Buffalo Rumblings - All our coverage: Buffalo Bills look to clinch AFC East with win over Denver BroncosBuffalo Bills news, notes, discussions, opinions and analysis. 24/7/365 since 4/7/2007.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48063/buffalorumblings_fave.png2020-12-27T11:03:00-05:00http://www.buffalorumblings.com/rss/stream/219512732020-12-27T11:03:00-05:002020-12-27T11:03:00-05:00Buffalo Bills fan confidence can’t be higher after throttling Denver Broncos
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<figcaption>Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The fanbase’s confidence is high.</p> <p id="IMFY1k">Fans of the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> are on cloud nine right now. After clinching the division for the first time in 25 years and playing to get to the number-two seed in the AFC this week, Bills fans are once again at 100 percent confidence in the SB Nation Reacts voting. That’s the second straight week of perfection.</p>
<p id="Yg299r">The voting came after the Bills thoroughly took out the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> on Saturday in a nationally televised game. Broncos fans fell from 61 percent confident to 50 percent after the loss. </p>
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<p id="FBTiaM">Bills fans are one of three teams with a 100 percent confidence level; fans of the Tennessee Titans have been at 100 percent for three of the last four weeks while <a href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Baltimore Ravens</a> fans joined Buffalo and Tennessee this week. Fans of the <a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com">Kansas City Chiefs</a> were close, with 1 percent holding out after an imperfect win. On the other hand, fans of the <a href="https://www.thefalcoholic.com/">Atlanta Falcons</a> are the only team in single digits.</p>
<p id="pbUtAE">In the AFC East, <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a> fans are still fairly confident in the future of their franchise at a rate of 96 percent while fans of the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a> and <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> are on the other end. They share a 30 percent fan confidence level. </p>
<p id="qBBtQe">In other SB Nation Reacts voting, Bills QB Josh Allen is tied for second in the national vote for MVP and third for Offensive Player of the Year. Patrick Mahomes is first in MVP and second in OPOY behind Derrick Henry. Head coach Sean McDermott reeled in 18 percent of the vote for Coach of the Year, which is 1 percent behind Andy Reid and fourth in the overall vote.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/27/22201443/buffalo-bills-fan-confidence-cant-be-higher-after-throttling-denver-broncosMatt Warren2020-12-24T10:05:33-05:002020-12-24T10:05:33-05:00All-22 analysis: Buffalo Bills scoring plays versus Denver Broncos
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<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Full. On. Celebration. Mode!</p> <p id="g3oyBk">I know fans are starting to get tired of the term “statement game” but there’s no better way to describe the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>’ win over the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a>. 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. </p>
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<h3 id="if7Ufy">Play 1</h3>
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<p id="zgURdZ">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. </p>
<h3 id="Vu1Du4">Play 2</h3>
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<p id="50VVyR">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. </p>
<h3 id="bihgcw">Play 3</h3>
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<p id="jPz5Dy">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. </p>
<h3 id="ewIoqZ">Play 4</h3>
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<p id="Jhqf9g">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. </p>
<h3 id="N1HhRm">Play 5</h3>
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<p id="IMro3S">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. </p>
<h3 id="4E9aIx">Play 6</h3>
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<p id="UL2tvy">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. </p>
<h3 id="T8lkFB">Play 7</h3>
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<p id="3r3UPT">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. </p>
<h3 id="g4wpVx">Play 8</h3>
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<p id="qqaNtF">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. </p>
<h3 id="uTM5Us">Play 9</h3>
