Taking a closer look at position battles on both sides of the ball
The Buffalo Bills crushed the Denver Broncos 31-7 at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon during Super Wild Card Weekend. The Bills now have quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on their radar for the Divisional Round, set to take place next Sunday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. EST. Baltimore embarrassed Buffalo in Week 4, winning 35-10, so this playoff matchup is shaping to be a revenge game.
Quarterback Josh Allen continued his postseason excellence on Sunday, completing 77% of his passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns with 46 rushing yards on eight carries. Allen now holds the NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in postseason history. Not-so-coincidentally, Jackson is just one yard behind Allen, so these two will go back and forth for the record on Sunday.
Buffalo’s injury report was as clean it could be. Return specialist and defensive back Brandon Codrington was ruled out ahead of Sunday’s tilt due to a hamstring injury. The Bills called up both safety Kareem Jackson and wide receiver Jalen Virgil (both former Broncos!) from the practice squad but declared them inactive, allowing them to collect game checks for their hard work in practice throughout the season. Buffalo rolled with experience in the trenches and rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter was sidelined as a result.
Here is the full list of inactives.
Bills offensive snap counts (76 snaps)
Denver carried a league-high 8.9% sack rate coming into Sunday’s game, but Buffalo’s offensive line allowed just two sacks and six quarterback pressures. Right tackle Spencer Brown (100%) had himself a perfect game with zero pressures allowed. Left tackle Dion Dawkins (93%) picked up his weekly false-start penalty, but it was more on center Connor McGovern (93%) who seemingly forgot the snap count.
The Broncos also blitzed at the fourth-highest rate, which led to the Bills using guard Alec Anderson (29%) even more than usual. Buffalo rolled with six offensive linemen on nearly a quarter of their offensive plays!
Considering the offensive line won the battle in the trenches, running back James Cook (45%) had himself a day, averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 23 carries and a touchdown. This was the first time in the Sean McDermott era that a Bills running back logged at least 20 carries in a playoff game.
Ty Johnson (45%) logged the same amount of snaps as Cook, thanks to his pass-blocking and receiving skills. Those receiving skills were on display when he hauled in a 24-yard touchdown on a typical magical Allen play. Rookie Ray Davis (9%) was hurt and later ruled out with a concussion — and he could be sidelined for Sunday’s game against Baltimore. Perhaps it’s Frank Gore Jr.’s time.
Eight different pass catchers recorded at least one reception. Wide receivers Mack Hollins (68%) and Keon Coleman (61%) led in terms of snaps, but both Khalil Shakir (53%) and Curtis Samuel (39%) produced the most. Shakir hauled in all six of his targets and showcased his slippery yards-after-catch skills. Samuel caught all three targets for 68 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Amari Cooper (36%) logged the fewest snaps by any Bills wideout.
The DKs — tight end Dalton Kincaid (38%) and Dawson Knox (61%) — each came up big on crucial downs. Knox out-snapped Kincaid, 46 to 29. Fullback Reggie Gilliam (17%) has now logged double-digit snaps in six of the last seven games.
Bills defensive snap counts (42 snaps)
Buffalo logged 76 offensive snaps but only 42 defensive snaps, thanks to dominating the time of possession by playing bully ball on long, methodical drives. Aside from the opening-drive touchdown, the Bills were locked-in on defense. The entire starting secondary logged every defensive snap besides nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (98%), who missed only one play after a semi-scary neck/head injury.
Dare I say that linebacker Matt Milano (81%) is back? He showed glimpses of his once-elite self on several occasions, including chasing down quarterback Bo Nix for a sack out of bounds and shutting down a wide receiver handoff that could’ve resulted in a huge chunk play. Terrel Bernard (100%) led the team in tackles and nearly intercepted Nix across the middle of the field in the second half.
Buffalo’s defensive line tends to disappear when it comes to the postseason. There wasn’t much consistent pressure, but the line still generated four quarterback hits and edge rusher Greg Rousseau (83%) further proved he needed to be re-signed yesterday with a sack and two tackles for a loss. Von Miller (50%) faced the team that drafted him and was used primarily on third-down plays, a trend Buffalo should continue to follow. Although he logged just 15 pass-rush snaps, Miller led the team with five quarterback pressures and will need to produce to get the line going.
One small note for the Ravens game: Johnson, Bernard and Milano were all INACTIVE for the Week 4 matchup — three of Buffalo’s most important defensive pieces. Dorian Williams did not log a single defensive snap on Sunday against the Broncos, but the possibility of rolling with three linebackers to limit Baltimore’s elite rushing attack seems high.
Bills special teams snap counts (22 snaps)
With Codrington sidelined, Shakir (23%) took over punt-return duties and fielded two punts for 30 total yards. The usual special-teams leaders — tight end Quintin Morris (86%) and Gilliam (86%) — led in terms of snaps.
Kicker Tyler Bass (55%) nailed both of his extra-point attempts as well as three field goals. Buffalo struggled to finish in the red zone at times, but as long as Bass remains consistent points are points. Unfortunately, field goals likely aren’t going to beat the Ravens, so hopefully, the Bills can figure it out by Sunday.
Quick shoutout to Mack Hollins (27%) for laying the boom on a punt return as a gunner.
Mack “CRACKBACK” Hollins ☠️ #BillsMafia @Pierre_Kingpin pic.twitter.com/9sAnNpjWCw
— Buffalo Fanatics (@BfloFanatics) January 13, 2025