Report Card Grades for Bills' NFL Week 3 Game vs. Chargers

It wasn't pretty, but the Buffalo Bills are 3-0.

The mistake-prone Bills recovered from a horrible start to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. It was a roller-coaster ride of an affair, but a W nonetheless.

Here are my grades for all of the key players from Sunday's victory.

Quarterback

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Josh Allen

Josh Allen: B

It was not a crisp performance from Allen, who looked a little out of sorts and made some questionable decisions. He threw two first-half interceptions and fumbled in the third quarter, completing just 16 passes in an up-and-down performance. 

Allen eventually played the superhero role and continued to build his MVP resume while leading the Bills to 14 points in the fourth quarter. But the mistakes above combined with an uncharacteristic unwillingness to take several great rushing opportunities result in a B grade here. 

Running Back

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James Cook

James Cook: A

That's back-to-back superb showings from Cook, who fumbled on the first play from scrimmage but compensated for that the rest of the day with critical run after critical run. 

He finished with 154 yards and a touchdown, with 39 of those yards coming on his last five carries. 

Ty Johnson: A

Johnson had an absolutely sick catch-and-run touchdown negated by a penalty, but he still caught four passes on four targets for 50 yards on just 15 snaps.

Wide Receiver

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DJ Moore

DJ Moore: B+

Clearly far from 100 percent healthy, the veteran receiver battled and made some key catches. He finished with six grabs for 67 yards on 10 targets in an admirable performance. Three of those came on third down.

Khalil Shakir: C

It was a quiet afternoon from Shakir, who caught just a single six-yard pass on three targets. But that one reception did move the chains on a third down in the fourth quarter. 

Keon Coleman: B

Just one catch here as well, but Coleman made a great adjustment on a 37-yard gain to reach the 1-yard line, setting up a momentum-shifting touchdown drive late in the first half. He also had an onside kick recovery to ice the game. 

Joshua Palmer: D

Just 21 snaps for Palmer, who was targeted zero times and was generally a ghost. 

Tight End

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Dalton Kincaid

Dalton Kincaid: D

Back to earth for the standout from the first two weeks of the season. Two receptions for 38 yards and an unforgivable fumble in which he was extremely careless with the ball. 

Dawson Knox: C

Just a single five-yard catch in a fairly quiet game for Knox, but he did make some nice blocks in pass protection. 

Jackson Hawes: C

His holding penalty wiped out a highlight-reel touchdown by Johnson, and while he was held catchless, he remained stout as a run blocker.

Offensive Line

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Dion Dawkins: D

The vet took a pair of penalties and was responsible for a sack as well as multiple hurries on Allen. 

Alec Anderson: D

Two holding penalties for the first-year starter, one of which wiped out a big Cook run that led to an Allen interception on the very next play. 

Connor McGovern: B-

He helped set up some of Cook's best runs but also gave up a sack to kill a first-quarter drive. 

O'Cyrus Torrence: B+

Torrence was responsible for more pressure than you'd like, but he and the right side of the line did a tremendous job opening up holes for the run game. 

Spencer Brown: B

See Torrence. Brown was also beaten in a few critical spots but executed superbly as a run blocker. He sprang Cook with a killer block on a game-icing first-down run late in the fourth quarter.

Edge

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Greg Rousseau

Bradley Chubb: C

The highly paid veteran led the way on a key fourth-quarter pressure that resulted in a Los Angeles turnover on downs, but he was again held without a sack and he took a silly unnecessary roughness penalty. 

Greg Rousseau: A

That's three consecutive two-sack performances from Rousseau, who was also stellar in run defense. He's a legit Defensive Player of the Month candidate. 

Defensive Line

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Ed Oliver

Deone Walker: B

The sophomore was on a heater before "cooling off" with "only" five quarterback pressures against a weak offensive line on Sunday. 

Ed Oliver: B-

He made some stops and brought a little bit of pressure but there were no standout plays for a guy who was limited to 28 snaps in his return from a hip injury. 

Landon Jackson: A-

I actually really liked what I saw from Jackson in all facets over a 26-snap showing. He got awesome penetration to deflect a Justin Herbert pass in a big spot as the Bills were attempting to stay within reaching distance late in the first half. 

DeWayne Carter: B

For the second week in a row, the former third-round pick was steady across the board as part of the rotation up front.

Linebacker

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Dorian Williams

Terrel Bernard: C

He looked lost on a couple of occasions in the first half and is still generally not in on enough of the action. Far too often, Bernard is nowhere to be found. 

Dorian Williams: A-

Williams led the team with nine tackles in what was easily his best game of the season so far. He had two great tackles in goal-to-go situations.

Secondary

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Christian Benford

CB Christian Benford: D

It was harder to judge the corners Sunday as the Bills spent a lot more time in zone, but Benford again struggled overall when it came to coverage and tackling before suffering an injury late in the third quarter. He also took a holding penalty that canceled out a C.J. Gardner-Johnson interception. 

CB Maxwell Hairston: A-

Very limited damage and no major mistakes from the sophomore first-rounder. The Bills might want to see if he is the better option as the No. 1 corner. 

CB Davison Igbinosun: B 

The rookie second-round pick relieved Benford and immediately forced a third-and-long with perfect coverage on the boundary. He also contributed with a solid tackle on a scrambling Herbert in the fourth quarter. He and Hairston were later beaten on a big third down but were saved by a dropped pass from Quentin Johnston.

CB Dee Alford: C-

The Chargers got some life late in the game when Alford was beaten badly and then missed a tackle, leading to a big gain. He generally struggled in coverage and dropped a relatively easy interception but was pretty strong inside the box. 

S C.J. Gardner-Johnson: A

Beyond his massive interception and return in the fourth quarter, the 28-year-old newcomer shined in coverage. He made a clutch tackle on a third-and-goal play that forced the Chargers to kick a field goal, and he also had a pick negated by a penalty. 

S Cole Bishop: B-

No big plays but also no major gaffes from the steady third-year starter. 

Special Teams

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Greg Dortch

K Tyler Bass: A

He made his lone field-goal attempt and went 3-for-3 on extra points.

P Tommy Doman Jr.: A

The rookie's only punt went 51 yards. 

KR/PR Greg Dortch: A

What a pickup this has turned into. Dortch brought the opening kickoff back to the 43-yard line and was fine beyond that in a mistake-free game.