It’s Victory Monday for the second straight week after the Buffalo Bills handled business on Sunday afternoon, beating the New York Jets, 30-10. Quarterback Josh Allen came back down to Earth after a monster Week 1 performance, totaling just 208 scrimmage yards and zero touchdowns, marking just the second time since 2018 that Buffalo has won a game in which Allen didn’t account for a single touchdown.
The Bills have started the season 2-0 for the fifth time in the Allen era, but focus shifts quickly
on this short week as Buffalo prepares for the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.
The injury bug continues to plague the Bills, with both defensive tackle Ed Oliver and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson unable to suit up against the Jets in Week 2. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel was a healthy scratch for the second straight week, joining rookies offensive tackle Chase Lundt and edge rusher Landon Jackson.
Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson is dealing with multiple injuries and was ruled out prior to kickoff, leading to practice-squad call-ups for both linebacker Keonta Jenkins and defensive tackle Zion Logue (Oliver’s replacement).
See the full list of inactives here!
Bills offensive snap counts (75 snaps)
O.Torrence G – 75 snaps (100%)
S.Brown T – 75 snaps (100%)
D.Edwards G – 67 snaps (89%)
C.McGovern G – 67 snaps (89%)
D.Dawkins T – 67 snaps (89%)
J.Allen QB – 65 snaps (87%)
D.Knox TE – 41 snaps (55%)
K.Coleman WR – 38 snaps (51%)
J.Palmer WR – 38 snaps (51%)
K.Shakir WR – 37 snaps (49%)
D.Kincaid TE – 36 snaps (48%)
J.Hawes TE – 35 snaps (47%)
J.Cook RB – 35 snaps (47%)
E.Moore WR – 30 snaps (40%)
T.Shavers WR – 25 snaps (33%)
R.Davis RB – 20 snaps (27%)
R.Gilliam FB – 19 snaps (25%)
T. Johnson RB – 19 snaps (25%)
A.Anderson T – 10 snaps (13%)
M.Trubisky QB – 10 snaps (13%)
R. Van Demark T – 8 snaps (11%)
S.Van Pran Granger C/G – 8 snaps (11%)
Aside from a monster 40-yard rush on Buffalo’s third offensive play of the game and the usual scrambling magic, Allen (87%) struggled to find consistency through the air against a pestering Jets’ secondary. The Bills scored on their first four drives of the game, but the offense certainly left quite a few points on the board due to poor execution and questionable play-calling.
Thankfully, Buffalo paid running back James Cook (47%) before the season began, and it’s paid off thus far. The 25-year-old totaled 21 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, marking just the fourth time in his career that he has totaled 20 carries in a game. He was by far the best player on the field on Sunday, and it feels good knowing that Buffalo can win games when Allen has off days. Running back Ray Davis (27%) out-snapped Ty Johnson (25%) by just one snap this week after taking a backseat role with just 10 snaps in Week 1 versus Baltimore.
Part of the reason why Allen was unable to find his groove in the passing game was Buffalo’s receivers’ lack of separation against New York’s secondary. Second-year wideout Keon Coleman (51%) dominated snaps in Week 1 but took a step back in Week 2, tying Josh Palmer (51%) and out-snapping Khalil Shakir (49%) by just one snap. The pass catchers were rather quiet due to just 180 total passing yards, but made plays when it mattered, particularly Elijah Moore (40%). Moore was drafted by the Jets in 2021, so this was a bit of a revenge game for him, and he made two plays—one 31-yard reception on third down in the third quarter and a four-yard jet sweep touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid (48%) recorded five fewer snaps than Dawson Knox (55%) and one more than rookie Jackson Hawes (47%), but led the team in targets (6) and receptions (4). The continued use of Hawes and less of reserve tackle Alec Anderson (13%) for additional blocking remains an interesting development within the Bills’ offense.
Bills defensive snap counts (47 snaps)
C.Bishop S – 47 snaps (100%)
C.Benford CB – 37 snaps (79%)
T.Bernard LB – 37 snaps (79%)
T.Rapp S – 37 snaps (79%)
C.Lewis DB – 33 snaps (70%)
D.Williams LB – 30 snaps (64%)
J.Bosa DE – 26 snaps (55%)
A.Epenesa DE – 26 snaps (55%)
T.White DB – 26 snaps (55%)
G.Rousseau DE – 25 snaps (53%)
J.Solomon DE – 23 snaps (49%)
M.Milano LB – 23 snaps (49%)
T.Sanders DT – 23 snaps (49%)
D.Jones DT – 22 snaps (47%)
D.Walker DT – 22 snaps (47%)
D.Strong CB – 21 snaps (45%)
Z.Logue DT – 16 snaps (34%)
D.Hamlin S – 12 snaps (26%)
J.Ingram CB – 11 snaps (23%)
J.Andreessen LB – 10 snaps (21%)
B.Codrington CB – 10 snaps (21%)
Following a rough Week 1 showing, the defense responded in a big way by shutting down a Jets offense that was receiving quite a bit of hype throughout the week. Buffalo held New York to just 154 total yards of offense, the fewest it has allowed in a road game since 1990! The Jets’ first five drives of the game totaled 78 (!) total yards and resulted in: punt, fumble, punt, punt, field goal.