<p id="7eYXx8">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 <a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Pittsburgh Steelers</a> he’s averaging a mere 2.5 punts per game. For stat nerds he’s flirting with not qualifying for rate stats. </p>
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<h3 id="lTyjJC">Summary</h3>
<p id="ytNvbv">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. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/24/22191898/all-22-analysis-buffalo-bills-scoring-plays-versus-denver-broncosSkarekrow2020-12-24T10:00:00-05:002020-12-24T10:00:00-05:00The Bruce Exclusive: The Checking of Buffalo’s Boxes
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<figcaption>The Bruce Exclusive podcast Cover Art | Josh Rawdin</figcaption>
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<p>All the feels</p> <p id="onKDFu">On this Christmas Eve episode of “The Bruce Exclusive”, Bruce reflects on all the boxes that have been checked for the Buffalo Bills franchise since head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane took over in 2017, the latest of which is an AFC East division title.</p>
<p id="HfWdTC">#Bills #goBills #BillsMafia</p>
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https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/24/22196427/the-bruce-exclusive-the-checking-of-buffalos-boxesBruce Nolan2020-12-23T11:15:00-05:002020-12-23T11:15:00-05:00Jamie D and Big Newt: ‘Tis the Season to be Thankful (for the Bills)
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<figcaption>Podcast art for Jamie D and Big Newt | Josh Rawdin</figcaption>
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<p>Talking About the AFC East Champions</p> <p id="XO6Jt5">With a win over the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a>, the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> wrapped up the AFC East divisional title. Non-Bills fans just won’t understand the feeling, but hosts Jamie D’Amico and Big Chris Newton feel you.</p>
<p id="GJuKMl">In this holiday edition of Jamie D and Big Newt, the hosts share what they are thankful for, whether the starters should play against the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> in order to compete for better seeding, or rest them in order to be healthy for the playoffs. Plus, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-pro-bowl">Pro Bowl</a> announcements.</p>
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<p id="3WzyWq">Drop the hosts a line on Twitter at @TheJamieDamico and @Big_Newt.</p>
<p id="cVyKZD">If you like our show, tell a friend and spread the word!</p>
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https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/23/22196505/jamie-d-big-newt-tis-the-season-to-be-thankful-for-the-billsJamie D'Amico2020-12-23T09:37:31-05:002020-12-23T09:37:31-05:00Penalty recap: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos was just plain silly
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<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Ministry of Silly Flags weighs in</p> <p id="j7MVpF">As silly as the game was overall, it looked to be a record-setting day of silliness when it came to penalties. The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> took down the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> while piling up a lot of laundry in the second and third quarters. The two teams combined for five flags before the two-minute warning—in a row. In the third quarter another five-play series had four flags. With nine of 17 flags super compartmentalized and zero flags on either team in the fourth quarter, your perception of how the penalties were called could have been drastically swayed by something as innocuous as a bathroom break. </p>
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<h2 id="kP684B">Standard and Advanced Analytics</h2>
<h3 id="QtjEBz">Penalty Counts</h3>
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<p id="zTCHha">This is exactly why penalty harm became a thing. If you’re looking at the box score to analyze penalties, this is most of your information. Both teams had a slightly worse-than-average day when it comes to count. Both teams are quite similar. This data is accurate but very, very wrong. </p>
<h3 id="Q5Xv2a">Penalty Yards</h3>
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<p id="0bjIiY">Our first indication that something’s amiss is the assessed yards (columns to the left). Despite similar counts, the Bills have over twice the yards in penalties compared to the Broncos. Still though, a handful of procedural flags could explain the Denver results. A few bigger ones could put the Bills above average. This is closer to the truth than above, but still way off. </p>
