Taking a closer look at position battles and snap counts on both sides of the ball
The Buffalo Bills improved to 12-3 after defeating the New England Patriots 24-21 on Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. It was an ugly game from start to finish but a win is a win, and Buffalo remains in the running for the one seed in the AFC.
Plenty of the impressive streaks and records all of Bills Mafia had been tracking for weeks came to an end. The Bills failed to reach 30 points for the ninth consecutive game, bringing their streak to an end at eight games and tying four other NFL teams in the process.
Quarterback Josh Allen also came out a bit flat after putting together one of the best four-game stretches in NFL history. Against the Patriots, Allen struggled, throwing an interception, taking a sack and only totaling one passing touchdown against New England.
It was a rather beefy injury report for the Bills before kickoff. The following defensive starters were ruled out ahead of the game: safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp, cornerback Rasul Douglas and linebacker Matt Milano. Additionally, rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and wide receiver Curtis Samuel were unable to go.
For all information on the Week 16 inactives, here’s the full list.
Buffalo Bills Week 16 offensive snap counts (59 snaps)
We’ll start with Allen, who likely hurt his NFL MVP campaign just a bit with this performance. He finished with a 67.3 passer rating, less than 200 total yards, one touchdown and one interception. He hasn’t finished a game with only one total touchdown since Week 5 against the Houston Texans.
Not a single Bills’ pass catcher eclipsed 30 receiving yards and even the chemistry with wide receiver Khalil Shakir (75%) seemed a bit off, with him hauling in just 2-of-6 targets for 22 yards. There were two particular uncharacteristic miscues between Allen and Shakir that would have resulted in huge chunk plays. Rookie wideout Keon Coleman (66%) hasn’t been a focal point since returning from injury but he continues to make plays when his name is called. He’s caught just one ball in each of the last two games but they were on key downs or resulted in huge chunk plays.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid (34%) still seems to be on a limited snap count but led the team in receptions (4) and targets (7). Dawson Knox (56%) hauled in both of his targets and continues to make one or two impact plays a game.
Running back James Cook (36%) averaged a whopping 9.1 yards per carry on just 11 carries, but logged only 21 total snaps. He caught all three of his targets for 26 yards and a touchdown, too. This was another James Cook game but following a fumble in the fourth quarter that the Bills ended up recovering, he never saw the field again. The running back room depth is more than capable of producing when necessary, but this doghouse treatment from head coach Sean McDermott, specifically toward Cook these past few seasons, feels extreme. It’s more mentally taxing than anything. Ty Johnson (39%) ended up leading the running back room in snaps.
Buffalo Bills Week 16 defensive snap counts (73 snaps)
I don’t want to make any excuses for the Bills’ defense because of injuries. The Patriots lack talent at so many positions, yet rookie quarterback Drake Maye and company had their way with Buffalo for the majority of the game. Unsurprisingly, the defensive line lost the battle in the trenches, failing to pressure Maye for much of the afternoon. Still, defensive pressure forced him into an interception in the red zone, so at least we can find some way to positively spin it.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver (73%) is making around $17 million a season to lead Buffalo’s pass rushers in snaps each week and do some cardio in the process. He isn’t consistently producing in 2024. Honestly, the only defensive lineman routinely showing up has been defensive end Greg Rousseau (71%), who forced the fumble that resulted in a touchdown by nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (77%). Rousseau and occasionally A.J. Epenesa (49%) seem to be the Bills’ only legit pass-rushing threats. Edge rusher Von Miller’s (44%) days as a threat have all but vanished since tearing his ACL last season.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard (100%) was again, easily the best player on the field, leading the team with 12 combined tackles. Baylon Spector (37%) received the start at LB2 with Milano sidelined, which was a curious decision. He’s a liability in coverage and New England knew it, targeting him early. Spector exited early with a calf injury and Dorian Williams (66%) looked significantly better. Williams is a tackle machine and jumped on a fumble recovery forced by both Bernard and defensive end Dawuane Smoot (47%) only a few plays after entering action. Williams was supposedly still not 100% healthy, but it seems as if a 50% healthy Williams is still better and more impactful than a 100% healthy Spector.
Three starters were missing from the Bills’ secondary. Safeties Cole Bishop (100%) and Cam Lewis (99%) are filling in relatively well for both Hamlin and Rapp, and it’s great to see Bishop get in some game action before the playoffs come around. Cornerback Kaiir Elam (100%) started in place of Rasul Douglas for the second straight game and drew multiple pass-interference penalties.
Buffalo Bills Week 16 special teams snap counts (24 snaps)
Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley has plenty to work on ahead of the playoffs. New England successfully converted a fake punt and a 4th-and-Short play because the punt team was unprepared and didn’t have the correct unit on the field.
Kicker Tyler Bass (38%) converted all three of his extra-point attempts and drilled a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter. Rookie linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio (62%) logged his first NFL snaps and figures to replace Spector’s role on special teams if he’s forced to miss extended time with a calf injury.