Buffalo Rumblings - All our coverage: Bills vs Saints a Thanksgiving dessert for NFL fansBuffalo Bills news, notes, discussions, opinions and analysis. 24/7/365 since 4/7/2007.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48063/buffalorumblings_fave.png2021-12-03T15:00:00-05:00http://www.buffalorumblings.com/rss/stream/225643242021-12-03T15:00:00-05:002021-12-03T15:00:00-05:00Food for Thought live tonight at 9 PM ET w/ Nate Geary and Bruce Nolan!
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<p>Join us live on the BR YouTube channel!</p> <p id="dRabx5">On this episode of “Food for Thought” Bruce and Nate talk food temperature and team temperature as it relates to the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>. They help you get ready for the game against the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a>. </p>
<p id="qtf8ca">The live show kicks off at 9 p.m. EST on YouTube on Friday. While we’ve embedded the live video feed below, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/BuffalorumblingsSBN">if you want to participate, you should head over to YouTube</a>. You can watch here but you can’t ask questions and engage with us live. Join us Friday night at the Buffalo Rumblings YouTube channel as we dive into all the latest news that’ll have you chomping on some food for thought to start your weekend! Then you can subscribe so you don’t miss another show.</p>
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<p id="Z8Ee1N"><em>Editor’s note: If you’re viewing this in Apple News, you’ll need to head to your podcast app or phone’s web browser to hear the embedded audio file.</em></p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/12/3/22813118/food-for-thought-live-tonight-at-9-pm-et-w-nate-geary-and-bruce-nolanBruce Nolan2021-12-03T12:34:14-05:002021-12-03T12:34:14-05:00Bills fans raise more than $108K to honor Tre’Davious White
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<figcaption>Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Bills Mafia is known for their generosity!</p> <p id="WSaSrs">When <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a>’ All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White suffered an ACL tear against the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> and was ruled out for the rest of the season, Bills fans were understandably disappointed over the loss of a key lynchpin on the defense. </p>
<p id="hDDzkr">But in true Bills Mafia fashion, the fanbase responded to the news of White’s devastating injury by opening up their wallets and pocketbooks to give back to a cause near and dear to White: the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, which services White’s hometown of Shreveport, LA.</p>
<p id="jKX3lF">Making $27 donations in honor of White’s jersey number with the Bills, Buffalo’s fans have so far raised more than $108,000 that will help put food on the tables and in the bellies of families in need in White’s hometown.</p>
<p id="bxBEDD">As of Wednesday, $108,359 had been donated for the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana in White’s name. The fundraising initiative was orchestrated by Lara McKee, vice president of The Mafia Babes, and the effort took off when her team started a social media campaign. </p>
<p id="6IBaNN">“I am at a loss for words for what the Bills Mafia has done for me and my hometown. It truly means the world to me to have my fans support me in this way, by giving back to my community,” White said of the generosity of Bills fans. </p>
<p id="p5IFOf">According to Martha Marak, executive director of the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, every $1 donated by Bills fans will turn into $10 in food value, and every $27 in donations will turn into enough food for the food bank to distribute 100 meals. </p>
<p id="NIeMe1">To donate to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, click <a href="https://www.foodbanknla.org/donate.html">here</a>.</p>
<p id="T4O8q1">If you would like to donate somewhere closer to Buffalo, the <a href="https://www.feedmorewny.org/">Food Bank of Western New York</a> is also accepting donations.</p>
<p id="rs2hGw">Additionally, The Bills Mafia Babes are encouraging all fans who are coming to Highmark Stadium for Week 13’s <em>Monday Night Football </em>showdown with the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> to bring a white towel with them to wave in support of Tre’Davious White.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/12/3/22815202/buffalo-bills-fans-raise-more-than-108k-to-honor-tredavious-white-food-bank-bills-mafia-louisianaJohn Boccacino2021-12-01T10:15:00-05:002021-12-01T10:15:00-05:00All-22 analysis: Marquez Stevenson’s punt returns
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<figcaption>Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Bills made a big change on special teams. How did it pay off?</p> <p id="xWUNji">The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> sat some starters against the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a>, presumably to either send a message about performance, attempt to tinker with things for a more effective roster, or some combination of both. One of the more obvious changes was the absence of Isaiah McKenzie, who was replaced by rookie Marquez Stevenson as the main punt returner. Let’s check in on how that went. </p>
