In what was probably their most complete performance of the season in all three phases, the Buffalo Bills improved to 8-3 for the first time since 1996 by beating the Denver Broncos 20-3 on Sunday at New Era Field.
There isn't a lot on the downside this week, but certainly a lot of the up:
ARROW UP
- The defense!
I could've listed all the things they did so well separately, but because I don't want this to be longer than my five-year-old son's Christmas list, I'll just put all the numbers here, from a team standpoint.
The Broncos:
- Had 49(!) net passing yards
- Had 85 total rushing yards
- Had 134 total yards
- Went 2-for-11 (18%) on third down
- Averaged only 2.9 yards per-play (The fourth-lowest total for any team in any NFL game this season)
- Went three-and-out on five straight possessions to end the game
- Did not take a single snap inside the Bills' red zone.
- Had seven of their 10 possessions finish on their own side of midfield
There's one word for all of that: Domination
- CB - Tre'Davious White
If it's possible, White continues to get better every week. He was tasked with shadowing Broncos No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton all game and completely shut him down, limiting Sutton to only one catch on eight targets! White was also making plays on the ball all over the place, including knocking four of them down and picking off a pass as the Broncos threatened to score. He added three tackles, as well.
- LB - Matt Milano
Once again, Milano was all over the field as he was a week ago against the Miami Dolphins. He was tied for the team lead with six total tackles, including one for a loss, but was also credited with three quarterback hurries and was excellent in coverage, credited with three pass break ups.
- DE - Shaq Lawson
Lawson continues to have the best season of his career. He had two of the team's four total sacks, resulting in 23 yards for loss, and also added three quarterback hurries.
- DT - Ed Oliver
Oliver didn't blow up the stat sheet, but he continues to get better each week and playing within the confines of the defense. He came up with his second sack in as many weeks and also added a quarterback hurry.
- QB - Josh Allen
Against the fifth-best passing defense in the league, Allen went 15-for-25 for 185 yards and threw two touchdowns. He made critical plays with both his arm and his feet throughout the day, adding another 56 yards on nine carries. He did throw his first interception in six games, but also hit on a ball thrown over 30 yards in the air for the first time all season, resulting in a touchdown to John Brown.
- RB - Devin Singletary
The Bills' rookie went over 100 yards for the first time in his career, gaining 106 total yards on 21 carries, averaging 5.0 yards per-carry. It has last five games, Singletary has averaged 6.3, 4.8, 5.3, 5.0, and 5.0 yards per-carry. He is averaging 5.8 yards per-carry on the season, which leads all qualifying NFL running backs.
- The offensive line and coach Bobby Johnson
The Bills had already started the game without having right tackle Ty Nsekhe available, putting rookie Cody Ford against elite pass rusher Von Miller the entire game. Then after just one series, center Mitch Morse hurt his finger and exited the game, moving Jon Feliciano from guard to center and inserting Spencer Long at right guard. It was mixing and matching from the get-go, yet, all they did was run for an astonishing 244 yards and an average of 5.2 per-run against a team that had been allowing just 100 per-game and 3.87 per-rush coming in. They also allowed only one sack the entire afternoon. Left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Quinton Spain also did a great job, but so did offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, who has been preparing and coaching this group all season and had a great plan for Sunday against Miller and a solid Broncos front
- Cody Ford vs. Von Miller
With Nsekhe out, Ford had to play the entire game at right tackle. He had been platooning there all season, so he, at least, had some reps, but this was a much different situation going against Miller, one of the best pass rushers of this generation. Ford did get one sack, but it came when he was lined up opposite Miller. Otherwise, he was hardly heard from all game. The rookie did a great job on him.
- WR - Cole Beasley
Earlier this season, the Allen-to-Beasley connection was very good. Then there was a lull and it seemed they weren't on the same page as often. They certainly were on Sunday. The Bills' slot receiver collected six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, his best game so far in a Bills uniform.
- KR/PR - Andre Roberts
Roberts was consistent and good returning punts and kickoffs all afternoon. In the second half, he had punt returns of 17, eight, and 12 yards, setting the Bills up in terrific field position each time.
- P - Corey Bojorquez
Bojorquez did his job perfectly. He punted only four times the entire game, but every single one of them was downed inside the 20-yard line. The drive starts for the Broncos following Bills punts were their own 13, own 18, own 11 and own 10-yard line.
- Third down offense
For the third time this season, the Bills converted half of their third down attempts (exactly 50% each time), going 8-for-16 against Denver.
