The Bills got revenge for last season’s opening-day loss as they dominated the Steelers from bell to bell en route to a 38-3 win in Orchard Park on Sunday.
The first thing I said about this game was “Welcome Back Gabe Davis!” Yes, I know he played the past few weeks but he didn’t look anything like himself as he dealt with the ankle injury that kept him out of Week 2. This was the first week since the injury that he was able to practice in full all week he was back in a big way.
Buffalo pinned at their own 2-yard line after the mishandling of the game’s opening kickoff (thanks to some swirling wind) but three plays into the game Josh Allen uncorked one from deep in his own endzone and found Gabe Davis who had beaten former-Bills CB Levi Wallace. Steelers safety Tre Norwood misread the route and went under instead of over and Davis caught the ball near midfield, taking it the rest of the way for a 98-yard touchdown.
To throw that pass on 3rd & 10 from inside your own endzone requires a ton of confidence in your receiver and the route concept vs the coverage. From what I heard in the post-game interviews, both Davis and Allen knew the big-play potential pre-snap. If I read between the lines a little, that tells me this was something they probably knew they could get Wallace on from practices of the past. Having that kind of deep play threat back in the game plan makes a big difference in an already strong offense and it wasn’t the last time they’d show it off.
In fairness to Levi, he did get one back early in the 2nd quarter after the Bills and Steelers had added field goals to make it 10-3 Buffalo. The Bills had moved it down to the PIT 21-yard line and were obviously not feeling very afraid of their defense. Allen was looking for Davis again, in the end zone, but Levi had inside position and read Davis’ eyes before turning around to snag the pick. Hats off to Levi, that was a really good play. However, it was one of the lone bright spots for Pittsburgh.
They got 3 & outed off of the turnover and had to give the ball right back to Buffalo at the Bills’ 38-yard line. Allen wasn’t done going after Levi. The Steelers were in a zone (looked like Cover-3 but I would need a batter angle on the play) with Wallace matched up over Davis again but this time he passed off the coverage responsibility to Minkah Fitzpatrick as Gabe ran by him. That didn’t matter. Well, Fitzpatrick had pretty tight coverage but Davis wasn’t being denied on Sunday.
Allen threw an absolute dime to Gabe, where only he could get a hand on it, and he did. But for a moment there, Fitzpatrick had a share of the catch. He and David wrestled for possession for a few strides as they got into the end zone and at the last second, Gabe just muscled it away. I know the Steelers have struggled but Wallace and Fitzpatrick are both good defenders, and just a couple of plays spoke volumes about where Davis is as a WR right now.
The Bills’ defense looked really good with Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips back. They are big-time disruptors and their names may not flash but their presence showed in the box score and on the scoreboard. As a group, the defense finished with 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, and 7 QB hits. That’s how you hold a team to 3 points and they did it without Christian Benford and Jordan Poyer in the secondary. Phillips did appear to aggravate his hamstring injury but walked off the field so that’ll be something to keep an eye on.
That defense forced another 3 & out after the TD and Allen went right back to work from midfield. Devin Singletary had a nice day on a limited touch count but averaged a very healthy 7-yards-per-carry thanks in part to a 23-yarder to start the ensuing drive. Allen found his favorite person, Stefon Diggs for the follow-up 15-yard TD on the next play (his league-leading 5th on the season) and he celebrated as only he knows how.
Chris Boswell missed an easy FG for him thanks to the wind and the Bills got the ball back with just under 4-minutes left in the half. So, of course, they went after it. Allen had already gotten TDs for his Top-2, so this was the Khalil Shakir drive. The rookie had a nice gain of 20 to spark the drive and Allen targeted him again right after that but it was incomplete. On a 3rd & 5 from the Steelers’ 24-yard line, Allen didn’t miss him again. The ball was a tad underthrown, but Shakir had beaten the defender and he made a nice play on the ball and survived the contact to trot in for his first career TD.
That wasn’t his only play of the day either. His most impressive grab came on a laser down the middle where he had to high-point the ball over a pair of defenders closing in. He finished the day with 3 catches for 75 yards and the TD, but he also had a drop that could have been big. He will fill the slot role nicely as Isaiah McKenzie recovers from his concussion and, honestly, I see Shakir pushing him for playing time even when he’s back. The kid’s got juice. ‘
Buffalo would carry the 31-3 lead into the half of the strength of a Kaiir Elam interception. He didn’t have the best coverage day dealing with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, who both look like they’ll start doing pretty well as they gel with Pickett, but he came away with the pick there. The ball was slightly underthrown but he made a nice play on it to get his first career pick.
It must have been rookie day or something in Western New York because the Bills weren’t done there. They continued to dominate in the second half and even though they only tacked on one touchdown, it was the first career score for RB James Cook. He has shown good burst to the edges this season but has been used sparingly inside the hashes, but with the way this game had gone, he found a nice off-tackle opening and showed that finishing speed. Combined with Allen and Devin Singletary, the Bills ran for 120 yards on 18 carries. That’s how you close out a ball game.
One of the biggest indicators when it comes to Bills victories is keeping a clean pocket for their prized superstar QB. Allen wasn’t sacked at all. With time to survey and throw and a dialed-in rocket launcher attached at the shoulder, he is going to pick defenses apart. He finished the day 20/31 with a staggering 424 yards, 4 TDs, and one interception. Good luck to any team that can’t pressure him.
Some other things to note: Tyrel Dodson had a great game. He was one of the sneaky good re-signings of the offseason and he showed exactly why in this one with 11 tackles and a sack. Damar Hamlin and Jaquan Johnson both played really well too with 8 tackles each. And, rookie LB Terrel Bernard had a nice day too with 6 tackles. Injuries are bound to happen and it’s kind of a blessing in disguise to get the young-guns quality reps on both sides of the ball now, rather than later when the stakes are much higher. Should the injuries pile up again by the end of the year, that depth will be much more valuable.
Okay, that’s it for now. I am off to Florida for a little vacation but I may do some work out there too. The Bills head to Kansas City looking to take out their frustrations from last season’s crushing postseason end. That is America’s Game of the Week, but it should be in primetime. Oh well.
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