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<h3 id="UhWEhH">Return 1</h3>
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<p id="Uvbcbh">It’s hard to see everything on returns, even with the All-22 angles, but there’s usually enough to look at what lanes might be available and what primary threats there are to the returner. The Saints have a gunner come free and Marquez Stevenson has run out of time to call for a fair catch—not that I think he would have...or should have. But I wouldn’t blame a returner for it in this situation by any means. </p>
<p id="EgkArt">Instead, Marquez takes the ball and has to decide where to take it. In my opinion, while there’s more green to his right it’s fool’s gold and cutting straight ahead is the wisest choice. This return gained 11 yards. </p>
<h3 id="isMmSG">Return 2</h3>
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<p id="RpkRGt">I point out that the decision to call a fair catch or not needs to be made well before the ball is actually caught on this punt. There’s a lot of information to juggle while also looking skyward to track the ball. This is another case where I like the decision to field the ball and run. Stevenson does a little cut to the bottom of the screen then bursts ahead. This return gained ten yards. </p>
<h3 id="se8o8N">Return 3</h3>
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<p id="SIxhbh">Similar to the last return, you’re calculating the trajectory of the ball while also trying to figure out who is being blocked and who isn’t. Stevenson gambles that the two-on-one block to his right will hold off the Saints’ gunner. This turned out to be a bad guess. Had the block held he has a bit of room to gain more than the one yard he had here. </p>
<h3 id="NVQN7p">Return 4</h3>
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<p id="WPhFRm">This is a lot like the last return, with a big difference that the block goes a lot better. He’s able to wiggle through some clutter and gain nine. It’s even more impressive, while also being a lot less impressive because...</p>
<h3 id="2Twzfl">Return 4 (Broadcast view)</h3>
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<p id="MgTS10">He let the ball hit the turf. It’s a great recovery from a bad start. </p>
<h3 id="9wJVhG">Return 5</h3>
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<p id="dtMUYF">It’s hard to find fault with this 18-yard return. So I won’t. </p>
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<h3 id="FGTieU">Summary</h3>
<p id="cIig6U">Aside from letting the ball hit the turf it, was a really good premiere for Marquez Stevenson. He doesn’t have enough returns to qualify for comparative-rate statistics. If he did, his 9.8 yards per return would rank fifth. If we did non-qualifiers, he falls in at 18th, for the record. So the sample-size caveat is an important one here. Really this entire paragraph should be taken with a grain of salt. </p>
<p id="qSCkRs">Using the eye test, I don’t see any glaring issues in decision making for Stevenson. To me it seems he’s trusting his teammates to block for him, and against the Saints they did a reasonable job of it. When presented with multiple potential lanes, I liked the choices he made. Stevenson also showed a little potential in cutting through traffic to find a few extra yards. Again, the small sample size means this is an opinion that should be considered fluid. And we can’t ignore that ball hitting the ground either. </p>
<p id="xqN0zB">For the sake of comparison, Isaiah McKenzie is averaging 8.7 yards per return, ninth-best out of 20 players who qualify. There are only four players averaging more than ten yards per return, which is a good cut off for the elite tier. Will Stevenson push the Bills to that level? If so, the swap would be a boon. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/12/1/22811238/all-22-analysis-marquez-stevensons-punt-returnsSkarekrow2021-11-30T15:47:12-05:002021-11-30T15:47:12-05:00Bills plan to replace Tre’Davious White with Dane Jackson, Tim Harris for now
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<figcaption>Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="R2ajDx">The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> were very thin at cornerback heading into the season, but All-Pro Tre’Davious White has been incredibly healthy throughout his career. On Thursday against the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a>, White tore his ACL and is done for the year. That lack of depth caught up with them quickly. </p>
