Buffalo Bills: Reviewing the rookie class performance in Week 14
This is how the rookies did for the Buffalo Bills in Week 14.
At this point of the season, 13 games into the season, the hope is that these players won’t be playing like rookies. That has been the case for some on the Buffalo Bills as they have seen their role grow over the course of the season, while others have some work to do.
This is how each rookie did in Week 14 for the Buffalo Bills in their 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A.J. Epenesa
The coaching staff is committed to getting A.J. Epenesa on the field since coming out of their bye week and this week against the Steelers was no different. The team had Trent Murphy inactive again and Epenesa was on the field for 37% of the defensive snaps. However, he didn’t register any stats.
Zack Moss
After seeing his workload cut significantly against the 49ers due to a fumble early in the game, Zack Moss was back to his normal workload. He was on the field for nearly 60% of the offensive snaps and led the team in rushing attempts with 13 and running for 43 rushing yards.
It doesn’t appear the trust in Moss by the coaching staff diminished with the fumble last week as a majority of his carries came at a critical point in the game. The Bills leaned on their run game in the closing minutes and Moss had six carries on that final drive.
Gabriel Davis
This was the third, and potentially final, game that John Brown will miss being on injured reserve and Gabriel Davis was once again the replacement. He was on the field for 83% of the offensive snaps, catching three passes for 18 yards as well as finding the end zone for the third straight game.
Davis now leads the team in receiving touchdowns with six and even with John Brown returning, the coaching staff will likely try to get the rookie on the field as much as possible.
Tyler Bass
Tyler Bass was on an impressive stretch, making 17 straight field goals and extra point attempts over the past three weeks. However, against the Steelers he had his first missed an extra point since Week 9 against the Seahawks.
While he did miss the extra point, he did finish the game connecting on both field goal attempts and making two other extra points. The missed extra point shouldn’t be a cause for concern and Bass is still having an excellent second half to his rookie season.
Reggie Gilliam
Reggie Gilliam saw his special teams work increase as he played 21 snaps, which was about 75% of the team’s total special teams snaps. This increase was likely due to the offense struggling to find a rhythm in the first half and Corey Bojorquez punting more than usual.