The Buffalo Bills defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday to put the league on notice. They kept taking what Seattle gave them on both sides of the ball, and it was enough to win the game without really a whole lot of sweat. Here are my takeaways:
Pass Pass Pass Repeat
Josh Allen completed passes to six receivers on his first two drives, added a seventh receiver on the third drive, and when he found Tyler Kroft in the end zone he hit his eighth receiver. He was 10/11 for 117 yards and two TDs on those first two drives and 24-of-28 for 282 yards in the first half with three touchdowns. It was the most passing yards of any QB in the first half in 2020. It wasn’t until the ninth play of the game that the Bills ran the ball and they only had two designed rushing attempts in the first half.
Sacks on sacks
With the injuries along the offensive line, it makes sense that they were a little out of sorts on Sunday. On the drive Cody Ford went out with an injury, the Bills allowed two sacks to end the possession with a field goal. They allowed seven sacks on the day and Allen was flushed from the pocket several times.
Brian Daboll and Josh Allen are back
The 3rd-and-long screen play call to John Brown in the fourth quarter was a stroke of genius by Daboll (or Allen if he audibled). They started the fourth quarter with a screen to stop the Seahawks’ pass rush too. Allen was 31-of-38 for 415 yards and three TDs with seven rushes and a TD. Without the offensive line problems, it might have been a pretty easy day.
The A.J. Klein Game
Klein had two sacks, including the nail in the coffin against the Seahawks. With 6:35 left in the game, Klein came in on a delayed blitz, sacked Russell Wilson, forced the ball out, and recovered it for Buffalo. It was a trifecta for Klein, who has been much-maligned in this space and around the Bills blogosphere. He hit Wilson at the two-minute warning to force an incompletion to cap off his fourth quarter. In all, Wilson was taken to the ground 16 times. That’s the most of any QB in 2020. Major kudos to defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier and the Bills’ defense.
"AJ Klein had the day of his life."
— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) November 8, 2020
--Micah Hyde#BillsMafia
Tremaine Edmunds makes an impact
Yeah, Tremaine Edmunds allowed himself to be blocked on Seattle’s second TD. But the rest of the game he played fast and was everywhere. He had pass breakups, QB pressures, a sack, and led the team in tackles. He seemed like he was everywhere. Buffalo’s pair of linebackers really acquitted themselves today.
Jordan Poyer, Pro Bowler
Earlier in the week, Poyer was talking to the media and said the Seahawks had tells on offense. On 4th-and-goal in the first half, Poyer was covering the short zone but peeled back into the end zone to pick off Russell Wilson and end the scoring threat. It was a heady play and following his tackling outburst last week against the New England Patriots, Poyer should definitely be in the conversation for the league’s all-star game. Tre’Davious White did the same thing on his interception, peeling off his short zone to pick off Wilson.
DK Metcalf is so good
Metcalf drew a penalty and had a long catch on Seattle’s first scoring drive going against Tre’Davious White. He took 1-yard catches and turned them into seven yards with just pure muscle and it left Tre’Davious White frustrated in the third quarter when he was chucked aside. He’s such a stud and it’s hard to forget how so many Bills fans wanted him before the 2019 NFL Draft.