The Buffalo Bills battled through another tough win, this time against the New England Patriots. The win was ugly, but the Bills' defense was fantastic, forcing four turnovers in the first half. Unfortunately, Buffalo turned those turnovers into only 20 points at the half, and six were from a pick-six by Rasul Douglas.
The Bills were outgained by the Patriots in total offensive yards, 294 to Buffalo's 281. Josh Allen was off target all day and couldn't get the passing game going and they managed a paltry 3.4 yards per carry in the run game. We know the Patriots are known for the defense, but the Bills should not be struggling like this against a team like New England. But here we are.
Fortunately, the defense came to play, and Buffalo came away the victors, 27 - 21. This is the second week in a row that the offense has struggled, and the playoffs are just a couple of weeks away, but before that, the Bills must take care of business against the Miami Dolphins next week. It's simple for the Bills, win and you're in.
There are a couple of players I want to give shoutouts too before we get into the top five for each side of the ball. These players earned high Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades but didn't log enough snaps to qualify for our top five. First, on the defensive side is Taylor Rapp, who seems to have been up and down this season but against the Patriots, he earned a PFF grade of 79.9 but played on only seven snaps. On the offense side, Ty Johnson played 13 snaps and earned a PFF grade of 67.8.
Bills top-5 PFF offensive grades for week 17
1. Stefon Diggs - 73.1
Despite the solid PFF rank, some concerns are swirling around Stefon Diggs and no it's not the media-driven narrative, but the question has become, what's happened with Diggs? Out of a possible 69 snaps, he was in on 45. Both Khalil Shakir and Gabe Davis logged more. He was targeted seven times but came away with four receptions for only 26 yards. The PFF score is more about what he did that we don't see stats for, but something is off with Diggs usage the last month.
2. Dalton Kincaid - 69.7
Dalton Kincaid had another solid game this week, particularly after Knox came off the field with a head injury (he was cleared to return). Kincaid was also targeted seven times and had four receptions but he turned that into 87 yards. Kincaid is putting together the greatest rookie season by a tight end in Bills history too and has a chance to set new records this weekend as well.
3. Spencer Brown - 68.5
After next week's game, I plan to put together a list of the players that most frequented the top five each week and I have a feeling Spencer Brown may show up on that list. He has become a solid right tackle for the Bills and put to rest any questions or concerns the fan base had before the start of season
4. Khalil Shakir - 68.3
Khalil Shakir has been a pleasant surprise this season, similarly to Brown, Shakir has come on, especially over the second half of the season making plays for this offense out of the slot position. Against the Patriots, he had four receptions on four targets, for 39 yards.
5. Dion Dawkins - 65.1
I love to see any of the Bills' offensive linemen on this list, but at 65.1, Dawkins needs to be better. He should be the rock on this line and most weeks he is but the line, outside of Brown struggled somewhat against the Patriots.
Bills top-5 PFF defensive grades for week 17
1. Christian Benford - 89.4
2. Rasul Douglas - 81.6
I can't say this enough, this is probably the greatest in-season move that Brandon Beane has pulled off in his tenure as the Bills' general manager. Against New England, Douglas had a couple of tackles, but he also had three passes defensed and two interceptions, one of which he took to the house for six.
3. Greg Rousseau - 73.1
Greg Rousseau continues to turn in solid performances week in and week out. Rousseau will continue to develop his pass rushing skills, but his run defense is where he excels. He's been consistently one of the higher graded players in this area, according to PFF>
4. Taron Johnson - 73.1
Is there a better nickel corner in the league? I think the answer to that is a resounding no. Johnson has been one of the best defensive players on this Bills team for years now. He had four total tackles against the Patriots and was a rock in the secondary.
5. Ed Oliver - 72.6
That was one of the most athletic plays I've seen from a defensive tackle that I can remember. Oliver has been fantastic all season, whether DaQuan Jones was lined up next to him or someone else, Oliver has been the linchpin of the Bills' defensive front. Oliver was everywhere this week, recording two tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, a pass defensed, and two quarterback hits to go along with his interception.