Full Buffalo Bills Report Card Heading into Week 9 Bye
If you told Buffalo Bills fans in August that their team would be 5-3 heading into the bye week, they would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. "No way," they would have thought, based on EJ Manuel's performance in the preseason.
But head coach Doug Marrone pulled the trigger and made the change to Kyle Orton, and the Bills are in a much better place. Marrone's team gets a well-deserved and much-needed week off after a 43-23 dismantling of the self-destructing New York Jets.
So, with the Bills headed to the bye at the exact halfway point of the season, let's recap the first eight weeks and hand out some grades to each Bills positional unit. We will base grades on the unit's overall performance, as well as how each position has affected the outcome of games.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Since the Bills have used two quarterbacks this season, this grade will be a composite of both players' performances.
In the first four games of the season, EJ Manuel completed 58 percent of his passes for 838 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He led the team to a 2-2 record with an impressive road win over the Bears to start the season and a 29-10 thumping of the Dolphins in Week 2.
But Manuel's accuracy issues started holding the team back in Weeks 3 and 4, so Doug Marrone made the change to Kyle Orton. In Orton's four starts, he completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,128 yards and tossed nine touchdowns against three picks. Orton helped the team to a 3-1 record, with his only loss coming to the New England "Bills Killers."
There is no question that Orton has been an upgrade over Manuel. He is far more accurate with his passes and he can read a defense and get the ball where he wants to go much more quickly. If the Bills could meld Manuel's athleticism with Orton's everything else, they would be all set.
That's the only downgrade from Manuel to Orton. Manuel can escape the pocket when the pressure gets to him. Orton pretty much plays in quicksand. Orton has taken 17 sacks in four games, whereas Manuel only went down six times in his four starts.
Orton may sometimes hold the ball too long, but he has led the team to victories and has it in position for a second-half playoff push. Manuel's early accuracy struggles are what holds this grade back a little.
Grade: B-
Running Back
2 of 10
After Week 7, this became a very difficult grade to hand out.
The Bills lost Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, their top two running backs, for extended periods due to injury. Spiller broke his collarbone against the Vikings and the Bills put him on Injured Reserve with a designation to return.
Jackson hurt his hamstring in the same game and said, via BuffaloBills.com, he's still on a four-week timetable to return, but is working as hard as he can to get back sooner.
In Week 8, Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown stepped in as the top two backs, but they didn't have much success against a tough Jets defensive front.
But Jackson and Spiller still had an impact before they got hurt. Spiller averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 69 totes, but that average was bolstered by a few long runs. He also had a 102-yard kickoff return against the Dolphins that swung the momentum back in the Bills' favor.
Jackson was, and will continue to be, the heart and soul of offense for the Bills. Jackson averaged 4.3 yards per rush on 55 carries, and he was the team's leading receiver (until Sammy Watkins passed him) with 33 catches for 261 yards. Fourteen of Jackson's catches went for first downs, and he hasn't lost a fumble at all this year.
Jackson is also the team's best option to pick up the blitz, and he has done all of this while being the NFL's oldest running back.
The team hasn't gotten as much as it expected from the backs this season, leading the Bills to switch to a more pass-heavy offense on the fly. But they should still be able to muster enough on the ground to keep defenses honest.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
The Bills gave up the 25th pick in the 2015 draft to move up and take Sammy Watkins last May. So far, that's been a worthwhile investment.
Especially after the quarterback change, Watkins has looked like a legit No. 1 receiver and someone who will give opposing defensive coordinators fits. Watkins leads the team with 38 grabs for 590 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, 29 of his catches have gone for a first down.
The only knock on the rookie's game is the early showboating that kept him out of the end zone against the Jets. But don't expect that to happen again.
Despite all the attention Watkins is garnering, it has been more than just the Sammy Show for the Bills. Second-year man Robert Woods has added 28 catches for 294 yards and two scores. Chris Hogan has 13 grabs for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Even though the supplementary receivers aren't consistently putting up big numbers, they make plays that help the team win games. Woods caught some big late passes to set the Bills up against the Bears. Hogan set up Watkins' game-winner against the Vikings with a great catch along the sideline at the 2-yard line.
Even Mike Williams, who has mostly been quiet, grabbed an 80-yard touchdown against the Texans that got the Bills within three.
Until the Bills get healthier at running back, it is going to be all about the receivers on offense. With Watkins leading the way, the team is in good hands.
