The Buffalo Bills were able to take care of business on Sunday, defeating the New York Jets to open the season 1-0. While there were definitely times of struggle, the Bills on this list were the main factors in the victory.
Defense - S Jordan Poyer
A lot of fans were questioning the signing of the former Cleveland Brown but Poyer played his butt off in Week 1. He managed two highlight plays, picking off an errant Josh McCown throw when the Jets were driving in Bills territory while also recording the team’s only sack on safety blitz. He finished with three tackles, too. Great debut.
Offense - RB LeSean McCoy
They gave McCoy a lot of touches. Five receptions for 49 yards in the passing game on top of his 22 carries for 110 yards and McCoy was the engine behind the offense for most of the day. It’s not a surprise, but it would be if he was able to keep up that workload for the entire season.
Other - HC Sean McDermott
Kyle Williams handed McDermott the game ball during the postgame celebration to help him celebrate his first win as a head coach. We’re giving him a game ball, too. The penalties were down. The defense looked more organized than at any point under Ryan. The offense was efficient before and after the snap. Better communication is always a good thing.
Honorable mention
If Charles Clay caught all the passes that went through his hands, he would have been at the top of this list. His stat line of four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown would have looked a lot better with another score and 15 more yards. Mike Tolbert had some nice runs in relief of Shady and Tyrod Taylor was efficient.
Defensively, Kyle Williams showed great hustle and played more snaps than anyone on the defensive line except Jerry Hughes. Even at his age he’s the motor up front. Ramon Humber intercepted a two-point conversion attempt and led the team in tackles (12). Micah Hyde notched the game-sealing interception.
On special teams, Colton Schmidt had a few ncie kicks with good hang time but let one return get past his coverage. Stephen Hauschka missed his only field goal attempt. Newly-acquired quarterback Joe Webb played played the most special teams snaps of anyone on the roster, joined by Joe Banyard and Matt Milano. Andre Holmes also played nearly half the snaps on the kicking units.