Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills fell 34-25 on Saturday in their first preseason game of 2025 against the New York Giants.
Here are my Arrows Up and Down from the contest, starting Down after the loss:
ARROW DOWN:
First offensive series and play
The Bills first-team offense didn’t do much, especially on the first series of the game when they went three-and-out.
It started with a false start on tight end Dawson Knox even before the first official snap. From there, Mitch Trubisky threw a pair of incompletions, then a 10-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid, which left them five yards short of the first down.
Screen passes given up
The Bills' defense was awful against the screen pass. The Giants ran several of them, which went for big yardage.
Starting offensive line
The Bills' first offensive line unit didn’t do much to establish the line of scrimmage, and allowed the Giants to affect quarterback Mitch Trubisky too much.
Dane Jackson touchdown given up
Down 3-0 in the second quarter and facing a 3rd-and 6, Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart went deep to Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who was 1-on-1 with Dane Jackson. Jackson got beaten cleanly by a step for a touchdown.
TE - Zach Davidson
Davidson had two balls hit him right in the hands that he could not pull in.
The first was way down the field that would have gone for big yardage. The ball was slightly underthrown, giving the defensive back a chance to get his hands in, but Davidson should have secured it before that.
The second was a clean drop over the middle.
DE - Landon Jackson
Jackson didn’t factor into the defensive statistics at all, and was also called for an offsides on a play where rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock collected an interception, negating the pick.
C - Jacob Bayer
With the Bills trailing 27-25 with just 2:35 remaining, they had a chance to march down the field for the win.
However, on a 1st-and-10 from their own 45-yard line, center Jacob Bayer snapped the ball over quarterback Shane Buechele’s head, and the Giants fell on the fumble at the Buffalo 14-yard line.
Pass defense
The Giants completed way too many easy passes, 70% of their throws on 50 attempts. They had a total of 317 passing yards!
Pass rush
Despite those 50 attempts, the Bills did not record a sack.
Third down offense and defense
The Bills were 1-for-9 on third downs, which is just 11.1%.
Conversely, the Giants went 9-for-19 (47.4%).
ARROW UP:
DE - Joey Bosa
Bosa made his presence known in a Bills uniform immediately, causing pressure in the backfield, and even forcing a pair of penalties against the Giants offensive line.
RB - Frank Gore Jr.
The second-year back totaled 71 yards from scrimmage, including catching five passes for 50 yards.
Gore Jr. also made an impressive tackle on punt coverage to help pin the Giants inside their own 20-yard line.
LB - Joe Andreessen
Andreessen picked up right where he left off last season, showing tremendous instincts and the ability to tackle. He finished strong with five total tackles, including one for a loss.
P - Brad Robbins
Robbins was excellent the entire afternoon, booming high, driven footballs and also placing them, grossing an average of 53.0 yards per-punt. He also pinned three of them inside the Giants' 20-yard line.
Ray Davis… the kicker!
Davis is listed on the depth chart as the emergency backup kicker. With Tyler Bass injured, head coach Sean McDermott gave him a shot at an extra point, and he converted!
Deone Walker’s hands
A lot has been made of Walkers athleticism for his size. He showed it off with a batted pass at the line of scrimmage.
WR/KR - Laviska Shenault
Shenault not only showed why the Bills signed him as a kick returner, taking a pair of returns for an average of 31 yards, but also catching a two-point conversion to give the Bills the lead in the fourth quarter.
WR - Tyrell Shavers
Shavers continues to make plays when he’s on the field. He was the team’s leading receiver with 70 yards, thanks to a long 58-yard reception late in the second quarter.
Run defense
The Bills only allowed 3.2 yards per-carry. The Giants ran the ball 25 times for just 79 yards.
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