<p id="KInpRI">The first man up is Dane Jackson, Buffalo’s 2020 seventh-round pick. Jackson had two starts in 2020 and played in a total of five games. He spent the 2020 season on the practice squad but was elevated for their October 24 game against the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a> and added a pick to the stat line. He was once again elevated for Weeks 8, 9, 10, and 17 but never signed to the active roster. He was also elevated for the Divisional Round and <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/afc-championship-game">AFC Championship</a> playoff games. He made the active roster in 2021 as the team’s top reserve outside cornerback. </p>
<p id="8mDRjq">Jackson has shown flashes of ability but has remained inconsistent throughout his time in the NFL. He has a few pass interference penalty calls and can be suckered into double-moves, but should provide a fair enough baseline.</p>
<p id="UoCFZP">On Monday, the team signed Tim Harris to their practice squad. Harris was with the Bills for a week this August. Initially a sixth-round draft pick of the <a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/">San Francisco 49ers</a> in 2019, he spent his rookie season on injured reserve. He was cut prior to 2020, but spent the year on the practice squad, playing in two games as a call up. After being hurt in August of 2021, he was released by the 49ers before ending up on the Bills. He was released August 30 and signed to the <a href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/">Cleveland Browns</a>’ practice squad, where he played in one game at the end of October. Cleveland let him go from the practice squad on November 10. </p>
<p id="s7v8W6">Buffalo’s sixth-round pick in 2021, Rachad Wildgoose, was signed off the Bills’ practice squad earlier this season and is no longer with the club. </p>
<p id="CtDbMD">With Jackson getting the first crack, I’d like to see them bring in one more veteran option with more significant starting experience in the NFL to learn the system and perhaps take over down the stretch for the playoff run. Jackson, Harris, and safety-turned-cornerback Siran Neal, who has mostly played special teams throughout his career, can’t be the only depth you have at CB. Cam Lewis is primarily a slot cornerback but could play outside in a pinch—and, make no mistake, the Bills are already in pinching territory. </p>
<p id="6Tsenk">No matter who they plug in, the defense is certainly going to be altered. Tre is that good that he can’t even partially be replaced by one guy. Buffalo’s safeties were often able to shift or shade to other zones with White in lockdown mode. They could focus their attention elsewhere and take risks like going for picks. It’s going to cramp their ability to disguise coverages, as well. </p>
<p id="XGOc0P">As for White, head coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday he’s “confident Tre will return to form.”</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/30/22810298/bills-plan-to-replace-tredavious-white-with-dane-jackson-tim-harris-for-nowMatt Warren2021-11-30T14:30:00-05:002021-11-30T14:30:00-05:00AFC East Roundup: Taking off the gloves
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<img alt="NFL: DEC 28 Bills at Patriots" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0feEH0NPnhqpe_kdwjZfp_53jwY=/0x0:3900x2600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70210976/1230350686.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It’s go time</p> <p id="TY0Svd">It was a productive week of NFL football for the AFC East with all four teams winning in Week 12. Heading into Week 13, it’s time for the division to take off the training wheels and kick things into high gear as the season reaches the home stretch. </p>
<p id="RYQamr">Sorry to <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">New York Jets</a> fans because while the other three teams are looking ahead to a potential postseason run, Jersey fans already have their eyes on next season. However, there are positives to be taken out of the 21-14 win over the <a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a>. The defense is starting to play the way many envisioned it would at the start of the season. The Jets held Houston to only 202 yards of total offense. Defensive end John Franklin-Myers became the first Jets player to have two sacks and an interception since 1985. Now, the offense still has a long ways to go but at least one part of the team appears to be playing well—but they’ll need to sustain that success beyond one game.</p>
<p id="NT8TsT">Saying this seems crazy but, the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a> have a chance to run the table and fight for a playoff spot. After the Dolphins thumped the <a href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Carolina Panthers</a>, Miami has amassed a four-game winning streak and showed that their victory over the <a href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Baltimore Ravens</a> a couple of weeks ago was not out of pure luck. The Dolphins have remaining games against the Jets, a banged up <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> team, a super banged up Tennessee Titans team, and the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a>—who the Miami defeated in Week 1. With Tua Tagovailoa stepping up his game and receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is on pace to set the rookie record for catches, the Dolphins could finish the year 10-7 and salvage a season that was headed towards a collapse after seven straight losses. </p>
