The Buffalo Bills’ defense was largely dominant and the offense capitalized enough to record a 35-0 shutout of the Miami Dolphins. While the passing offense didn’t light up the stat sheet and still seemed slightly off, the rushing attack made up for it. On defense, A.J. Epenesa and a certain rookie first-round pick had breakout performances, while the secondary held steady and even came down with an interception of backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett after Tua Tagovailoa was knocked out of the game. More about how each rookie performed against the Dolphins below.
DE Gregory Rousseau
Rousseau recorded his first dominant performance of his career against the Dolphins. Whether it was against Miami left tackle Austin Jackson or right tackle Jesse Davis, the rookie got solid push with his pass rush all game. His first sack however, was the result of him acting as a spy against the quarterback. After dropping into coverage and seeing Jacoby Brissett step up and start to vacate the pocket, Rousseau immediately pounced and tackled the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. His second sack was the result of him keeping his eyes on the quarterback and taking advantage after A.J. Epenesa flushed Brissett into his waiting arms.
DE Carlos Basham Jr.
Basham’s name again appears on the inactive list. Although, unlike last week, Efe Obada was not active for the game either. This will be worth tracking as the season progresses.
OT Spencer Brown
Similar to last week, Brown managed to see the field for a handful of snaps during plays that demanded an extra lineman. He was in on Josh Allen’s long pass play to Stefon Diggs, but sort of whiffed on his assignment against linebacker Elandon Roberts.
OT Tommy Doyle
With Brown active and seeing the field, Doyle was listed as inactive against the Dolphins, which should be a weekly occurrence this season, barring injury.
WR Marquez Stevenson
Stevenson remains listed on IR with a head injury and will stay there for at least another week.
S Damar Hamlin
Hamlin actually made it onto the field in the fourth quarter, thanks to the fact that it was a blowout by then. He wasn’t involved in plays much, although he did have a pass break up on the running back to force a fourth-down try.
OG Jack Anderson
Anderson remains on the team’s practice squad, and was protected for that purpose again this week. Expect this to continue throughout the season.
Editor’s note: At the time of writing, Jack Anderson was still part of the Bills’ practice squad. With Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive lineman Brandon Brooks headed to IR, the Eagles have signed Anderson to their 53-man roster.
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