Josh Allen and his new receiver are already making beautiful music in Buffalo. Plus the Packers’ defense dazzled and Saquon Barkley got revenge in this week’s must-watch plays.
Cooper helped the Bills to his 34–10 win in his debut with the team. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In this story: Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings Carolina Panthers Cincinnati Bengals Chicago Bears Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Houston Texans Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts Los Angeles Rams Jacksonville Jaguars Minnesota Vikings Kansas City Chiefs New Orleans Saints Las Vegas Raiders New York Giants Los Angeles Chargers Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins San Francisco 49ers New England Patriots Seattle Seahawks New York Jets Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pittsburgh Steelers Washington Commanders Tennessee Titans close
The NFL is starting to get serious.
We’re almost halfway through the season, and trades have started to be made. Last week, Amari Cooper was dealt to the Buffalo Bills and the move paid immediate dividends on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Elsewhere, the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers were locked into an excellent struggle, with one of the defensive coordinators impressing with their strategy. And in the Meadowlands, Saquon Barkley returned to his old stomping grounds of East Rutherford and lit up the New York Giants, with a little help from his friends.
But we start in Buffalo, where Josh Allen and Cooper are already making beautiful music.
Josh Allen has a new friend in Amari Cooper
Allen has been saddled with most of Buffalo’s burden through the first six weeks of the season. With Khalil Shakir banged up and Dalton Kincaid underperforming expectations, the Bills needed a new hand on the outside. Enter Cooper.
Coming over from Cleveland for a third-round pick and a swap of draft choices, Cooper instantly became the top target in Buffalo’s sagging attack. The impact was immediate.
In the third quarter against the Titans, trailing 10–7, Buffalo faced second-and-10 at Tennessee’s 12-yard line. Buffalo went with an empty look, Cooper (No. 18) in the left slot. The Titans matched with man coverage and a zone blitz.
This play perfectly encapsulates the Bills before and after Cooper. Look at where all the other Buffalo receivers were when Allen hit his back foot. All were covered except for Cooper. He ran a skinny post up the seam but bent ever so slightly to the outside, faking the corner.
In pure man coverage with no help, Titans safety Quandre Diggs (No. 28) was solely responsible for Cooper. He bit on the outside fake, believing Cooper’s leverage. However, when the veteran wideout bent back inside, it was an easy touchdown.
For Cooper, it was his first catch with the Bills, and it went for six. Expect him to be the key target when Buffalo faces sticky coverage or needs to win quickly against man looks.
Texans had all kinds of problems with the Packers’ pressure package
Houston is one of the best teams in football. It also has a burgeoning problem.
The Texans lost 24–22 in Green Bay on Sunday. It was far from a bad loss. In fact, it was almost a great win. But Houston’s fate was sealed by its inability to protect C.J. Stroud, something that has become a major area of concern for DeMeco Ryans’s team.
This play illustrates the issue. Coming out of halftime, Houston led 19–14 with a third-and-5 at its own 35-yard line. On the play, Green Bay coordinator Jeff Hafley showed an all-out blitz with seven at the line. However, the Texans had everyone accounted for with tight end Dalton Schultz (No. 86) and running back Dare Ogunbowale (No. 33) in the backfield.
On the snap, Packers safety Xavier McKinney (No. 29), edge rusher Preston Smith (No. 91) and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (No. 58) dropped into coverage, with Eric Wilson (No. 45) coming on an A-gap in this sim pressure. Wilson crashed toward the left guard while star defensive tackle Kenny Clark (No. 97) looped inside.
Houston ended up blowing the protection. The Texans chipped edge rusher Rashan Gary (No. 52) and doubled defensive tackle Colby Wooden (No. 96), leaving center Juice Scruggs (No. 70) and guard Kenyon Green (No. 76) to deal with Clark and Wilson.
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As you can see, Green blocked air while Scruggs scrambled to force Clark wide. While he was successful, it resulted in Wilson getting a free lane to Stroud and finishing the job.
Saquon Barkley got his revenge on the Giants
On Sunday, Barkley went home, got booed and destroyed the Giants. On 17 carries, Barkley ran for 176 yards and a touchdown, consistently running through and around would-be New York tacklers.
His longest play was a 55-yard run around the left side, taking a handoff and going untouched down the sideline. But the play wasn’t as simple as it sounds.
Leading 7–0 in the second quarter on a second-and-10 from the Philadelphia 26-yard line, the Eagles came out in four-wide while the Giants played seven in the box.
On the snap, Barkley strafed left and took the handoff from Jalen Hurts. In front of him were two key blocks.
The first came from left tackle Fred Johnson (No. 74), who pinned edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (No. 51) inside with a crushing blow. Then there was center Cam Jurgens (No. 51), who did a terrific job of pulling around the left side, getting ahead of Barkley and pancaking safety Tyler Nubin (No. 31) at the second level.
Lastly, right guard Tyler Steen (No. 56) got off the line and did just enough to knock linebacker Micah McFadden (No. 41) off balance, keeping him from making the tackle.
The result was Barkley turning the corner and racing 55 yards to set up an Eagles touchdown, giving them a 14–0 advantage.