Buffalo Bills: Rookie report after Week 10 loss to Arizona Cardinals
This is a recap of how the rookies played for the Buffalo Bills in Week 10.
The Buffalo Bills once again got some big performances from parts of their rookie class. However, for others, it was a quiet week against the Arizona Cardinals. This is a recap of how each rookie who played performed in Week 10 for the Buffalo Bills.
A.J. Epenesa
The frustrating rookie season for A.J. Epenesa continued as he was forced to leave the game due to a concussion. He would finish the game playing eight snaps on defense and three snaps on special teams however didn’t register any stats.
Reggie Gilliam
The Buffalo Bills were without Tyler Kroft this past weekend after he was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list but this didn’t mean more playing time for Reggie Gilliam. He actually would play only one snap on offense with Lee Smith seeing most of the TE2 playing time.
However, Gilliam continues to be a key part of the special teams unit and played 20 snaps there in Week 10. He would also finish with no stats.
Gabriel Davis
For only the second time this season, Gabriel Davis did not register a reception however he was targeted three times. The fourth-round draft pick is still a big part of this offense as he was on the field for 51% of the snaps on offense however with John Brown’s return, the targets may be tougher to come by moving forward.
Zack Moss
For the second straight week, Zack Moss received more rushing attempts than Devin Singletary. The rookie running back had seven carries, although he was only able to pick up 20 yards, compared to Singletary’s four against the Arizona Cardinals.
The run game continues to not be a priority for this offense and if that changes coming out of the bye, it wouldn’t be surprising if Zack Moss is the lead back in this backfield moving forward.
Dane Jackson
The coaching staff was forced to do some reshuffling coming into this game with Levi Wallace and Josh Norman placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday. This opened the door for seventh-round draft pick Dane Jackson to get his second career start.
He responded with an excellent game with eight total tackles, one pass defended, and one fumble recovery. However, he was forced to leave the game due to an injury in the second half.
This is now two really good performances by Jackson when given the chance to play and the coaching staff should take note. It appears they will have almost all their cornerbacks back after the bye but this shouldn’t stop them from giving the rookie an extended look opposite Tre’Davious White.
Tyler Bass
The Buffalo Bills placekicker is really starting to develop into an offensive weapon for this team. He has already had a game where he made six field goals, accounting for all of the Bills points, and this past week against the Cardinals, made three field goals over 50 yards all within the second quarter.
He also set his career-long at 58 yards as he made the final field goal of the first half with time expiring. As Sal Capaccio notes, Bass was only the second kicker in NFL history to make three kicks over 50 yards in one game.
Colts LB EJ Speed won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He had 0 tackles, but did block a punt that resulted in a TD. I wonder if Tyler Bass would have won it if Bils had won?! He became only the 2nd kicker in NFL history to make three FGs of 54+ yds in a game.
— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) November 18, 2020
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After such a rocky start to the season, Tyler Bass has become almost automatic but more importantly has stretched the range of him realistically making a field goal. The lack of range Stephen Hauschka had last year was one of the reasons the team was even looking for a kicker and Tyler Bass has certainly helped here.