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    • Buffalo passes first test, escapes Cardinals
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    Buffalo passes first test, escapes Cardinals

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    ORCHARD PARK – Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott made a fair point Sunday afternoon when he finally entered the hearing room following his team’s thrilling 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

    “You know, you go through it, and the NFL is tough, right? It’s tough to win,” McDermott said, and yes, he’s right, as the Bills clearly demonstrated for three hours at Highmark Stadium in a game they once trailed 17-3.

    “You almost have to take the logos off the helmets, because it doesn’t really matter who you play, where you play. It’s how you play – how we play.”

    For much of the first half, McDermott’s Bills struggled, falling into a 14-point hole. But even with so many new players in key roles this season, the Bills found a way to get back on track. The winning reputation McDermott had built in Buffalo helped the Cardinals avoid an upset opening game.

    “I think this team got tested early here,” McDermott said. “Great to get a win, a hard-fought battle. Give Arizona credit, they came here and had a good game plan. We fell behind early in the game and they fought back. I think that in itself is a good sign for our football team.”

    Here’s how I rated the Bills:

    PASS ATTACK: B+

    This was such a strange game because Josh Allen only attempted 23 passes, and completed a very efficient 18 for 232 yards and two TDs. He was sacked twice and had a couple of scrambles, so there were more than 23 pass plays called, but it was a low number and it could be a window into what Joe Brady wants to do: run the ball and try to give Allen manageable second and third downs.

    Allen spread the ball around, targeting 10 different players and completing at least one pass to nine of them. Rookie Keon Coleman led the way with four catches on five targets for 51 yards, leading the Bills in all three categories. His biggest play was a beautiful contested catch for 28 yards, setting up Allen’s second TD run of the fourth quarter.

    It was an oddly quiet day for Dalton Kincaid, one catch on two targets for 11 yards. Everyone assumed the passing game would go through Kincaid, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, at least on Sunday. It was also a very minimalist day for Curtis Samuel, two of 15. Khalil Shakir made three catches, two of which were excellent plays, a catch and run for 19 yards and then his TD reception for 11 yards.

    ATTACKS: B+

    James Cook had a workmanlike 71 yards on 19 attempts, his best run a 15-yarder. Cook has that jump cut that works so well for him and helped him gain a few extra yards on a day when the offensive line, at least at first glance, wasn’t playing well. Ray Davis was used a little and had a 13-yard run and then two more that came to zero, and Ty Johnson had just two attempts. Allen, of course, was the best secondary runner with 39 yards and two TDs.

    As for the line, it was a tough day in many ways. Against an Arizona defense that doesn’t pressure the passer well, there were two sacks, one of which resulted in an Allen fumble, though that was more because the receivers couldn’t get open and Allen had nowhere to throw the ball.

    What was at stake were penalties. There were four false starts (including one by TE Quintin Morris), a facemask on O’Cyrus Torrence that erased an Allen TD, and holding calls on Torrence and Dion Dawkins. There’s a lot to clean up there, and Torrence could be a concern because he’s had a pretty sloppy preseason, too.

    PASS DEFENSE: B

    The entire defense was in a slump in the first half, and Kyler Murray took full advantage. By halftime, he was 16 of 19 for 131 yards and a TD as he picked the Bills apart with a short passing game. But in the second half, he was just 5 of 12 for 31 yards and lost a fumble on one of Greg Rousseau’s three sacks.

    Von Miller also had a sack, which came at a big time late in the fourth quarter. It was hugely impressive that the Bills got Murray on the ground four times, as he is insanely elusive, as evidenced by his 57 yards rushing, most of which came on scrambles. Also hugely impressive was how the secondary overcame the loss of nickel CB Taron Johnson in the first quarter.

    Bobby Babich pieced it together with Cam Lewis in the slot, then used Ja’Marcus Ingram as safety when they were running dime. Ingram was in coverage on Arizona’s final play, and prevented what could have been a game-winning catch by Greg Dortch inside the 5-yard line on fourth down.

    Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, was limited to one catch for four yards and TE Trey McBride, a very good but somewhat unknown player, had just 30 yards and caught just five of nine targets.

    RUN DEFENSE: B-

    James Conner got it going early in the game and then mixed in some dynamic runs from Murray, the Bills were right on their heels, leading to 17 first-half points. But once they made their adjustments, the Bills were much better in the second half.

    The Cardinals finished with 124 rushing yards and averaged five yards per carry, but it was mostly Murray. Conner averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt, with 20 of his 50 yards coming on one play. Terrel Bernard led the Bills with 11 tackles, and Lewis had nine, several of which came in the run game. Dorian Williams also played well with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

    SPECIAL TEAMS: D

    There were certainly dynamic moments, both good and bad. Brandon Codrington’s first touch as a Bill resulted in a 53-yard kickoff return, giving the Bills a great start to their opening offense. After that, the Cardinals kicked the ball into the end zone four times, giving the Bills the ball on the 30.

    Tyler Bass made all six of his kicks – two field goals of 37 and 39 yards and all four extra points on a windy day. But then there were those two kickoffs in the fourth quarter. He kicked into the wind but couldn’t get the ball to the end zone and when the coverage team stumbled, DeeJay Dallas returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. And then Bass’s last kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Cardinals the ball at the 40 for their last chance of possession. I’m sure he was trying to pin Dallas in the corner, knowing he couldn’t get it to the end zone, but he hooked it.

    COACHING: C

    Adjustments at halftime are sometimes overrated, but I think the Bills coaching staff did a good job in this game. Nothing was working for the defense in the first half, but Bobby Babich made some adjustments in coverage, used a little more dime defense, and that seemed to help Murray hold onto the ball a little longer. He also ran some blitzes to get Murray to rush through his progressions, and he was a much less effective QB in the second half.

    Offensively, Joe Brady leaning on the running game was a thing and I’m not sure I fully support that, but it worked out well in this game. If only to even out the time of possession in the middle of the game and give the Buffalo defense a chance to catch their breath and regroup after a bad start.

    Special teams coach Matthew Smiley knew the new kickoff was going to be a challenge, and boy was it. The Bills need to solve their problems, and the best idea might be to just put the ball in the end zone.

    Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades, including 35 years as a full-time beat writer for the D&C, and has written numerous books about the team’s history. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

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