Bills at Titans: Buffalo Grades, Notes and Quotes

It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. 

Tyrod Taylor ran for a 22-yard touchdown and threw for another as the Buffalo Bills rallied from a 10-point deficit to win in Tennessee, toppling Marcus Mariota and the Titans 14-13. It was hardly the most entertaining game of the week, as a matchup between two of the league’s most exciting young quarterbacks quickly fizzled into a defensive battle. 

Buffalo wideout Chris Hogan led his team in receiving, finishing with 52 yards and a touchdown on three catches, while Marquise Goodwin caught two passes for 24 yards in his season debut. 

The Bills were missing almost all of their key offensive weapons, and it showed. Receiver Sammy Watkins, along with running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams, sat out Sunday for health reasons. And, predictably, the Buffalo offense faltered, trailing 10-0 until Taylor scrambled for a third-quarter score. 

It was a win—an important one—for Buffalo, and ultimately, that’s all that matters this week. And Buffalo’s defense was solid, limiting Tennessee to three first-half points and forcing Mariota into his least productive performance of the year. 

However, in many ways, this game was discouraging for the Bills. It’s tough to overstate the importance of Watkins, McCoy and Williams, who are probably three of the team’s five most important offensive players. But Buffalo performed poorly in many respects. The Bills failed to protect Taylor, who was sacked four times for 31 yards. They failed to force turnovers, as they’ve done so well this season, and they appeared entirely anemic on the offensive side.

Positional Grades

Bill Wippert/Associated Press/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	B+
RB	C-
WR	B-
TE	D
OL	C
DL	B-
Secondary	B+
Coaching	B+

There are three groups to highlight here: the offensive line, secondary and coaching staff. 

Let’s start with the offensive line. Buffalo’s Taylor was sacked four times for 31 yards—easily the unit's worst performance since a Week 2 loss against New England. The sacks ultimately mattered little, given the game’s outcome, but they played a critical role in rendering the Buffalo offense listless. Tennessee defensive end Jurrell Casey, along with linebacker Derrick Morgan, routinely reached Taylor’s level in the pocket.

Furthermore, while every team’s rushing attack relies mostly on the talent of its running backs, offensive lines are what make or break a ground game. And Buffalo’s line struggled all day to contain opposing linemen. Given that Tennessee, entering the game, ranked 20th in the league in rushing defense, it is concerning that Titans linemen so easily wrapped up Boobie Dixon and Boom Herron. 

Buffalo’s secondary, on the other hand, is quickly becoming the team’s most reliable group. Mariota finished 21-of-32 for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception in what was certainly the least productive performance of his still-nascent career. 

Star Buffalo cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted a lengthy Mariota pass with less than two minutes remaining. Safety Corey Graham continued his team-leading play with 12 tackles, and Ronald Darby sustained what has been a surprisingly consistent start to the year. Mariota was limited to mostly short, low-risk throws and did most of his damage on the ground. It was a good performance for Buffalo’s secondary. 

Finally, the Bills—maybe—made some progress on the penalty front. Penalties hamstrung Buffalo in losses to the Patriots and Giants, along with a victory over the Colts, and head coach Rex Ryan apparently had players doing pushups for violations in practice this week. 

It may have worked a little. Buffalo was flagged seven times for 62 yards. And while 62 free yards is nothing to scoff at, it marks an enormous improvement over recent weeks. The Bills host the still-undefeated Cincinnati Bengals next week in a game with huge implications for Buffalo’s somewhat-diminished playoff hopes. The Bills must build on this week’s win, particularly with regard to penalties. 

Game Note No. 1: Tyrod Taylor

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor

It should be clear to Buffalo fans that Tyrod Taylor is not what’s hurting this team. The Bills were limited to just 209 total yards of offense, and Taylor completed less than 62 percent of his passes, but given the weapons he was missing, his performance was actually solid. 

For one thing, he consistently extended plays with his legs, creating offense where no spark existed. Taylor’s 22-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was, frankly, the team’s only exciting play of the day at the time. And, perhaps more importantly, he appeared poised and collected, showing commendable restraint when downfield receivers couldn’t get open. 

Incidentally, Taylor also caught a pass, as wideout Hogan tossed him a four-yarder during the third quarter. Taylor led the team in both passing and rushing offense and (incredibly) had more catches than No. 2 receiver Percy Harvin, who finished with zero receptions for the first time this season. 

Game Note No. 2: Slow Starts for Buffalo

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Buffalo RB Boobie Dixon

For the second straight week, Buffalo’s offense struggled out of the gate. The following chart shows how Buffalo has fared on its first five possessions of the game over the past two weeks:

Game	Plays	Yards	Turnovers	Punts	Points
vs. Giants	15	31	1	4	0
vs. Titans	22	52	0	5	0

These are not good starts for the Bills offense. I wrote last week about Buffalo’s bizarrely inept stretch of possessions against the Giants, and after the first half on Sunday, I was ready to write the same thing. In the first half against Tennessee, the Bills managed 51 yards on 26 plays. Again...this is Tennessee. 

The Titans are better than people give them credit for, especially on the defensive side. But the Bills are trying to make the playoffs in a division with the New England Patriots, and they’re hosting the 5-0 Bengals next week. These anemic starts do not make a winner. 

Part of the problem, again, is injuries. Taylor’s job is a lot easier if he can rely on McCoy and Williams, especially at the beginning of games. And his protection was particularly bad on Sunday. But the Bills have three first-half points in the last two weeks. They need to figure out how to start more quickly. 

Quote of the Day: Rex Ryan

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor

“Our quarterback has the biggest heart. ... He’s the reason we won this game.”

That was Rex Ryan, per Syracuse.com's Matthew Fairburn, speaking to reporters after the game. He’s right—if Buffalo fans take anything positive from this win (apart from, you know, the win), it should be that Ryan made the right call when he named Tyrod Taylor the starting quarterback. 

During the preseason, Taylor was part of a fierce, three-way competition with Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel for the starting job. The now-departed Cassel is practically famous for being “pretty good but not great,” and it’s tough to tell how Manuel would have fared so far this year. But again, Taylor is not the reason Buffalo is in a hole in the AFC East. 

In terms of Taylor’s game plan, there are a couple of things the Bills should think about heading into next week. The Bengals are 5-0, but they aren’t anything special against the pass (Cincinnati ranks just 26th in the league in passing yards allowed per game). The Bills will presumably look to make Harvin a bigger factor and will hopefully have some combination of Watkins, McCoy and Williams back on the field. 

But Ryan and his coaching staff should focus particularly on two things: tight end Charles Clay, who was a surprising non-factor on Sunday, and Taylor’s running ability. Clay was the team’s most effective receiving weapon over the past three weeks, and the Bengals will likely look to nullify whatever running game the Bills can muster. So, look for Ryan and Co. to incorporate more designed rushing plays for Taylor while running Clay on seam routes throughout the afternoon.