Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 31-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Highmark Stadium …
Running game
A++In a word: Marvelous. What more can you say after the team piled up a remarkable 266 yards on 49 carries – an average of 5.4 yards per attempt. That included three touchdowns on the ground – one each from James Cook, Latavius Murray and Josh Allen. The Bills had a whopping 20 first downs via the run, the second most in franchise history in a game, trailing only 21 on Nov. 3, 1996, against Washington. Cook was electric, gaining 179 yards on 25 carries. Cook’s career rushing high in a single game in college was just 104 yards, so he hasn’t had a game like this in a long, long time. Cook’s 179 rushing yards were also the second most in an NFL game this season, trailing only the 203 by Miami’s De’Von Achane in Week 3 against Denver.
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Passing game
CIncomplete is probably the right grade here, but the Bills did have some drops that factored into Allen going just 7 of 15 for 94 yards. The rushing attempts-to-passes ratio of 49 to 15 is remarkable, and a sign of just how dominant the ground game was. “It’s not like we’re going to come in and do 70-30 pass to run or anything like that,” coach Sean McDermott said. “You’ve got to be willing to call it. Give (interim offensive coordinator) Joe (Brady) credit there, too. Stick with it and when it’s working, why get away from it, right?” Allen did throw a touchdown pass – to Cook, naturally – and Stefon Diggs made a sick, one-handed catch to pick up a first down on a third-down play early in the fourth quarter on the drive that ultimately iced the win. Both Gabe Davis and Dalton Kincaid were held without a catch, but that’s not much of a cause for concern after that performance.
The Bills made an emphatic statement in Sunday's 31-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys. They will be a tough out in the playoffs ... if they qualify.
Run defense
BWe’ll be honest here: The offense dominating the way that it did feels as if it might have saved this unit just a bit. The Cowboys ran for 89 yards, but on just 20 carries, a healthy average of 4.5 yards per rush. Tony Pollard gained 52 yards on 11 carries, while Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott scrambled his way to 27 yards on four attempts. Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb scored on a 3-yard run in garbage time. Greg Rousseau had a big tackle for loss in run defense on Dallas’ first drive, while safety Taylor Rapp stopped Pollard for a 3-yard loss on second-and-1 from the Bills’ 11-yard line in the second quarter. That was a big play, as it helped hold Dallas to a field goal. Shaq Lawson and Linval Joseph teamed up to stop Pollard a yard short of a first down early in the third quarter, and the Cowboys couldn’t convert the ensuing third and 1.
Pass defense
A+Dallas gained a season-low 195 yards, and that included a garbage-time possession that racked up 80 yards in the fourth quarter. Prescott went 21 of 34 for just 134 yards and was picked off once. He was sacked three times for a loss of 28 yards, with Leonard Floyd, Rousseau and Tyrel Dodson (shared sack) and Jordan Phillips all getting home. The Bills defended seven passes. Ed Oliver and Phillips recorded one each, while Christian Benford had two, including his first interception of the year. Taron Johnson, Jordan Poyer and Cam Lewis all also had a pass defensed. Minus five key contributors defensively, the Bills got timely contributions across the board.
Special teams
AMcDermott credited the coverage units for setting the tone, which was deserved praise. Dallas returner KaVontae Turpin gained just 43 yards on two kick returns and made a fair catch on one of Buffalo’s two punts (the other went into the end zone for a touchback). Tyler Bass hit a 23-yard field goal and was perfect on extra points. He also kicked four touchbacks. Deonte Harty averaged 16.0 yards on two punt returns, including one that went for 21 yards. Sam Martin was pressured on both of his punts, but was able to get them away. He also was roughed on one of those attempts, giving the Bills a free first down.
A+Considering what was at stake, this was the Bills’ best showing of the season. McDermott deserves a ton of credit for getting his defense to utterly dominate an opponent that came into the game averaging 37.3 points per game over their past six games. In fact, this should go down as one of the signature wins of the McDermott era. There is still a ton of work to be done in the playoff race – the Bills got no help on the out-of-town scoreboard earlier in the day – but they took care of their business in resounding fashion. Brady didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken, leaning on Cook and the run game. The Bills are averaging 29.3 points per game in four games with Brady as the interim offensive coordinator. A legitimate case can be made that move should have been made sooner. The Bills took just one penalty in the game. For a team that has shot itself in the foot far too often in that regard, that was a huge step in the right direction.
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