<p id="uU04uP">On the right-hand side we add in yards negated by flags. The Bills had 37 yards nullified in this manner and the Broncos had 23. This, too, hints at some things going astray but let’s dive into the silliness. </p>
<h2 id="UY2Trs">Penalty Harm</h2>
<h3 id="9Qa92x">Denver Broncos</h3>
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<p id="Pdxm2V">Feel free to ask about ones I don’t cover here. For this week I really want to focus on how bizarre this game was in terms of penalities. For instance the left column in each pair (orange for this chart) shows the count of penalty. I’ve considered removing this column numerous times because it’s rare for a player to have more than one flag of the same type in a game. Kudos to De’Vante Bausby for two illegal contact penalties in one game. Kudos to the Bills for gaining enough yards on both plays to decline them. </p>
<p id="SWUi16">For the readers who like the math on these here’s a couple that used the formula: </p>
<ul>
<li id="aAMQEF">Michael Ojemudia’s punch was thrown on first down per the play-by-play but occurred after the whistle, which puts it at second down. The flag itself cost two but added that down back.</li>
<li id="VdXKDV">A.J. Johnson was called for unnecessary roughness. This, too, gave up a down and was assessed at nine yards for half the distance to the goal.</li>
</ul>
<p id="9j0gUz">Usually you wouldn’t expect an offside penalty to be the worst flag by far, yet here we are. This one is hard to definitively assess on an objective basis. It’s likely Josh Allen is more protective of the ball if he doesn’t think he has a free play thanks to Jeremiah Attaochu moving early. That said, we stick with the formula. Allen got reckless and tossed an interception, which is assessed as if it removed four downs from your own team (the possession you negated). It also wiped out 23 yards of a return on that interception. That’s 5 yards assessed + 23 yards negated + 4 downs negated. Or 0.5 + 2.3 + 4.0 = <strong>6.8 Harm</strong>. </p>
<p id="eYxY9e">The Broncos had <strong>12.9 Harm</strong> total for the game with that brutal offside flag over half the total. That’s a bit on the wrong side of our 10.0 line. </p>
<h3 id="gzt0nO">Buffalo Bills</h3>
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<p id="oKWKBN">There are some real bad spikes here right off the bat. However, most of these are pretty straightforward. Taiwan Jones was called for holding and wiped out a seven-yard return in addition to the ten assessed. </p>
<p id="ZlhIkD">Stefon Diggs’s offensive pass interference wiped out a 13-yard catch by Isaiah McKenzie. That play occurred right after Ike Boettger negated a touchdown and right before the false start on Dion Dawkins in the series of five straight flags referenced above. Nullified touchdowns are assessed as 7.0 Harm as points are rated in a 1:1 ratio. The nullified TD only rated 8.5 by itself (7 point + 10 yards assessed + 5 yards negated). He had another holding call for the rest of the 1.4 Harm. </p>
<p id="CmGyPO">An illegal formation wiped out another touchdown and 12 yards (5 assessed + 7 negated). That one was two plays after an offensive pass interference wiped out a touchdown—on the same drive. The first negated TD was called on Ryan Bates who is generally not in a position to be called for pass interference. Let’s take a look. </p>
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<p id="eDKKUr">I can’t say as though I ever thought I’d be writing about a Lee Smith touchdown being wiped out because Ryan Bates forgot he was running a route and started blocking a linebacker. Also consider that the block wasn’t even necessary. This preposterous play call SHOULD have been an easy touchdown. </p>
<p id="0c5BxK">Let’s end on a low note but still very, very silly. Matt Milano’s roughing call gave up a free down on top of the 15 yards. I want to dive into the rules for this one rather than the math. Here it is. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U4GhvngO2PzUetDUuTwyQKAakQI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22189731/Bills_at_Broncos_Bates_Milano_innocent_as_hell_roughing.gif">
</figure>
<p id="Xqz5Ue">First things first, Milano was NOT blocked into Drew Lock, as his momentum is what carried him into the quarterback. So that exemption doesn’t apply. That said, contact with the knee is NOT prohibited. Only “forcible contact is a flag. That doesn’t look forcible. Let me also add this quote from the rulebook...</p>
<blockquote><p id="j9kcmh"><em>It is not a foul if the defender swipes or grabs a passer in the knee area or below in an attempt to tackle him, provided he does not make forcible contact with the helmet, shoulder, chest, or forearm.</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="bwo240">There’s more nuance to the roughing rule(s) but if you trust my reading of them, this is a bad call. Even worse, the flag hit the ground 51 seconds after the “hit” on Lock. It was 65 seconds after the hit that they called it on “Number 52.” If it takes you a full minute to decide if the hit was “forcible” then keep it in your pants refs. </p>