- Frank Gore's milestone
Gore had a solid game, running for 65 yards on 15 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per-run. However, this day was special because he surpassed Barry Sanders for third on the all-time rushing list (15,289 yards), now trailing only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.
ARROW DOWN
- End-of-first-half sequence
The Bills got the ball at their own 15 yard line, up 6-0, with 57-seconds left in the first half. They decided to see if they could get some yardage and maybe then score points. That was a fine decision, and it started working out, since their first two plays got them out to their own 40. From there, with 25-seconds left, it was disastrous. A penalty on the Broncos gave the offense a free five yards, but they gave it right back after a false start on tight end Tyler Kroft. Then, Allen hit Dawson Knox for a six-yard gain, but since he was tackled inbounds and they only had one timeout left, they chose to spike the ball to stop the clock with only 10-seconds left. They were going against a strong wind, which meant they'd need to still gain about 30 yards for a legitimate chance for a kick, but there was still time to get a couple plays off to do that since they still had their last timeout. But, inexplicably, the offense took too much time in the huddle and was called for a delay of game penalty. Then, with the ball at the 41-yard line with only 10-seconds left, Singletary committed a false start, pushing it back to the 36. The Bills ran the ball on the next play, just wanting to get to the locker room. The drive ended with not even giving themselves a chance for any points and with that last timeout still in their back pocket.
- Penalties
The Bills had their worst penalty output of the entire season in both number and yards, being flagged 12 times for 90 yards. After rough start to the season, they had done a good job of cleaning up their penalty situation the last few weeks, but Sunday was right back to where they had been, and even worse.
- Red zone offense
Coming into the game, the Bills had the third-best red zone offense in the NFL, scoring a touchdown on 67.86% of trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line. However, they started 0-for-2 on Sunday, settling for field goals on their first two possessions of the game, and finished 1-for-3 overall.
THE BIG PICTURE
Think back to 1996. What were you doing then? Were you married yet? Have any kids? Still in high school? Were you just out of college, like I was, starting on your journey of real adulthood? Were you even born yet?
1996.
That's when the Buffalo Bills were last 8-3 through the first 11 games of their season. That's before six players on the Bills were even born yet. Frank Gore and Lorenzo Alexander, the two oldest Bills players, were 13. It's been a long time since Bills fans could feel something like this in late November. In fact, for the better part of those 23 years, the talk has usually been more about getting high draft picks and the status of the head coach around Thanksgiving dinner tables throughout Western New York.
Not in 2019.
In 2019, Bills fans will get a chance to see their team play, on national television, with their families gathered around, on one of the biggest stages in all of sports - the late afternoon Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. It was pretty cool to think about when the schedule came out back in April. Now it's even more so knowing the Bills are 8-3 and the game is really important - for them and the Cowboys.
Dallas will walk into the contest 6-5. Who thought the Bills would not only have a better record than the Cowboys coming into the game, but by two whole games, nonetheless? I doubt anyone, really.
Two games ahead. That's not just what the Bills are on the Cowboys, but what they are on every other AFC team trying to catch them for a wild card berth. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans are all 6-5, looking up at the Bills, right now battling for maybe one spot, and hoping the Bills falter and maybe have a chance to catch them, as well.
Hoping the team above them falters. That's the position we're so accustomed to seeing the Bills in this time of year, watching the scoreboard and thinking "what teams have to lose for the Bills to catch them?" Now it's those other teams and their fans saying that about Buffalo.
The Bills aren't the ones hoping right now. They're just playing, and starting to do it well. This Sunday against the Broncos was a game a lot of people thought would prove what they had been saying about the Bills - that they really weren't that good, only beating bad teams, and playing a good defense would expose them. Sure, Denver was only 3-7 and had a quarterback making only his third-ever start, but their defense was top-10 in the league in most major statistical categories. Josh Allen and Co. were supposed to struggle, making it anyone's game.
That didn't happen.
Allen and the offense tied their season-high, backing up last week's performance in Miami with the exact same total of 424 yards. They ran for a season-high 244 yards. Their defense dominated the Broncos. Their special teams were solid all afternoon.
People in football always say you need to be playing your best football in November and December. The Bills played, arguably, their best game of the season on Sunday, in November, just in time for December.
There's still one more November game left, and the entire country is going to be watching the 8-3 Buffalo Bills.
Enjoy it, Western New York. Happy Thanksgiving.
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