injury, Reggie Ragland back from injury, Ronald Darby back from injury, I mean the list goes on.

The Bills’ defense is nowhere close to being what it can be, so the fact that it is producing at this rate is actually a good thing for Buffalo.

Expect another solid outing against the Patriots, but expect an unstoppable defense once we are 100% healthy.