The Buffalo Bills were able to avoid a three-game losing streak by preventing the Carolina Panthers from earning a four-game winning streak. The Bills took down the Panthers 40-9 in a game they dominated from start to finish. Buffalo never trailed, and while Carolina had one strong drive early in the game, it was thwarted by defensive end Greg Rousseau’s strip-sack of backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who was over-matched by a tenacious Buffalo defense that looked ready to answer the bell after a subpar
start to the season.
The offense awoke, as well, scoring 40 points for the second time this season. The Bills found favorable field position thanks to three Carolina turnovers, and they still managed to rack up over 400 total yards of offense for the third time this season, and the first time since their Week 2 victory over the New York Jets.
Sure, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it’s hard to nitpick so convincing a win after suffering two losses where they played like a team I don’t recognize. Our players to watch were front and center this week. Here’s how they performed.
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RB James Cook
Buffalo absolutely demolished what is a very good Panthers run defense, totaling 245 yards on the ground. For context, the Panthers had allowed 235 rushing yards combined over their previous four games. James Cook was incredible, totaling 216 yards on the ground on 19 carries. That total is the most for a Bills running back since a certain someone, whom the team will not name in social media posts, ran for 273 yards in Week 12 of the 1976 season.
Cook averaged nearly eight yards per carry before contact, which is a testament to the strength of Buffalo’s run blocking scheme and the offensive line in general in that phase of the game. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady kept calling the same toss sweep play, and it kept working. Rather than make “cute” calls as we’ve lampooned him for of late, he stuck with what worked, and the results are hard to argue. Cook will need to keep the gas on next weekend, as a date with Buffalo’s annual tormentors, the Kansas City Chiefs, awaits.
WR Khalil Shakir
Sometimes, it really isn’t difficult. Just give the ball to your best players and see what happens. Khalil Shakir combined for nine receptions in Buffalo’s two losses. Against the Panthers, he had six catches on seven targets for 88 yards and one very nice 54-yard touchdown.
Most of Shakir’s routes were run shallow, and the ones where he does the most damage are typically those where quarterback Josh Allen hits him within a few yards of the line of scrimmage. That’s just fine. He catches the football, he makes people miss, he gains plenty of yardage, and he keeps the offense on time.
Shakir can expect to see plenty of Trent McDuffie in Week 9, but the Bills would be wise to make sure they keep him in motion, work to ensure him some free releases off the line, and feed him the ball in the passing game. There’s no reason why Shakir shouldn’t see 10 targets on Sunday. Shakir showed once again that he can be trusted to take little passes and turn them into big gains. He also served as the team’s punt returner this week, returning two times for eight yards.
DT Larry Ogunjobi
Given that DaQuan Jones was hurt, I figured that Larry Ogunjobi would see plenty of snaps in his first action with the Bills. Coming off a suspension, I figured that the team would use him on 30%-40% of the defensive snaps.
However, after Ed Oliver tore his biceps early in the game, Ogunjobi’s usage quickly shot up. He played nearly half the team’s defensive snaps, and he was noticeable in both the run game and in pass rush situations. He totaled three tackles and gave solid push from the inside all afternoon.
Buffalo will need to reshuffle its interior defensive line in the wake of Oliver’s injury, as they’ll put the 2019 first-round pick on Injured Reserve soon. Ogunjobi will likely be in line to start some games, especially if Jones remains out with his calf injury. Last Sunday was a promising start for the big fella.
LB Shaq Thompson
Not only did Shaq Thompson start in his return to the stadium he called home for his first 10 NFL seasons, but he was once again the “green dot” calling the plays as the team’s middle linebacker. Buffalo was without Matt Milano, who was inactive, and Terrel Bernard also sat thanks to an ankle injury. While the defensive captain was active, he was only going to play in an emergency situation, which thankfully did not occur. That meant that Buffalo’s linebacker trio was Thompson, Dorian Williams, and Joe Andreessen.
Thompson’s grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) was low, but he definitely didn’t seem to play poorly (and we take PFF grades with many grains of salt). On A.J. Epenesa’s leaping interception of an attempted Andy Dalton screen pass, it was Thompson who called out the audible at the line and signaled to Epenesa what the play was.
Thompson was third among Buffalo’s linebackers in tackles, notching only four while playing 89% of the team’s snaps on defense, but his football I.Q, and leadership continued to shine through. He’s been an excellent addition.
CB Christian Benford
I wrote that Benford would need to shadow Carolina’s top target, wideout Tetairoa McMillan, for the Bills to contain Carolina’s passing attack. Well, it turns out that all they had to do was generate a pass rush from their front four to do just that.
The Panthers had allowed just 12 sacks on the season entering play. They allowed seven sacks in Week 8, as Buffalo’s defensive line overwhelmed Carolina’s offensive line. Shoutout to Michael Hoecht, in particular, who had three tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble on the day.
McMillan caught seven passes for 99 yards, but none of it mattered. Buffalo’s pass coverage as a whole looked good, which is partly due to the great pass rush, but could also be because of some personnel changes.
Maxwell Hairston lined up across from Benford for around half the snaps, and Jordan Poyer slotted in next to Cole Bishop in place of an injured Taylor Rapp. Rookie Jordan Hancock even saw time in the secondary with Bishop.
Benford was his usual steady self, totaling three tackles and a fumble recovery on the day. That makes three straight games now where he’s looked good after a shaky start to the season. He’ll need to keep that streak going next week against the Chiefs.
