Pro Football Focus has released their player grades and game analysis just hours after the Buffalo Bills fell 17-10 to the Minnesota Vikings.
It can be tough to decipher which players played well in a preseason game because of the third string players playing in a majority of the game. Pro Football Focus does a good job of figuring that out with their individual player grades for every game.
The top Buffalo Bills player graded by Pro Football Focus? Eddie Yarbrough. The edge defender received an 86.3 game grade for his play Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Here is his write up from PFF:
"“While Tashawn Bower took home the game ball for the Vikings, Yarbrough’s play should not go unnoticed. Piecing together a sack, QB hit, two pressures and two defensive stops, Yarbrough finished the game with a pass-rush productivity of 13.5, third-highest of this young preseason week to date.”"
Yarbrough was just about off everyone’s radar until just recently. His training camp play has drawn a lot of attention including the eyes of the Buffalo coaching staff. His play in his first preseason game did nothing but help his cause. Here are the top five grades from Thursday night.
EDGE Eddie Yarbrough, 86.3 overall grade
LG Richie Incognito, 80.8 overall grade
EDGE Ian Seau, 80.2 overall grade
EDGE Max Valles, 80.0 overall grade
LB Reggie Ragland, 79.9 overall grade
You can read more about Pro Football Focus’ Buffalo Bills player grades by clicking here.
Here is their write-up of rookie Nathan Peterman’s play:
"“Bills fans got their first look at the rookie quarterback and the results were pretty good. Peterman led the Bills only touchdown drive of the game, capping it off with a pinpoint fade route touchdown. He may have only had a completion percentage of 50.0, but his adjusted completion percentage was a respectable 75.0.”"
Nathan Peterman received the biggest opportunity of the Bills’ quarterback trio in the game. First string quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, threw just eight passes, while backup quarterback, TJ Yates, threw 11. Peterman aired the ball out 25 times for 112 yards. He also threw the lone touchdown of the game with ten minutes left in the 4th quarter.
PFF gave the highest grade of the game to the Minnesota Vikings linebacker, Tashawn Bower, with a grade of 90.7.
Dalvin Cook gained just 13 yards on five carries. Not a very successful night for the Florida State alum. In a game that did not produce much offense, we still learned a lot about the young players that participated in the game. Look out for Eddie Yarbrough in the near future.
Next: Buffalo Bills: Preseason game recap vs. MIN
Do you think Pro Football Focus‘ grades are accurate? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!