Football continues on today but the Buffalo Bills have been getting their rest and health up as they are on their bye week coming off back-to-back wins over the Rams and Raiders out west.
The offense behind Josh Allen has been playing at an elite level. Whether DJ Moore has been on the field or not, Buffalo's passing attack hasn't been a disaster like it once was. Plus, the rushing attack led by James Cook remains one of the best in the league.
The biggest focus on the Bills right now, though (and not for a good reason) is the defense and their performance. They are allowing 386.8 yards to opponents, with the only team giving up more is the Detroit Lions at 404.4 yards. Coming out of their bye week, the Bills have to address this issue because they are barely winning games, which isn't sustainable.
Bills are 5-1, but not in a convincing fashion
You never complain about a win. At the same time, each win that the Bills have this year have nearly come down to the wire at some point. They don't have that one blowout win that they would usually have by now.
Then again, it's not always about how you win; but rather just win the game.
With the rest of Week 7 kicking off today and going into Monday night, I have put together a midseason report card for each individual position unit (and also decided to add in an extra bonus with the grading of the coaching staff).
Midterm grabs for each Bills position unit (including coaching staff)
QB: (A-)
Josh Allen started off at the top of everyone's early MVP pick with fantastic Weeks 1-2 performances against the Texans and Lions. However, we all know that the Josh Allen experience has its downs as well. No one is perfect.
He's made a majority of the Bills' biggest plays up to this point as he already has 17 total touchdowns on the season. On the other side, he also has made some costly mistakes with 4 interceptions (which includes a 3-game stretch of atleast 1 turnover). There have been a handful of times where he has made some questionable decisions that have stopped the offense's momentum, or turned it into a costly turnover.
He still gets an A- up to this point, but there is room for improvement on his end.
RB: (A-)
James Cook is picking up where he left off last season with 627 yards (3rd amongst RBs), 6 touchdowns, and averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He's got three games of 100+ yards on the ground and he's also got 3 games of averaging over 6 yards per carry. Pretty impressive, right?
Well, it would be even more impressive if he could be more aware of the ball security as he has fumbled 4 times this season, losing 2 of them. That's been the biggest knock on him, but he did respond well in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders with no fumbles.
While Ray Davis and Ty Johnson have had some opportunities as well, Cook is and will continue to be the main back by a mile.
WR: (B)
DJ Moore has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Week 2, that actually kept him from playing in Buffalo's last two games. However, you can see how much different the Bills' passing game is when he is on the field. Khalil Shakir remains a reliable go-to guy for Allen, but he hasn't made a huge splash just yet.
Joshua Palmer has been extremely disappointing, and it would be very surprising if he is on the roster past the NFL trade deadline. In addition, Skyler Bell hasn't done anything yet in his limited games played. The big story so far for this group has been Keon Coleman, who has grown from last year with his production and maturity.
Coleman has 283 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year so far (catching 79% of his targets), and he has definitely earned the trust of both Allen and Bills fans. He's a big reason why the Bills' WR unit has a B at this point.
TE: (C-)
Dalton Kincaid got off to a hot start in the first two games with 12 catches for 225 yards with a touchdown. From Week 3 and on, he had just 11 total receptions for 90 yards. How did this happen?!
The Bills have to find a way to get Kincaid the ball because he is so special in the open field. Then you have Dawson Knox who has done very little up to this point (8 catches for 36 yards and a score). While Jackson Hawes remains to help with the rushing attack as a blocker, he's been penalized a handful of times which puts the Bills in some tough situations.
OL: (A-)
Is this unit perfect? No, but they sure are one of the top units across the entire league. Even with the departure of David Edwards in the offseason, Alec Anderson has done a fantastic job at LG filling in and is arguably the best run-blocker the Bills have upfront.
The tackle duo of Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown remains strong, and the interior with Anderson, Connor McGovern, and O’Cyrus Torrence has done a solid job at protecting the middle of the pocket for Josh Allen, and opening up running lanes for James Cook.
This unit is the best one that the Bills have and it’s arguably not even close.
DL: (B)
Up to this point, the Bills’ run-defense is much improved from last season. Sure, they can’t stop the pass but they have improved with stopping the run. Buffalo has the 13th-ranked run defense entering Week 7, and part of the reason why is because of their defensive line being built to stop the run.
Deone Walker has been sensational, Greg Rousseau has continued to be a great run-stopper in addition to taking a step forward in his pass rush, and even someone like T.J. Sanders has stepped up after making his season debut in Week 5. DeWayne Carter has even had a few nice plays.
However, Ed Oliver has missed more time this season due to injury just like he did last season, so it would be nice to see him on the field more consistently.
LB: (D)
It's been an extremely rough going for this unit. Terrel Bernard looks like he has taken a step backwards. Dorian Williams remains strong in the run-defense, but he isn't great in pass coverage. Then you have Kaleb Elarms-Orr who has shown a little bit of promise, but he hasn't received the consistent playing time.
I'm not a fan of this unit at all through their first six games.
CB: (D+)
Christian Benford has played some better football in recent games, but he started out rough in this new scheme under Jim Leonhard. Maxwell Hairston had an extremely bad game in Week 4 which has ultimately led to Davison Igbinosun getting more reps (and he's performed at a great level). Dee Alford has been somewhat decent, but nothing too special.
With Buffalo's pass-defense being the 31st ranked unit in the league, the Bills' corners have played a big role in it and they have plenty of adjustments to make.
S: (F)
This unit is by far the worst one that the Bills have. Cole Bishop has taken that leap that fans were hoping for after a solid finish last season. Outside of his Week 3 interception against the Los Angeles Chargers, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been a disappointment with his play. Not to mention, he received a one game suspension for spitting towards TE Brock Bowers in Week 6 after being ejected from the game.
Jalon Kilgore finally saw some real snaps when Gardner-Johnson was ejected and he had a key 4th quarter pass breakup to hold off the Raiders' offense. Damar Hamlin has been super inconsistent against the pass, but his run-support does help.
However, this is the unit that the Bills should be looking to improve before the NFL trade deadline because if they don't, it's going to cause a major heartbreak later on in the season.
ST: (A)
Tyler Bass is perfect on field goal attempts (13/13) and he's also gone 18/20 on PAT attempts. He is second among kickers with 57 points and he has earned a lot of trust back from Bills fans after a rocky couple of seasons.
Rookie punter Tommy Doman Jr. hasn't had to punt much this season (only 12 punts so far) which tells you a lot about Buffalo's offense. However, Doman Jr. is averaging 48.7 yards per punt which ranks 13th in the league.
Coaching staff: (B-)
Joe Brady had an advantage when he was promoted to head coach, since he has been in the building since 2022 and worked his way up. His hiring created mixed emotions amongst the fanbase, but he is actually the most successful first-year head coach as of right now. Not to mention, he's calling the plays on offense and the unit hasn't missed a beat.
However, Brady has two major problems to address that play a role into the B- grade; the defense's performance and the penalties.
Even though Jim Leonhard is the defensive coordinator, it all falls onto Brady on how to make these adjustments when things aren't going well. Right now, Buffalo's defense is a major liability. He and Leonhard will have to find a way to improve because what they are doing right now is clearly not working.
As far as the penalties, this is definitely a Joe Brady problem. Buffalo has had 51 penalties be accepted against them. That is a ridiculous rate that Brady has to clean up immediately. Undisciplined football is going to eventually cost the Bills some games, and potentially a crucial one that could end their season sooner than they wants.
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