First, there’s only one surprising name, which will actually be my second point. Jake Kumerow, Jaquan Johnson, Siran Neal, Terrel Bernard, Tyler Bass, and Taiwan Jones all at 58%Ī couple thoughts on this.For special teams, the main point of intrigue aside from the lack of punting is who the core guys are as this can impact the active/inactive list each week. Let’s swap around the format a bit this time. That’s pretty typical for the Bills the last few seasons, with them leaning toward a faster line to go with their nickel back end. Even adjusting for Miller as an EDGE and Phillips as a DT, Buffalo had an extra defensive end on the field in lieu of a tackle on 12% of snaps. Phillips.įor the number-crunching here, Buffalo played with exactly five defensive backs 100% of the time and two linebackers 100% of the time (unless you think Miller was actually playing LB). DaQuan Jones led the group, and performed admirably along with Tim Settle and J. I’d expect Ed Oliver to top the defensive tackle counts when he’s healthy, but an ankle injury in the first half took him off the field for a large chunk of the game. Regarding Miller, our own Dan Lavoie had this to say: “Monster efficiency.” Epenesa had more time than Von Miller? And Boogie Basham was in striking distance of Miller. Players like Jerry Hughes, Lorenzo Alexander, Ed Oliver, and plenty more have shown time-and-time again that Buffalo likes to move pieces around a lot up front.Īs for playing time, did you notice that both Greg Rousseau and A.J. Buffalo is a nickel defense with a versatile front and has been for a long time. This could create some arguments whether Buffalo is a 4-3 any longer or if Miller represents a shift to 3-4, but I think both are wrong personally. Note, the Bills did in fact sprinkle in DE snaps for Phillips in his first game back with the team, but I don’t think it’s fair to say it’s his natural position. There’s a couple weird position listings above with Von Miller still showing as a linebacker, which is also the likely culprit for Jordan Phillips being listed as a defensive end. Keep an eye on this as it might be scheme dependent with Elam theoretically better suited for man, with Benford having the edge in zone. In another semi-surprising move, Christian Benford got the start over Kaiir Elam AND had a greater playing time percentage. Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Taron Johnson, and Dane Jackson all came off for two snaps. Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano came close, but each came off the field for one snap to allow Terrel Bernard and Tyrel Dodson onto the field. Defense (67 snaps)įor defense there was no 100% club. It might have been higher if Gilliam hadn’t suffered a minor injury during the game as well. The fullback appeared on 23% of snaps, which is a pretty heavy dose for the Bills. The Bills did show off Reggie Gilliam though. There was one play with an extra running back on the field (21 personnel). Buffalo had two snaps or 3% of their plays with two tight ends. Time for the number crunch! There was widespread conjecture that Buffalo may elect to use more 12 personnel this year (1 RB, 2 TE). Zack Moss was the number two and James Cook debuted in what might be described as “The worst possible ****ing manner for a running back to debut on a Sean McDermott team.” After a fumble on his first NFL carry, Cook was officially in the doghouse. Based on production that’s likely to continue. In the running back room, it was the Devin Singletary show. Howard to stick on the roster, was inactive. The tight end pecking order was very straightforward with Dawson Knox seeing the field the majority of the time with Tommy Sweeney a distant second. Khalil Shakir was a bit of a surprise inactive. Isaiah McKenzie was the next man up, followed by Jamison Crowder and Jake Kumerow. Stefon Diggs came in a bit lower than I’d have expected at 64%, but that didn’t prevent him from having a good game. Davis is likely the new workhorse receiver for Buffalo as he looks to cement his WR2 status. Nearing the 100% club was Gabriel Davis who had one more snap than Saffold. That line would be Dion Dawkins, Ryan Bates, Spencer Brown, Mitch Morse, and the aforementioned Saffold. Josh Allen and the remainder of the starting offensive line all hit the mark though. An eye poke to Rodger Saffold took him off the field for two snaps. The Buffalo Bills had a nearly complete 100% club. Head coach Sean McDermott and crew have had no qualms tinkering in the past, but let’s start setting our baseline of personnel expectations for the 2022 season. With the games now counting, the playing time becomes more meaningful. I think here at Buffalo Rumblings we can live with that. What a way to kick the season off! At least for the Buffalo Bills and their fans.
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