Report Card Grades for Bills' Week 9 Game vs. Vikings

The Buffalo Bills have taken a commanding lead in the AFC East and now sit all alone atop the conference with a 7-1 record. 

That's the reality after Buffalo took care of the Minnesota Vikings with a 23-6 road win on Monday Night Football. 

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

Quarterback

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Josh Allen

Josh Allen: A

The franchise centerpiece didn't put up gaudy numbers, but he found a groove as the game wore on and ultimately put together one of his strongest and most resilient efforts of the year. 

With only two of the same starting offensive linemen from last week, Allen was under constant pressure in the first half. But he was still 21 of 31 for 234 yards with a touchdown and an interception (an ill-advised throw, albeit on a weird play call) while once again looking unstoppable on several key designed runs against an extremely strong defense.

Allen looked completely dialed in with his go-to targets for most of the night, especially as Buffalo pulled away in the second half.

Running Back

AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim

James Cook

James Cook: A

As with Allen, it wasn't a fantasy football feast for Cook. But the three-time Pro Bowler deserves a lot of credit for sticking it out while getting blasted at or near the line of scrimmage for much of the first half.

Ultimately, Cook was one of the game's major difference-makers. His 31 carries were the second-highest mark of his career, as he somehow still managed to eclipse the century mark with 107 yards despite producing only 18 yards on his first 12 attempts.

Beyond that start, he averaged a strong 4.7 yards per rush, wearing the Minnesota defense down and allowing the Bills to dominate time of possession and control the game. 

Ty Johnson: A

Johnson didn't get a lot of action as they kept relying on Cook, but he did catch both of the passes on which he was targeted and made a huge 36-yard grab down the sideline to convert a third-and-long on a second-half scoring drive. 

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Khalil Shakir

DJ Moore: B-

It wasn't a standout game for the veteran No. 1, but he picked up 36 yards on four touches against a tough D, and there were no notable miscues. 

Keon Coleman: C+

Coleman left a play or two on the field, even if it was technically a drop-free performance. He gets points for a stellar contested first-down catch as the Bills were putting the game away in the fourth quarter. 

Khalil Shakir: A

It was a second consecutive tremendous showing for Shakir, who caught all four of the passes thrown his way for a team-high 58 yards. Allen is so comfortable with him on screens and timing routes. He might be more of a safety valve than any tight end on the roster. 

Tight End

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Dalton Kincaid: B

Three catches on three targets for 28 yards in a fairly uneventful but unproblematic performance. A couple of those grabs were tricky. Have I mentioned this defense is good? 

Dawson Knox: D

I mean, he was tied with Shakir for a team-high four catches. However, Knox was slow to pick up the rush on a sack that was very nearly an Allen fumble giving Minnesota the ball on the one-yard line, and he later dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone. 

Jackson Hawes: A

The blocking was top-notch (one block particular helped Cook essentially ice the game), and he made a nice grab to move the chains on Buffalo's first touchdown drive. 

Keleki Latu: A+

You get a shoutout here when you're the fourth-string tight end and you sneak behind the defense for your first-ever NFL touchdown. 

Offensive Line

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

OT Tylan Grable: D-

Grable did a superb job filling in for Spencer Brown at right tackle last week but faced an entirely different challenge in Dion Dawkins' stead against a terrifying defense this week. He often looked lost, surrendered pressure throughout the first half and was penalized twice.  

G Austin Corbett: D

Same story here, and it didn't help that Grable didn't have Alec Anderson while Corbett didn't have Dawkins. The veteran was beaten up all day in pass protection and as a run blocker. 

C Connor McGovern: B

There were a few key pressures in which McGovern was slow to help and deserved partial blame. But he was mauling defenders for Cook in the second half.

G O'Cyrus Torrence: B+

A near-pick from Dallas Turner had a lot to do with immediate pressure surrendered by Torrence, and that wasn't his only lapse in pass pro. However, he was easily the team's best run blocker. 

OT Spencer Brown: B-

He was a little rusty early in his return from injury, but very little pressure came from the right side and Brown also led the charge on some key Cook runs.

Edge

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

Greg Rousseau

Bradley Chubb: C

He had a couple of critical third-down pressures, but Chubb dropped a would-be pick-six and was held sackless for the sixth game in a row. 

Greg Rousseau: A

Rousseau once again got an arm on the opposing quarterback's hand as he released. He's clearly got a knack for it, which drastically increases the defense's turnover potential. Beyond that, he had a sack, a fumble recovery, a pass deflection, and another sack that was negated by a defensive holding penalty. What a year he's having. 

Defensive Line

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Deone Walker

Deone Walker: C

He and Cole Bishop provided a strong initial push on Rousseau's sack of Carson Wentz, but besides that it was a low-impact performance for the oft-dominant sophomore. 

Ed Oliver: B+

The veteran wreaked havoc several times in the first half, particularly as a run-stuffer. He also provided the key push on a forced Wentz throw that should have been intercepted by Terrel Bernard.  

T.J. Sanders: C-

I noted Sanders being in on a strong stop with Oliver on the very first defensive play of the game and then never noticed him again beyond a couple shoddy reps.

Linebacker

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Terrel Bernard: A

His tackling was basically perfect, and Bernard does seem to be playing better positional football altogether. He took a bad pass-interference penalty and was manhandled a couple of times in a short span as the Vikings established the ground game in the third quarter, but the 27-year-old made up for that with a key interception in a thoroughly strong performance.

Dorian Williams: B+

He made a nice play and delivered good coverage on an interception that got Bernard off the hook for his DPI, and it was a strong overall effort from Williams. This linebacker duo is really finding a groove under Jim Leonhard. 

Secondary

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Davison Igbinosun

CB Christian Benford: A

It helped that Wentz forgot how to play quarterback, but Benford did a really good job throughout the night against one of the best receivers in the NFL. 

CB Davison Igbinosun: B

The rookie still needs to clean up his game between now and the playoffs, but he had back-to-back wins against Justin Jefferson on a key third- and fourth-down sequence. Not bad for a 22-year-old second-round pick, even if he got away with a little more contact than is usually kosher on the fourth-down stop.

CB Dee Alford: B+

There was no major damage, and he made a great play stuffing Aaron Jones at the line of scrimmage to force a third down early in the second half.

S Cole Bishop: A-

It wasn't another monster game for Bishop, but he led the charge on Rousseau's sack and made a massive tackle to keep Jones short of the sticks and force Minnesota to settle for a field goal late in the first half. 

S Damar Hamlin: C-

His holding penalty cost Rousseau a sack. Nothing egregious beyond that, but Hamlin doesn't look like a guy you want playing a major role down the stretch. The awareness and instincts aren't there. 

Special Teams

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Tyler Bass

K Tyler Bass: A

He was a perfect 3-for-3 (including one from 52 yards out), extending his streak to 24 consecutive made field goals. Combine that with no missed extra points and it was a perfect evening for the veteran. 

P Tommy Doman Jr.: C+

It was actually the rookie's worst performance thus far, as he put nothing inside the 20 while settling for two touchbacks on five punts. That said, did you see that hit?

KR/PR Greg Dortch: A

Dortch brought the opening kickoff back 58 yards. He hardly had a chance to factor in beyond that.