Buffalo traveled across the country to lay the wood to the Seahawks
The Buffalo Bills blasted the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday, winning 31-10 in a game where the Bills were in control from start to finish. After shutting down Seattle’s offense on the first drive, Buffalo’s offense took over, scoring on its first possession. The Bills never trailed, and while Seattle was able to put together some good drives, they continued to make critical mistakes that prevented this one from ever being in real doubt.
Our five players to watch were a bit of a mixed bag this week, but they all contributed in some fashion. Sure, I built in a few vague ones so I could cheat, but that’s one of the perks of writing the article. I can make up the rules as I go!
With that, here’s how our five players to watch at Seattle played on Sunday.
RB James Cook
After ceding the spotlight to rookie Ray Davis for a couple of games, it was back to Cook for the Bills this week. Seattle’s abysmal run defense was clearly a point of emphasis for Buffalo in practice, and the Bills just dominated the Seahawks up front from beginning to end. Cook carried the ball 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns, one of which involved him lowering the boom onto linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Fun fact: Jones IV became the first person since Herschel Walker in 1989 to play against the same team in two consecutive weeks after having been traded (Walker played against the Green Bay Packers while with the Dallas Cowboys and then again with the Minnesota Vikings after he was traded). Cook added three receptions for 22 yards in the game, but it was that angry run where Jones was the recipient of the hit that stuck with me after this game.
TE Dalton Kincaid
It wasn’t so much a day where quarterback Josh Allen hit his tight ends and backs, as he opted instead to feed his top two wideouts in Khalil Shakir (10 targets, nine catches, 107 yards) and Keon Coleman (seven targets, five catches, 70 yards, one touchdown). Kincaid saw seven targets of his own, though, catching five passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a nifty route where he worked outside, saw Allen stepping up in the pocket, and then came back inside to give Allen an easier window in which to throw. I don’t think it was the intended route, but Kincaid made himself available for his quarterback, and then he delivered the score.
DE Casey Toohill
Defensive end Dawuane Smoot was able to play, and he started once again, so Toohill didn’t see many snaps. He made a big play, though, when he was able to deflect a screen pass that was then intercepted by defensive tackle Austin Johnson. That was Toohill’s one mention in the stat sheet. Smoot, for his part, had two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss on 27 defensive snaps. Rookie edge rusher Javon Solomon, who I thought would see some more defensive snaps, made the most of his four plays on defense, notching his second career sack.
LB Dorian Williams
For one drive, Seattle really had the play-action pass going, and it was influencing both of Buffalo’s linebackers and putting them in bad situations. However, that one drive stalled when center Conor Williams fired the snap well over quarterback Geno Smith’s head, turning 2nd & Goal from the three into 3rd & Goal from the 22. Williams definitely struggles in pass coverage. He’s also really good at firing downhill and stuffing run gaps. Seattle ran for just 32 yards on 17 carries in the game. Williams only had two tackles, by far his lowest output of the season.
LB Baylon Spector
See above regarding the lack of coverage ability for Spector, as the drop-off from Terrel Bernard to him is almost as extreme as the drop-off from Matt Milano to Williams. Spector did manage five tackles in the game, but there were a few times on those better Seattle drives where he looked lost in coverage. When Buffalo realized that they didn’t have to honor those play-fakes, it really changed the way the defense looked. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was “in his bag,” as the kids would say, mixing coverages and confusing Seattle all day long. Spector showed once again that he can sub in and play more than well enough for the Bills to win.