Grade: A-
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Tight End
4 of 10
In the past, this space had been used to beat up on the Bills tight ends a little bit. However, Scott Chandler has been more than serviceable over the first half of the season.
In terms of catches, Chandler is the team's fourth leading receiver. He has 23 grabs, and his 290 yards rank third on the team. Chandler and his running mates Lee Smith and Chris Gragg have each grabbed one touchdown so far on the season. But Chandler is easily the No. 1 receiving tight end option.
And it's not just about the catches Chandler makes—it's when he makes them. Look no further than 4th-and-20 against the Vikings. If Chandler doesn't bring that pass in, the Bills lose. Instead, he makes a great catch and keeps the drive alive.
In addition, his touchdown against the Jets pushed the Bills' lead to 20 and all but iced the game.
Chandler may not be in the same class as players like Antonio Gates or Julius Thomas, but more often than not, he answers when the Bills call.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line
5 of 10
The Bills offensive line is perhaps the weak link on the team.
Even though the Bills concentrated on upgrading the offensive line in the offseason (one free-agent signing, three draft picks used), Doug Marrone has struggled to find continuity up front. The team is already on its third left guard, and the line could use an upgrade at right guard as well.
Erik Pears has been struggling, to say the least. As of just a few weeks ago, Pears was ranked last among guards by Pro Football Focus (h/t Tim Graham at The Buffalo News). He's been a central figure in the Bills giving up the fourth-most sacks in the league with 23.
The line is also responsible for the Bills' shortcomings in the run game. It's hard for running backs to gain any yards when they have to try to elude defenders in the backfield.
For the Bills to keep winning games, the offensive line needs to improve. With injured running backs, the Bills will rely much more on throwing the ball. Kyle Orton can't complete passes from his backside.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
6 of 10
On the other side of the ball, the Bills have one of the best defensive lines in the league.
Three Bills defensive linemen rank in the top 13 in the NFL in sacks. Marcell Dareus leads the way with seven, Mario Williams has six and Jerry Hughes has 5.5. The strong play up front has led the Bills to pace the league in sacks for the first half of the season with 28, three more than the second-place team.
And we haven't even mentioned Kyle Williams yet, who is a team captain and a leader both on and off the field. He isn't putting up the numbers like the rest of his linemates, but he has been his usual run-stuffing force throughout the season.
Hughes in particular has been standing out on defense. His play earned him recognition as a midseason first-team All-Pro from Andy Benoit at themmqb.com. Hughes is a free agent after this season, and it's safe to say Teddy KGB echos the thoughts of Bills fans everywhere.
Even the backup defensive linemen have been getting in on the action. Jarius Wynn, Stefan Charles and Corbin Bryant have each recorded a sack, and they are serviceable enough to play extended stretches. This, in turn, keeps the starters fresh to keep going strong late into games. The fresh legs will pay off later in the season too.
While the offensive line is a weakness for the Bills, the defensive line is the team's main strength. If it can keep living in the opposition's backfield, the Bills will be in every game.
Grade: A
Linebackers
7 of 10
When Kiko Alonso went down before the season started, it was hard to gauge what the Bills would get from their linebackers.
But the addition of Brandon Spikes in the middle has been huge, and it has led to the Bills having one of the better run defenses in the league. Rookie linebacker Preston Brown has been improving every game and has even overtaken Keith Rivers in the starting lineup.
In fact, Brown seems to be trusted the most by Bills coaches, as he has played 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps, according to Buffalo Rumblings. He had the best game of his young career against the Jets with an interception and a number of tackles near the line of scrimmage.
Nigel Bradham has had an up-and-down year so far, and his performance against the Jets was one of the low points of the season. He took a few personal foul penalties and missed a number of tackles that led to big gains. It didn't ultimately affect the outcome of the game, but Bradham needs to be a more sure tackler and eliminate the silly penalties.
Chances are the Bills won't be sending any linebackers to the Pro Bowl this year. But the unit has performed well, especially against the run. As Brown continues to improve, he and Spikes should be able to continue to anchor the defense against opposing ground games.
Grade: B-
Secondary
8 of 10
The secondary was another area the Bills looked to shore up in the offseason (one free-agent signing, one draft pick spent), and it seems to be helping.