Considering many of us were convinced the Bills were going to allow another 30-point outing, that wasn’t the case, even with two major injuries to the defensive unit. The Bills’ secondary played well, especially in the run game. Cornerback Tre’Davious White (55%) played his first game in Bills’ colors since October 2023 and flashed glimpses of his once-elite self. Christian Benford (79%) started alongside White and also made his presence known with a tackle for loss.
Defensive back Cam Lewis (70%) received the spot-start at nickel cornerback with Johnson sidelined, logging 33 snaps and four total tackles. It will be interesting to see how Buffalo handles Johnson’s injury and ultimately his return, given that Lewis has performed well in the position when asked to do so in the past. Rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock also remains sidelined and has yet to play, but he also offers versatility in the secondary.
Time to talk about the biggest defensive impact — Mr. Joey Bosa (55%). The 30-year-old edge rusher led the defensive line in snaps and forced his third fumble (only two have counted) in his first two games as a Buffalo Bill. He’s showing early glimpses of what veteran edge rusher Von Miller offered the Bills’ defense prior to tearing his ACL and never looking the same again. Bosa’s health has hindered his success in the NFL, but if Buffalo can get lucky and avoid any major scares, it is in good shape to have a difference-making pass-rusher once the playoffs roll around. A.J. Epenesa (55%) recovered the forced fumble by Bosa and logged 26 snaps, which was one more than his counterpart, Greg Rousseau. 25 snaps is the fewest snaps that Groot has recorded since Week 2 of the 2023 season.
Oliver’s injury forced two Bills rookies into primary roles. Defensive tackle Deone Walker (47%) recorded the start alongside veteran DaQuan Jones (47%) on Buffalo’s first defensive drive, but it was T.J. Sanders (49%) who ended up with one more snap than both of them. Practice squad call-up Zion Logue (34%) made the most of his opportunity, recording a half-sack and pass deflection across 16 total snaps.
One quick note: linebacker Matt Milano (49%) started the second half of the game standing on the sideline, seen wearing an arm brace on his right arm/shoulder. On Justin Fields’ 27-yard run right before the end of the first half, Milano was seen chasing him down, coming up short and immediately grabbing his right shoulder area.
Bills special teams snap counts (28 snaps)
D.Williams LB – 20 snaps (71%)
J.Andreessen LB – 20 snaps (71%)
R.Gilliam FB – 19 snaps (68%)
S.Franklin DB – 17 snaps (61%)
J.Solomon DE – 17 snaps (61%)
D.Hamlin S – 17 snaps (61%)
J.Ingram CB – 15 snaps (54%)
T.Shavers WR – 15 snaps (54%)
D.Strong CB – 14 snaps (50%)
K.Jenkins LB – 14 snaps (50%)
M.Prater K – 13 snaps (46%)
B.Codrington CB – 11 snaps (39%)
T.Johnson RB – 10 snaps (36%)
D.Walker DT – 10 snaps (36%)
R.Ferguson LS – 9 snaps (32%)
C.Johnston P – 9 snaps (32%)
R.Van Demark T – 6 snaps (21%)
A.Anderson T – 6 snaps (21%)
D.Dawkins T – 6 snaps (21%)
D.Edwards G – 6 snaps (21%)
O.Torrence G – 6 snaps (21%)
S.Brown T – 6 snaps (21%)
A.Epenesa DE – 5 snaps (18%)
C.Benford CB – 4 snaps (14%)
J.Hawes TE – 4 snaps (14%)
R.Davis RB – 4 snaps (14%)
T.Bernard LB – 3 snaps (11%)
G.Rousseau DE – 3 snaps (11%)
D.Jones DT – 3 snaps (11%)
C.Bishop S – 2 snaps (7%)
T.Rapp S – 2 snaps (7%)
T.White CB – 2 snaps (7%)
C.Lewis DB – 2 snaps (7%)
J.Bosa DE – 2 snaps (7%)
Z.Logue DT – 1 snap (4%)
M.Milano LB – 1 snap (4%)
E.Moore WR – 1 snap (4%)
D.Knox TE – 1 snap (4%)
D.Kincaid TE – 1 snap (4%)