<p id="BsSpHW">With those teams out of the way we can focus on the main event. On Monday night, the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> will play host to the New England Patriots, this is the first of two games in the next few weeks between the Bills and Patriots that will determine the winner of the division, and potentially the top overall seed. In one corner we have Buffalo, which appeared to have right the ship after a dominating win against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving. In the other corner New England continued their hot streak against a Titans team that was able to run the ball at will. The wild card is of course the season-ending injury to Tre’Davious White—so it will be up to Levi Wallace to defend Kendrick Bourne who has been playing great football the last couple of weeks.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/30/22808829/afc-east-results-taking-off-the-glovesCorey Giacovelli2021-11-30T13:30:00-05:002021-11-30T13:30:00-05:00Penalty recap: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints
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<img alt="Buffalo Bills v New Orleans Saints" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1cxZZCsnpZb2IDcX7ACQmHS1ADg=/349x248:1974x1331/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70210649/1355585533.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Sounds like the Bills listened to me</p> <p id="lRyNLh">In case you missed it due to the holiday I <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/25/22801634/how-undisciplined-is-this-years-buffalo-bills-team">wrote a thing</a> comparing a lot of penalty data across the last decade of Bills teams. This was spurred by many of you pondering if this year’s squad was worse off than usual (in some measures the answer was “yes”). In that article I casually mentioned a couple times that the Bills had a shot to lower their per-game rates on penalty metrics for the remainder of the year. I think they listened (mostly). Let’s dive in!</p>
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<h2 id="1G754B">Standard and Advanced Metrics</h2>
<h3 id="0qtvrF">Penalty Counts</h3>
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<p id="NyQSCk">The Bills cut penalties to roughly half their usual rate in Week 12, falling well below league averages as well. The Saints matched the Bills and even did them one better when it comes to flags thrown. </p>
<h3 id="i8vs8C">Penalty Yards</h3>
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<p id="HZFqRC">It’s pretty much the same story with yards as the Bills fall well under league average and just over half their usual rate. And once again, New Orleans is still ahead by a little bit. That gap widens when we add negated/impacted yardage. Buffalo negated seven yards on one play and the Saints had zero penalties that impacted yardage beyond the assessed. </p>
<h2 id="0ttjmq">Penalty Harm</h2>
<h3 id="uYG7Yn"><a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a></h3>
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<p id="mHtj2R">There’s no point in reviewing false starts so that leaves us with two. The offside on Cameron Jordan was also pretty straightforward so that leaves us with just one. </p>
<p id="HGcov3">Marshon Lattimore’s DPI is right here for your viewing pleasure. </p>
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<p id="OFXoqC">I could probably write a pretty thorough research paper on why this is a flag. I don’t think there’s any controversy here. Moving on. </p>
<p id="peqFpb">The Saints had a total harm rating of 3.4, which is actually still higher than the Indianapolis Colts had, but still a really clean game. </p>
<h3 id="gOo2Ev"><a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a></h3>
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<p id="nE7hGm">Oh no. To be honest, I absolutely love this chart. Look how ludicrous this is. May as well talk about all of these.</p>
<p id="13R972">The offside call on Jerry Hughes was the declined one as the Saints gained seven yards and a first down on their own. </p>
<p id="iaPR7e">The holding call on Dion Dawkins was the play where he stretched the dude’s jersey like mozzarella on a cartoon pizza. No controversy there and it was assessed yards only. </p>
<p id="0Bm7TC">Let’s look at the flag on Ed Oliver. </p>
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<p id="WGdxAw">This one is pretty clear cut. You can see Trevor Siemian’s helmet twist on impact. There’s no denying Oliver made forceful contact to the head and neck area. I pointed out the pass being complete as it explains the Harm rating. This was tacked on after the play and was assessed yards only. </p>
<p id="3jg7xK">The delay of game was Buffalo trying to draw New Orleans offside. It didn’t work. </p>
