I know fans are starting to get tired of the term “statement game” but there’s no better way to describe the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Denver Broncos. The thing about statements too is that it’s always possible to have more than one. And the Bills have been making many this year, each one louder than the last. The sky’s the limit and fans should be daring to dream. That’s a statement we should love hearing each and every week. Let’s celebrate the first AFC East crown for the Bills in what, gotta be six or seven years at least, by giving their scoring plays the All-22 review.
Play 1
The Bills don’t use a ton of two tight end sets but this worked out pretty well. A depleted roster on the back end of the Broncos doesn’t hurt either. Dawson Knox makes a little contact at the top of the route and an offensive pass interference call might not have been too shocking. I like it as a no-call and not just because I’m a Bills fan.
Play 2
The Denver Broncos likely feel their best shot at this is to make Josh Allen uncomfortable. They leave way too much space in the middle to make that happen though. Allen gets rolling and before you know it an easy first down turns into a touchdown. A couple blocks by Reggie Gilliam help clear the way. The rookie sees his quarterback on the move and quickly reacts.
Play 3
This throw tied the NFL record for highest number of players to catch a touchdown pass at 13. If you’re not sure who Jake Kumerow is, well he’s this guy. Allen shows good anticipation and further proves why arm strength is important. This isn’t a bomb, but it’s long enough where a lot of quarterbacks might not get the pass there in time.
Play 4
I think the Bills reeeeeeaaaally wanted to break the record by getting to 14 players with a receiving touchdown. Kudos to the Broncos who don’t fall for Ty Nsekhe running a route. At 6’8” though, maybe a jump ball could have worked.
Play 5
The Bills looked like they might be able to coast to a victory already and then Tre’Davious White knocks the ball loose. Jerry Hughes scoops it up and “out of hand” is officially underway.
Play 6
Hopefully Corey Bojorquez is fine with the ribbing he should be getting for practically being a ghost this year. If there’s one player to pay to sit, it’s the punter. He seems to be working well with Tyler Bass this year as seen on this field goal that capped off a roughly five-minute drive at the end of the third quarter.
Play 7
Let’s not forget about Reid Ferguson who consistently delivers the long snaps to get the kicks in. On this field goal the Bills held the ball for nearly eight minutes. Before these two scores the Bills were ahead 35 to 13. While the six points from Tyler Bass are pretty great, the over 12 minutes of clock burned is fantastic.
Play 8
With mostly backups on the field and looking to burn off the final 1:51 of clock after the Broncos failed to recover an onside kick attempt. Devin Singletary shakes the one Bronco who broke through the offensive line, Ty Nsekhe has mauled his man and Singletary sees light. The broadcast showed what looked like him getting an earful for putting the defense back on the field for another 1:40 of time but as a fan we’re allowed to be excited by this. I don’t hold any ill will toward Denver but it’s really nice to be on the right side of an ass-kicking.
Play 9
This isn’t a score but Bojorquez and Ferguson deserve some love. If you feel like Bojorquez has been flying under the radar it’s because he has been. Even after a fairly punt-tastic game against the Pittsburgh Steelers he’s averaging a mere 2.5 punts per game. For stat nerds he’s flirting with not qualifying for rate stats.
Summary
Enjoy the ride Buffalo Bills fans. We’ve seen the doldrums longer than most fanbases could even dream of. There’s no guarantee the team will remain at the top, but they’ve made it there for now.