Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Bills put a beatdown on the Washington Commanders this past Sunday, 37-3, to earn a second-straight win and improve to 2-1 on the 2023 season.
Let’s break down how each facet of the game performed:
Passing offense: A-
It was this bizarre mix of taking what was given with making the big plays and going hero mode for quarterback Josh Allen. It was the kind of game fans usually expect from their franchise quarterback, just without as gaudy of a stat line.
Allen made some incredible plays, like eluding a free rusher and rolling out to throw an absolute dime on the run to Stefon Diggs.
Allen and Diggs were on their usual game, while Gabe Davis caught another beautiful ball from Allen that resulted in a touchdown.
Allen did have a bad moment in the third quarter when he decided to, once again, haphazardly chuck a deep ball into double coverage that got intercepted. We'll, again, use the term "arm punt".
More importantly was the absolute work the offensive line put in on one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL. Washington’s vaunted defensive line barely even bothered Allen, let alone hit him.
Zero sacks, only one quarterback hit recorded.
That is the elite work from a Bills offensive line that has been improving markedly since their Week 1 struggles against the New York Jets. Their play alone was enough to mark this as an A-.
Rushing offense: A
James Cook is third in the league in rushing through the first three games of the year. He has been capable as a lead back in a league of constant backfield committees. The 24-year-old has been able to do some serious damage to defenses, especially to the outside.
Latavius Murray added another rushing touchdown on Sunday, while Allen chipped in some nice scrambles and a touchdown on the ground as well. More importantly, Allen was avoiding contact by sliding down when needed.
The offensive line had to ensure they moved Washington’s front-four around too. They were just as effective in that than they were in pass protection.
With that said, the desires to run on 2nd-and-long situations need to stop. But more on that later.
Passing defense: A+++
This was just downright mean.
The Bills defense didn’t need to be that dominant on Sunday, but they were. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell had a tendency to hold on to the football a bit longer to make plays, and the defensive line made him pay for it.
Nine sacks, 15 hits on Howell in total, constant pressure.
The interior was a nightmare for another offensive line, as defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones (give this man some love!) each had 1.5 sacks. Leonard Floyd didn’t seem too bothered by his injury status, putting up two more sacks.
Not to be outdone, linebacker Terrel Bernard had two sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception, and has to be leading consideration for AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Speaking of interceptions, Bernard was not alone.
Safety Micah Hyde had his first pick since the AFC Divisional Round against the New England Patriots in 2021, cornerback Tre’Davious White shut down a scoring drive with a pick, and defensive end A.J. Epenesa took his interception back for a touchdown.
Poor Howell might have nightmares about the Bills defense for a while.
Rushing defense: C+
The run defense kind of had a rough day, despite the blowout numbers.
When this was still a game, Buffalo could not stop the run very well. It was a factor as to how Washington was able to, at least, drive on the Bills defense.
The pass defense would then flex its muscles and kill drives with picks, sacks and other big plays.
Washington averaged 8.1 yards per-carry on 13 carries as a team. Luckily for Buffalo, running the ball got removed from the script as the Commanders had to start playing catch-up.
It's a far cry from the performance the run defense had a week ago when holding last year’s rushing champion to negative yardage.
Special Teams: A
Tyler Bass is a weapon.
Once again, the Bills kicker put up a perfect game, including a strike from 54 yards out. The Bills have one of the best kickers in the league in Bass.
Deonte Harty was able to put some of his return skills to use for once, as he had a 23-yard return that set up the Bills to score in one play.
Sam Martin was literally one yard away from the perfect punt, but it was a touchback that only let it be a 50-yard punt.
Coaching: B+
The defense is legit once again, but now there is a new wrinkle that has not been seen under this regime: A pass rush that combines with well-timed blitzing that is getting home to disrupt timing in offenses.
While they have a massive challenge up next against the Miami Dolphins, the defense should be able to still cause some disturbances. Head coach Sean McDermott knows the problem next week presents, but he has been able to surprise us before against dynamic offenses.
As for the offense, it seemed more like a “Josh bailed out the play calling” day in Week 3.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has suddenly become smitten with running the ball on 2nd-and-long, which can become a very disturbing trend. First downs did not put the Bills in good spots, but running on second down so often was counterproductive.
Not Dorsey’s brightest on the year, to say the least.
What's next:
Buffalo gets its first huge test of the season when the Bills face their AFC East rival Dolphins fresh off of a whopping 70 points against the Denver Broncos last week. Miami comes in not only looking like an offensive buzzsaw, but they also come in with an unbeaten record.
Kickoff on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium with pregame coverage starting at 7 a.m. ET on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