<p id="pe3vwe">The 2.5 Harm is nothing more than a drop in the bucket as the Bills racked up <strong>33.2 </strong>in the ole’ Harm Rating. I’ve been doing this regularly since the 2016 season and here’s the worst offender per year in that span. </p>
<ul>
<li id="I09ZrS">2016: <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> (in BUF) with 29.9 Harm</li>
<li id="tbPtMb">2017: Jets (in NJ) with 24.5 </li>
<li id="x3b1uG">2018: Bears (in BUF) with 29.6</li>
<li id="rGZJQu">2019: Titans (in TEN) with 29.6 after wiping out two TDs including one with an illegal forward pass</li>
<li id="cml88x">2020 (until now): Bills (@ Jets) with 24.6 and one negated TD</li>
</ul>
<p id="1HGx36">So is this the worst harm rating in the history of harm ratings? Not quite. I started the project between the 2015 and 2016 seasons primarily as a response to the narrative surrounding Rex Ryan’s lack of discipline in his first year. Fans might remember a 2015 game in which Odell Beckham Jr. tossed some punches at the Bills and Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin told his players they could let the Bills <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/10/6/9464817/bills-odell-beckham-jr-threw-punches-duke-williams">beat themselves with penalties</a> (hint: they did). </p>
<p id="XKGYbO">That 2015 game against the Giants holds the record if you’re willing to count data from a partial season. That game and one against New England were used as my pilot for the final formula. Buffalo negated two touchdowns in that game and racked up 18 total flags for 135 yards (201 counting negated). The rating landed at 39.6 Harm and we may never see its like again. After this game Rex Ryan implemented his infamous wristband system that was roundly mocked but actually did seem to be a turning point (I wrote a FanPost to prove it). </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/23/22194422/penalty-recap-buffalo-bills-at-denver-broncos-was-just-plain-sillySkarekrow2020-12-23T09:34:28-05:002020-12-23T09:34:28-05:00Revisiting five Broncos to watch against the Bills
<figure>
<img alt="NFL: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I0Beu2eo2z072fyFbKEuIwT7yUY=/0x0:3518x2345/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68571903/usa_today_15336146.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Broncos were overmatched right from the jump</p> <p id="3JH6ax">The <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> were officially eliminated from playoff contention this weekend after the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> came into town and left with a 48-19 victory. Buffalo dominated the game from start to finish, and while the score was close at halftime, as Buffalo led just 21-13, the Bills quickly pulled away in the third quarter. </p>
<p id="0tpPjG">The Bills outgained the Broncos by almost 300 yards while holding the ball for nearly 34 game minutes. It was a dominant performance by a Buffalo team that captured its first division title in 25 years. </p>
<p id="ixD8HW">The Bills were able to win by shutting down Denver’s key players. Here’s how our five players to watch performed.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="WuMyb8">
<h2 id="0Rw26z">QB Drew Lock</h2>
<p id="yd2a2C">Mark Schlereth was trying so hard to turn this into a near-equal comparison between Lock and Josh Allen. After Lock threw a phenomenal touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant just before halftime, Schlereth said that we were “watching a young quarterback mature right before our eyes.” At halftime, Lock was 12-of-20 for 99 yards with that touchdown, adding 29 rushing yards on three carries. Allen was 16-of-23 for 176 yards with two touchdowns, adding 32 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries. While Allen finished strongly, for Lock, it was all downhill in the second half. The young quarterback lost a fumble on Denver’s first possession of the half that Jerry Hughes returned for a touchdown, and his inability to involve his wide receivers in the passing game made it easier for Buffalo to clamp down on the tight ends and running backs as the game progressed. Lock completed 8-of-12 second-half passes, but he only managed 33 more passing yards on those attempts. Buffalo exploited Lock’s weaknesses on Saturday.</p>
<h2 id="eQeDCV">RB Melvin Gordon III</h2>