<p id="xUlXRt">Ike Boettger’s ineligible-man-downfield flag was not only warranted but thoroughly covered on the broadcast. The Harm rating is through the roof as it negated a Dawson Knox touchdown. Plus a potential first down. Plus a potential seven-yard gain. In addition to the five assessed yards. That’s 7.0 + 1.0 + 0.7 + 0.5 for 9.2 Harm. And then Josh Allen threw his first ever red-zone interception so Ike Boettger reeeeeeaaaaaally messed up. (Or maybe it was the running back who went the wrong way on the screen option.)</p>
<p id="d4mFKc">The Bills ended with 12.2 Harm, which is better than their season average, but not by much. Thanks Ike Boettger. </p>
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<p id="4vRK38">Weekly Trackers</p>
<p id="7wW9o0">We have a new player in first place as Dion Dawkins steadily climbed the board, taking the top spot ahead of Andre Smith. Also of note, Ike Boettger leaps into the top ten pretty much solely because of the one flag discussed above. </p>
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https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/30/22808999/penalty-recap-buffalo-bills-at-new-orleans-saintsSkarekrow2021-11-30T12:30:00-05:002021-11-30T12:30:00-05:00Revisiting five Saints to watch against the Bills
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<img alt="NFL: New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cFWnKbMbJ2BrJfDdalo-cxu1pVI=/0x0:2032x1355/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70210275/usa_today_17227461.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Man, I screwed these up this week</p> <p id="ga8tLF">The <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> entered Thursday’s matchup with the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> a battered team. They were missing Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara, Marcus Davenport, Ryan Ramczyk, and Michael Thomas, the latter of whom they’ve been without all season long. That many injuries makes it incredibly difficult to nail down players to watch, as it’s tough to know who is even going to play.</p>
<p id="XVB6z9">Well, even with that caveat, I had a rough day at the office in terms of picking players. When 40 percent of your list of players to watch don’t even play, that’s not good. The players on our list who did suit up, though, were contained by a dominant Buffalo squad.</p>
<p id="lEk7yI">Here’s how our foes to watch fared last week.</p>
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<h2 id="AWVZTu">QB Trevor Siemian</h2>
<p id="dKGKVv">With each errant throw, I kept wondering when head coach Sean Payton was going to pull the plug on Siemian, who has kicked around as a backup for a reason over the last few years. He lost his fourth straight start on Thursday, and while quarterback wins are <em>definitely</em> not a stat, a team losing four straight with its backup definitely spurs action. Siemian completed just 17-of-29 passes for 163 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Of his passing yardage, 95 of those yards came after the Bills took a 24-0 lead late in the third quarter.</p>
<h2 id="nB38Xx">RB Tony Jones Jr.</h2>
<p id="bdh6by">The Saints saw what the <a href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Indianapolis Colts</a> did to the Bills last Sunday and thought that they could do the same thing. They could not replicate that success, mostly because they didn’t have Jonathan Taylor...or even Alvin Kamara. Jones Jr. carried the ball 17 times, gaining just 26 yards on the night. He was never a threat to break anything big all game, and while his longest carry was 11 yards, Buffalo did a great job shutting down the New Orleans offense.</p>
<h2 id="QAKvaf">QB/WR/TE Taysom Hill</h2>
<p id="S7IGyQ">Even as Siemian struggled, Hill carried the clipboard and wore the earpiece all night. He did not play a snap. <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1465403906930925571?s=20">Reports indicate</a>, though, that he is taking first-team reps in practice this week, so it’s possible that Hill is the Saints’ starting quarterback this week.</p>
<h2 id="0Uj8X4">DE Marcus Davenport</h2>
<p id="ByHWdb">Davenport was declared inactive hours after our report published, so he did not play in the game.</p>
<h2 id="ZVK64G">CB Marshon Lattimore</h2>
<p id="bdBcwW">The Saints’ top corner found himself matched up with Stefon Diggs on a few occasions, and while the battle was intense, Diggs definitely bested the three-time <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-pro-bowl">Pro Bowl</a> corner. Lattimore allowed a touchdown reception to Diggs in the third quarter on a route that made him look silly. He finished the game with five tackles and a pass breakup.</p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/30/22809152/revisiting-five-new-orleans-saints-to-watch-against-the-buffalo-bills-trevor-siemian-taysom-hillSean Murphy2021-11-30T12:30:00-05:002021-11-30T12:30:00-05:00Revisiting five Bills to watch at the Saints
