The Buffalo Bills offense didn’t bring their A-game to MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but that didn’t stop the Bills from cruising to a 30-10 win over the New York Jets.
Buffalo was the better team in all three phases of the game and it showed during throughout the game. Who specifically stood out for the Bills? Pro Football Focus (PFF) shared their grades and there were a few names that may catch Bills fans off guard.
Top-5 offensive grades
TE Jackson Hawes: 85.3
TE Dawson Knox: 83.8
OT Dion Dawkins: 79.6
QB Mitch Trubisky: 76.7
QB Josh Allen: 74.7
The Bills are on record stating that Hawes, a day three selection in this year’s draft class, was the best blocking tight end that they have ever evaluated. PFF agreed with the Bills following the team’s Week 2 win. Hawes led the way with an 85.3 overall grade.
He graded out very well, thanks to his pass blocking (72.9) and run blocking (79.8) grades. Thirty of Hawes’ 35 snaps saw him utilized as a run blocker.
Dawson Knox, despite a few drops, came in second for the offense. The veteran tight end was elite as a run blocker in the matchup (94.4) according to the analytics site.
James Cook, despite being the most productive player on the field for the offense, was No. 7 overall for the offense with a 72.7 grade. The back rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries (6.3 YPC) in the win.
Top-5 defensive grades
DE Joey Bosa: 95.8
DE Greg Rousseau: 76.7
CB Tre’Davious White: 74.7
DT DaQuan Jones: 73.6
LB Joe Andreessen: 72.7
The gap between Bosa and the rest of the defense was noticeable. Bosa came out with a 95.8 overall grade. He had one of the highest overall grades of the week at the analytics site thanks to his pass rush grade (96.7) and tackling grade (71.6). Bosa was credited with seven pressures in the win.
Bosa and Rousseau will both have a chance to return to the top-5 defenders list this week when the Bills host a Miami Dolphins team that has offensive line issues.
Bottom-3 offensive grades
WR Tyrell Shavers: 51.2
RB Ray Davis: 46.5
RB Ty Johnson: 43.7
Two of the Bills’ backs landed on the bottom three list this week. Their biggest glaring weakness against the Jets was pass-blocking. PFF gave Davis a 10.2 grade in this area, while Johnson received a 17.9.
Bottom-3 defensive grades
DE Javon Solomon: 49.9
LB Matt Milano: 46.3
S Damar Hamlin: 42.8
Milano did not play in the second half due to a pectoral injury. In the first half, the veteran linebacker fared well as a tackler (78.9), but he struggled in run defense (53.8), pass rush (59.4) and coverage (50.1).
The veteran will likely miss some time, which will give Dorian Williams an extended run alongside Terrel Bernard.
Players must receive a minimum of 10 snaps to be included in the top and bottom grades.
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