Many outsiders thought the Bills would miss safety Jairus Byrd this season, but that hasn't been the case. The Bills defense has again proved to be opportunistic as it leads the NFL with 11 interceptions. Leodis McKelvin is second in the league with four picks by himself (and he almost had a fifth against the Jets, but didn't come down cleanly with the ball).
Aaron Williams has filled in nicely for Byrd. Williams has good range to come down and help against the run and provide help to the cornerbacks over the top. It was clear the Bills missed Williams when he sat out against the Patriots due to injury.
Corey Graham has provided some veteran leadership and was the Bills' best corners for the first few weeks of the season.
Then there's Stephon Gilmore. Fans on social media have been quick to pile on Gilmore throughout the season, but he's been better than people give him credit for. Robert Quinn at the Bills Mafia Blog provided an in-depth look at Gilmore's play with extensive film breakdown.
Quinn concluded that Gilmore has done what has been asked of him based on Jim Schwartz's scheme. Quinn also said Gilmore has "undoubtedly been the Bills’ most reliable cornerback throughout the year and he’s done a good job of eliminating 1/3 of the field for the majority of games."
Gilmore may give up catches in front of him, but he doesn't get beat for big plays. With meetings against Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers in the Bills' future, the secondary will have to continue to improve going forward.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
9 of 10
Did you know the Bills are the only team to carry a kickoff specialist on game days?
That's according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, who said it has been paying off for the Bills. According to Brown, Jordan Gay's touchback percentage was almost 75 percent two weeks ago. It went down a bit because Cordarrelle Patterson and Percy Harvin like to bring it out, even from deep in the end zone.
Brown also noted that only 10 teams have more touchbacks than the Bills, and having Gay kick off keeps Dan Carpenter's leg fresh for field goals.
Carpenter's fresh leg has also paid off for the Bills. He needed it to kick the 58-yard game-winner against the Lions. In all, Carpenter has made 17 of his 19 field goal attempts on the season.
Field position has also proved to be important for the Bills and, per Brown, the Bills are up there among the best when it comes to starting field position in the league. The Bills are currently second in the league with an average drive start just past their own 31-yard line.
New punter Colton Schmidt has also had a hand in the field position battle for the Bills. Brown said Schmidt leads the league with 20 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Setting opponents up with a long field allows the defense to let it rip and get after the quarterback.
With special teams ace Marcus Easley set to return soon (Brown says he stands a good chance to return after the bye), the Bills' kick coverage units will get another boost. For the Bills to keep winning, they will have to continue to win the battle of field position.
Grade: A-
Coaching
10 of 10
It's hard to knock the coaches too much, as they have the Bills at 5-3 headed to the bye. With some winnable games coming up in November, the Bills are set up nicely to make a push for the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades.
First and foremost, Doug Marrone deserves credit for realizing a change needed to be made at quarterback. If Marrone stuck with EJ Manuel, it's hard to imagine the Bills would be where they are now.
Marrone is one of the league's more conservative coaches, and nothing proved that more than the game against the Jets. Fans on social media were criticizing Marrone and offensive coordinator Nate Hackett for being ultra-conservative on offense despite having good starting field position.
The Bills were content to just run on first and second down, then grab a short completion or run on third down to set up either a punt or field goal try. However, as Jeremy White of WGR broke down, Hackett was aggressive when he needed to be.
There really was no point in trying to throw it all over the yard against the Jets. The only thing that would have gotten them back in the game would have been multiple turnovers, so the Bills were minimizing the chance for that. Also, the Bills defense was taking the ball away at will, so the coaches were content to ride the defense to a victory.
And Hackett does deserve some credit. As White pointed out, Hackett went right back to Sammy Watkins on a go route after Kyle Orton missed Watkins two plays earlier. Watkins beat his man both times, and an accurate throw led to the Sammy Showboat play.
There are times, however, when the play-calling is suspect. Before C.J. Spiller was hurt, it seemed like too many runs were called where Spiller ran right up the middle. That's not his game. And too often, like on the Watkins play, the Bills take a deep shot on 3rd-and-short or 3rd-and-medium. Just get the first down and keep the drive moving.
By far the best coaching job, however, belongs to defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He has taken one of the league's worst run defenses and turned it into one of the best, and his unit leads the league in sacks and interceptions. Bills fans are surely hoping Schwartz doesn't follow the Mike Pettine path and use a good season in Buffalo as a springboard to a head coaching gig somewhere else.
Grade: B+
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