<p id="HzzG8N">The big, physical runner had a solid day statistically, and if you started him on your fantasy team this week, you weren’t disappointed. Gordon finished the day with 11 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 20 yards on the day. However, the overall numbers don’t tell the whole tale of his day. Most of Gordon’s production came on Denver’s penultimate possession when they were already trailing 41-13. On that drive, Gordon had four carries for 30 yards and a touchdown. By that point, Buffalo had lifted nearly all of their starters. Gordon did score in the second quarter following an Andre Roberts fumble, but he was mostly a non-factor until the game was well out of reach.</p>
<h2 id="DDdY3I">WR Tim Patrick</h2>
<p id="7qARy0">Of Lock’s 32 passes, only 13 went to wide receivers. The others went either to tight ends or the running backs. As a result, none of Denver’s wideouts had much of an impact. Patrick led the Broncos’ wide receivers in catches with three, and he was second in receiving yards...with 14. Jerry Jeudy caught his only pass for a 19-yard gain even though he was targeted five times. Patrick was covered by a combination of Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace, and Josh Norman for much of the day, with Siran Neal seeing some time on him in the fourth quarter. </p>
<h2 id="xsyiza">EDGE Bradley Chubb</h2>
<p id="py8jZC">The man that John Elway drafted instead of Josh Allen had one tackle and one quarterback hit on Sunday. That’s it. That’s the summary. Allen had time to throw all day, as he was hit five times and sacked once. Chubb was largely a nonfactor.</p>
<h2 id="W18IYX">CB Michael Ojemudia</h2>
<p id="ek9sCK">The rookie corner did a fairly nice job, which is crazy when you consider that Buffalo threw for over 350 yards on the day. But think about it—he found himself covering Stefon Diggs for much of the afternoon. What did you think was going to happen? Diggs caught 11 passes for 147 yards on the day, but Ojemudia actually helped to prevent it from being worse. He had great coverage on Diggs down the sideline in the first half. Allen dropped a dime on Diggs, but Ojemudia did a nice job using the boundary as an extra defender to keep Diggs from having the room to drag both feet in bounds. Ojemudia finished the day with three tackles. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/23/22192406/revisiting-five-denver-broncos-to-watch-against-the-buffalo-bills-drew-lock-melvin-gordonSean Murphy2020-12-23T09:33:33-05:002020-12-23T09:33:33-05:00Revisiting five Bills to watch at Denver
<figure>
<img alt="NFL: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jmxs_EwBFwkR2pAcCFM1Mw6A9H8=/76x0:5140x3376/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68571901/usa_today_15337106.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Bills went West and conquered</p> <p id="7qnvMG">The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> took care of business on Saturday, easily defeating the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a> en route to their first AFC East Division title since the 1995 season. Buffalo won 48-19, which is the largest margin of victory for the team since the 2018 season-ending blowout over the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>. </p>
<p id="swvQMU">Josh Allen was magnificent yet again, completing 70 percent of his passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns, adding two rushing touchdowns and 33 rushing yards, as well. By design, Allen wasn’t one of our five players to watch, but our other choices performed quite well for the second straight week.</p>
<p id="MuHzgR">Here’s how our five players to watch helped the Bills beat the Broncos.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="z4GEYU">
<h2 id="lJeJfP">RB Devin Singletary</h2>
<p id="9XgB6M">For the first time in over a month, Singletary appeared on more offensive snaps than rookie Zack Moss. Singletary was on the field for 39 snaps and Moss was on the field for 34, yet it was the rookie who led the team in carries and rushing yards. Moss ran 13 times for 81 yards, but it was Singletary who put the exclamation point on the evening with a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Ideally, he could have fallen down inside the ten-yard line so that the team didn’t have to run its defense on the field for another series, but it’s hard to tell a guy who’s had such a disappointing year statistically to turn down an easy touchdown once he’s done all the hard work of bobbing and weaving down the field. Singletary finished with eight carries for 68 yards and the aforementioned touchdown, adding three catches on three targets for 16 yards. Most of those grabs came in the early going, as it looked like the Bills were using the swing pass to set up some deeper shots, which they took and hit on successfully later in the game.</p>
<h2 id="UEacif">WR Cole Beasley</h2>
