“We are never going to apologize for winning. It wasn’t pretty but our goal was 2-0. Our best football has to be ahead of us.”
Those were the words of Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady following Sunday’s 33-30 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
And he wasn’t wrong.
The Bills walked away with another victory, but it was hardly the convincing performance fans had hoped to see. Buffalo allowed 30 points and 378 total yards to a Raiders team that kept finding ways to stay in the game.
Still, a win is a win,
and after back-to-back road games, the Bills accomplished exactly what they set out to do.
Three players received game balls for their performances: running back James Cook, linebacker Dorian Williams, and kicker Tyler Bass.
James Cook: 153 total yards and a touchdown
James Cook continues to demonstrate why he’s such an important part of Buffalo’s offense.
Cook finished with 22 carries for 95 rushing yards and a touchdown, adding three receptions for 58 yards to bring his total to 153 yards from scrimmage.
His three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter helped Buffalo extend its lead, while his contributions in the passing game provided Josh Allen with another weapon when the offense needed to move the chains.
Cook accounted for nearly half of Buffalo’s 358 total offensive yards.
His message after receiving his game ball was simple:
“Let’s Keep it Rolling.”
Considering how much the Bills have relied on Cook to keep the offense moving, that’s a message fans can certainly get behind.
Dorian Williams: A career milestone
Linebacker Dorian Williams earned his game ball after recording the first interception of his NFL career.
Williams finished with five combined tackles, an interception, and a pass defended.
On a day when Buffalo’s defense struggled to contain the Raiders’ passing attack, Williams provided one of the game’s most important defensive plays.
The Bills allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, making Williams’ interception particularly valuable.
It’s a career milestone worth celebrating and a performance that earned him recognition from his head coach.
Tyler Bass: Perfect when Buffalo needed him
If there was ever a game to appreciate the value of a reliable kicker, this was it.
Tyler Bass was perfect against the Raiders, converting all four field-goal attempts and all three extra-point attempts.
His field goals came from 44, 28, 47, and 38 yards, with his final kick coming in the fourth quarter.
That’s 15 points from Bass in a game Buffalo ultimately won by just three.
When an offense settles for field goals instead of touchdowns, the margin for error gets smaller. Bass made sure Buffalo didn’t leave any of those points on the field.
Four field goals. Three extra points. Fifteen points.
Honorable mentions
Not everyone gets a game ball, but a few other performances deserve recognition in my opinion.
Josh Allen: Allen completed 23 of 33 passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, finishing with a 112.6 passer rating. He connected with Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman for Buffalo’s two passing touchdowns. It wasn’t an explosive afternoon by Allen’s standards, but he protected the football and helped the Bills put 33 points on the board.
Keon Coleman: Coleman caught four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, averaging 14.8 yards per reception. His 12-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter helped Buffalo build a 23-13 lead. With DJ Moore inactive, Coleman stepped up as one of Allen’s primary receiving options.
Cole Bishop: Bishop played all 66 defensive snaps and finished with seven combined tackles and two passes defended. While the defense had its share of struggles, Bishop remained one of the constants in Buffalo’s secondary.
Denzel Igbinosun: Igbinosun recorded three passes defended, the most of any Bills defender, while playing 42 defensive snaps. His contributions in coverage deserve recognition, especially on a day when the Raiders threw the ball 41 times.
Final thoughts
There are certainly things the Bills need to clean up, particularly on defense. Giving up 30 points and allowing an opponent to remain in each and every game is gonna wear on this defense.
And perhaps Brady’s postgame message says it best: The Bills aren’t going to apologize for winning. They shouldn’t have to. But their best football still needs to be ahead of them.
