The Buffalo Bills rolled to a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, but it took a while for the team to get going.
The team fell into a 10-0 hole, but figured out the Titans’ offense and defense after getting into the two score hole. Buffalo was able to rebound against a bad Titans team, but the team cannot continue to get off to slow starts in the future, Offensively, the passing attack showed signs of life after a slow first quarter. Amari Cooper performed well in his debut with the team which opened things up for Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid.
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Buffalo’s defense, led by the defensive line, came to life after allowing 10 points. Greg Rousseau led the way with six quarterback hits and one-half sack while multiple members of the defensive line took Mason Rudolph down. A.J. Epenesa, Dawuane Smoot and DaQuan Jones all registered sacks in the win.
After moving to 5-2 on the season, here is where the Bills stand on various power rankings as well as their analysis.
ESPN: No. 3 (Up 3)
Young riser: CB Christian Benford
Since training camp, Benford has shown why he can be a consistent and strong long-term starter. He has given up 3.7 yards per target as the nearest defender this season, tied for the third fewest by a player with 20 or more targets, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Among cornerbacks with 200 or more coverage snaps, Benford, 24, has given up the second-lowest completion percentage as the nearest defender (51.6%). “[Benford] knows what it takes, he works hard every day … like extremely hard,” fellow starting outside corner Rasul Douglas said this season. “He studies. He’s just locked in, he’s focused.”
Sports Illustrated: No. 3 (Up 8)
I like the addition of Amari Cooper, who won against man coverage in this game and, at least to me, seemed to add another dimension to this offense. Josh Allen looked like he had drives on Sunday where Cooper would be fed on one, then Dalton Kincaid on the next, and Keon Coleman after that. While Coleman had the bulk of his yards on a wide open reception, I was impressed with his ability to body a defender on a back shoulder fade near the end zone that was called back.
USA Today: No. 7 (Up 2)
They trade for WR Amari Cooper … and, naturally, rookie Keon Coleman has Buffalo’s first 100-yard receiving day of the season in Sunday’s victory.
Pro Football Talk: No. 8 (Up 2)
Amari Cooper is exactly what Josh Allen needed.
Yahoo: No. 5 (Up 1)
Amari Cooper was a shrewd pickup for the Bills. He’ll always battle inconsistency but Buffalo didn’t have any other wideout on his level. Cooper has to be reenergized going from the Browns’ offense to playing with Josh Allen. That was a trade that could have ramifications for the entire season.
CBS Sports: No. 6 (Up 1)
The Amari Cooper trade paid off right away in the victory over the Titans. The passing game will be a lot better now with Cooper playing the No. 1 receiver role.
NFL.com: No. 5 (Up 1)
Amari Cooper woke up after halftime in his Bills debut and clearly added a dimension to the offense that hadn’t been there. That was a highly encouraging development, and it theoretically should get better with time. The veteran’s presence in the lineup also appeared to give rookie Keon Coleman a little boost in his best showing to date, with four catches for 125 yards. The entire offense was incredibly sleepy early in the game, which has been an issue before, so it can’t be blamed on getting Cooper up to speed. Buffalo got going eventually, and the defense also rallied after a shaky start that saw the home team fall into a 10-0 hole against lowly Tennessee. The end product: A 34-10 win. You’d like to see the Bills give a more complete 60 minutes week in and week out against seemingly lesser foes, but that’s not really how they’re built. They’re sort of the boxer who needs to take a few shots before the match really starts. That worked against the Titans and Cardinals, but it didn’t work against Houston and Baltimore. Translation: The Bills need to get this out of their system before the playoffs.
Bleacher Report: No. 6 (Up 1)
The Buffalo Bills made a splash move last week, trading for wide receiver Amari Cooper in an effort to give their inconsistent offense a boost.
Cooper’s arrival wasn’t the sole reason why the Bills thrashed a bad Tennessee Titans team. But the veteran scored a touchdown in his first game with the team, and Josh Allen threw for a season-high 323 yards.
Allen talked up his new No. 1 receiver while speaking to the media after the game.
“Any time you have a player of his caliber, he demands extra attention. If you don’t, we’re probably going to throw him the ball,” Allen said. “But our guys did a good job of getting open, making plays.”
The effort wasn’t flawless. The Bills were sluggish in the first half and actually trailed Tennessee 10-0. But by game’s end, the Bills looked like what so many expected entering the season—one of the best teams in the AFC.
Analyst’s Take
I’ll give the Bills a ton of credit for the Cooper trade. While he’s only signed through the end of the season, he has a team-friendly salary that will leave Buffalo with enough financial flexibility to make another trade-deadline addition if necessary.
At this point, I’m not sure why Buffalo wouldn’t be all-in on making a 2024 run. Allen continues to limit mistakes, and with Cooper in the mix, the Bills appear to have a surplus of playmakers. Their defense, while not great, plays extremely spirited football. We’re still waiting for that “signature” win, but Buffalo has the pieces needed to make a serious run. — Knox