Buffalo Bills: Rookie Report after Week 15 win over Broncos
This is how the rookies for the Buffalo Bills did in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos.
The Buffalo Bills secured the AFC East division against the Denver Broncos and once again had some rookies play key roles this week. This is a recap of how each rookie did in Week 15 for the Buffalo Bills.
A.J. Epenesa
The Buffalo Bills second round pick continues to see an increase in snaps and played 34% of the defensive snaps against the Denver Broncos. He finished with no tackles but had a pass defended.
That total could have been higher, especially with the Buffalo Bills building a big lead, but he left early due to a head injury.
Zack Moss
The coaching staff continues to lean on Zack Moss in the closing parts of games. He finished the game leading the team with 13 carries and tied his career high with 81 rushing yards.
For the second straight week, he saw a majority of his carries coming in the fourth quarter. The Bills once again had a drive in the final quarter go for more than seven minutes and the rookie got six carries on just that one drive.
The power running he brings to this offense gives them a piece they were missing last year that allows them to wind the clock down and limit the opposition from getting their offense back on the field.
Gabriel Davis
Gabriel Davis got his fourth straight start in place of the injured John Brown and saw his streak of three straight games with a touchdown come to an end. He was on the field for 93% of the offensive plays but caught only two of his five targets for 18 yards.
It will be interesting to see what role the rookie will play with the return of John Brown, possibly as early as this week. He has played well in place of Brown but the veteran receiver was a key part of this offense last year and should see a majority of the playing time.
Tyler Bass
After missing an extra point last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tyler Bass was perfect once again by making all six of his extra point attempts and his two field goal attempts against the Denver Broncos. Any concern earlier in the season about his accuracy is gone but it will be interesting to see how he responds if he is asked to make a kick with the game on the line, something he hasn’t had to do yet this season.
Reggie Gilliam
The undrafted tight end saw a little more playing time than usual on offense, playing 10 snaps against the Denver Broncos but also saw a decrease in special teams snaps by playing only 44% of those snaps. While he didn’t have any stats in the box score, he was a big part of one of the biggest plays for the Bills.
While all eyes were on Josh Allen, it was Reggie Gilliam throwing two big blocks down the field that allowed the Bills quarterback to get into the end zone. These type of plays don’t go unnoticed and usually result in a player getting more playing time.