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<img alt="NFL: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F6rJT3oXNiBZrE2a7MQ7lE6U_Qs=/0x0:4459x2973/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70210286/usa_today_17231354.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Buffalo traveled down to New Orleans and had a party in the Caesar’s Superdome on Thanksgiving</p> <p id="dGVXdH">The <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Buffalo Bills</a> feasted on the <a href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> for Thanksgiving, winning in a 31-6 rout that could have been even more lopsided. The Bills’ defense was firing on all cylinders against a toothless New Orleans offense that was missing its starting quarterback, as well as one of the league’s premier talents in running back Alvin Kamara.</p>
<p id="HkWZHh">Buffalo took control of the game early by running the ball, and they were able to maintain that control by running an efficient, balanced attack throughout the evening. The Bills had 32 rushing attempts and 28 passing attempts—a rare game where the team kept it on the ground more often than they let it fly through the air.</p>
<p id="dV0bJK">Our players to watch this week each contributed to the final outcome—some with better results than others. Here’s how our picks played.</p>
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<h2 id="iwls2G">QB Josh Allen</h2>
<p id="IFjd4y">Allen was a ticky-tack ineligible man downfield penalty away from a five-touchdown, one interception performance. Instead, he had to settle for a four-touchdown, two interception performance. The negative is that Allen turned it over two more times. The positive is that, of the two picks, one involved his arm being hit as he threw (and, as Drew Brees pointed out in the broadcast, Allen was late in throwing the ball) and the other seemed to be a miscommunication between Stefon Diggs and him. Allen was hyper-efficient, completing 23-of-28 passes on the night for 260 yards. He also rushed eight times for 43 more yards, contributing to a rushing attack that gained 113 yards on one of the league’s best run defenses. Allen wasn’t perfect, but he was poised, willing to take what the defense gave him, and unafraid to take risks when they made sense. Overall, it was a good night.</p>
<h2 id="hA9L0U">RB Matt Breida</h2>
<p id="DPOKBk">Okay, so I struck out on the wild predictions about Breida going over 100 yards, but he was still a big part of the offense and the game plan throughout the evening. In the first half, Breida had twice as many carries as Devin Singletary had, rushing eight times for 28 yards. However, on the aforementioned ineligible man downfield play, Breida appeared to go the wrong way on what seemed to be a screen pass to him. That led to a benching, which also seemed to give Singletary a spark. The usual Buffalo starter was the hot hand in the second half, and Breida didn’t see much action, if any at all, until the fourth quarter. He did score a touchdown, though, going 23 yards on a beautifully executed screen pass to score Buffalo’s final touchdown of the night. Breida finished with nine carries for 26 yards, and two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. </p>
<h2 id="EUXIky">WR Stefon Diggs</h2>
<p id="EZwPEm">The Bills’ number-one wideout took Marshon Lattimore to the Stevie Johnson School of Filthy Routes on Buffalo’s first drive of the second half. Diggs absolutely juked the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-pro-bowl">Pro Bowl</a> corner out of his shoes, catching a five-yard dart from Josh Allen to score. It was clear that the game plan was set to feature a healthy dose of Diggs, as Allen threw around one-third of his passes to the All-Pro wideout. Allen targeted Diggs nine times, and he caught seven of those passes for 74 yards and that touchdown. It’s amazing how much better this passing game looks when Diggs is fed the ball.</p>
<h2 id="NeaYML">LT Dion Dawkins</h2>
<p id="IJVmey">It was not a banner night for the cornerstone of the offensive line. Dawkins was called for a holding penalty that was as awful a beat as it was an obvious hold. He was blown up by Saints defenders on more than one occasion, as runs to the left didn’t work nearly as well as those to the right. His road isn’t any easier this week, as a date with the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> means that Bill Belichick is scheming ways to make him look bad, and with players (Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy, among others) who have done just that to Dawkins at some point already during his career.</p>
<h2 id="ak4WlN">LB Tremaine Edmunds</h2>
<p id="B7AEV5">Buffalo’s leading tackler on the year was also their leading tackler on Thanksgiving, notching eight stops in his first game back after missing two with a hamstring strain. Edmunds showed no ill effects from the hamstring issue, which is a great sign given how those kinds of injuries tend to linger. He was able to run sideline-sideline all night, which bodes well for his health heading into that all-important date with New England next Monday night. </p>
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/11/30/22809095/revisiting-five-buffalo-bills-to-watch-at-the-new-orleans-saints-josh-allen-stefon-diggs-matt-breidaSean Murphy