<p id="Wqixn2">Stefon Diggs once again led the team in targets (13), receptions (11), and receiving yards (147), but Beasley had another quietly excellent outing. He was second to Diggs in all of those categories, making eight catches for 112 yards on ten targets. Beasley is already in the midst of the best season of his career, as he has surpassed his previous career highs in receptions and receiving yards with 79 catches and 950 receiving yards. If he can gain fifty more yards over the next two weeks, this will be the second time in franchise history where Buffalo has two wideouts go over 1,000 yards receiving, as Eric Moulds and Peerless Price were the only duo to do it during the 2002 season. Beasley is tied for 11th in the NFL in receptions, and his catch rate of 77.5 percent is second only to JuJu Smith-Schuster (78.2 percent) among all players with at least 100 targets. A few weeks ago, I wrote that Beasley’s season, while impressive, was not quite <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-pro-bowl">Pro Bowl</a> caliber. Since that article published, Beasley has averaged six catches and 77 yards per week, and if you include the game against the <a href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/">Arizona Cardinals</a>, which was played the week that article ran, Beasley has averaged seven grabs and 83 yards per game over his last five contests. I’ve changed my mind. Send this man and his flowing locks to the <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/2021-nfl-pro-bowl-fan-voting-opens-today-game-to-go-virtual-in-madden-nfl-21">virtual Pro Bowl</a> this year. </p>
<h2 id="hdVlLQ">DE Mario Addison</h2>
<p id="HKUzLA">Dr. K asks, and Dr. K receives! Addison had been a ghost over the last month, registering just a tackle and a pass breakup in Buffalo’s previous four games. He showed up big on Sunday, pressuring Drew Lock early and often. Addison registered his fifth sack of the season, tying him with linebacker A.J. Klein for the team lead. Addison had four tackles, the aforementioned sack, and a quarterback hit in addition to the sack.</p>
<h2 id="m2o3BD">CB Tre’Davious White</h2>
<p id="8jHH6s">White had a huge day, and it could have been even bigger. He made one brilliant pass breakup by leaping high in the air to force an incomplete pass, but he also dropped a would-be interception of Lock, who earlier in the week had said that White wasn’t someone whose ability would prevent him from throwing in that direction. Well, when White blitzed off the corner and sacked Lock, forcing a fumble that was ultimately recovered by Jerry Hughes doing an excellent LeSean McCoy impersonation, you could see that White had a little something to say to Denver’s quarterback. Hughes ultimately bobbed and weaved his way into the end zone, and White put a cap on his great day. Tre’ had three tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble, and two pass breakups.</p>
<h2 id="qefZMI">S Jordan Poyer</h2>
<p id="9IJZlk">Buffalo put on a show defensively, limiting the Broncos to just 255 net yards on the evening. The secondary kept Denver from doing anything down the field, and the tandem of Poyer and Micah Hyde was a big part of the reason why. As usual, Poyer was dynamite in both coverage and run support, as he made eight tackles on the day, which was tied with Tremaine Edmunds for the team lead. Poyer didn’t have any pass breakups or “splash” plays, but he did exactly what he’s supposed to do, which is continue to play his assignment and keep plays in front of him. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/23/22192332/revisiting-five-buffalo-bills-to-watch-at-denver-broncos-devin-singletary-mario-addisonSean Murphy2020-12-23T08:05:00-05:002020-12-23T08:05:00-05:00Code of Conduct: The Buffalo Bills are “AFC Beasts”
<figure>
<img alt="NFL: DEC 19 Bills at Broncos" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VJWUlN_BTREl-9UOenJ3iMyyA14=/0x0:3528x2352/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68572469/1230241356.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Bills continue to shine</p> <p id="rGuPTb">In this episode of the Code of Conduct podcast, J. Spence is joined by Sterling Furrohwh of Cover 1 to react to the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> taking claim of the AFC East title. The guys go in-depth on the Bills’ 48-19 victory over the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com">Denver Broncos</a>. They also preview the Bills’ matchup with the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a>, Josh Allen’s MVP odds, and much more.</p>
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https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2020/12/23/22197074/code-of-conduct-the-buffalo-bills-are-afc-beastsAnthony Marino