SEATTLE — As victories go, the Bills couldn’t have asked for much more during their 31-10 throttling of the Seahawks on the road.
The offense assembled five scoring drives and succeeded on the ground and through the air. The defense forced turnovers, got big stops and limited the Seahawks to only three points when the game still mattered. And the cherry on top, the Bills had no reported injuries during the game.
Then, when you throw in last-minute Sunday losses by the Dolphins and Jets, the 6-2 Bills now have a gargantuan three-and-a-half game AFC East lead with only nine more games on the schedule — and they’ve got the tiebreaker. It was a near-perfect Sunday for the franchise.
Here’s what stood out as the Bills head back to Orchard Park with one of the best records in the NFL.
Neutralizing Kenneth Walker III was the skeleton key
The Bills entered their matchup knowing a couple of key things about their opponents. The Seahawks have boasted a highly explosive offense when they can get going, and their two best assets in doing so were running back Kenneth Walker III and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. The Bills caught a break in facing the Seahawks without Metcalf due to injury, which left Walker III, limiting his explosiveness, as their primary objective.
It wouldn’t be an easy task, given that their best sideline-to-sideline run-defending linebacker, Terrel Bernard, was out with an ankle injury. It pushed Baylon Spector, who had struggled in getting off blocks in previous appearances for Bernard, into the lineup in a key role to help slow down one of the biggest home run-hitting runners in the NFL.
The book on Walker III was pretty clear to the Bills. During the week, defensive tackle Ed Oliver effectively said that the running back usually looks to get outside the tackles to hit the big play. That meant it was on everyone on the defense — from the defensive ends in edge contain, to the linebackers in getting off blocks, to the cornerbacks pinching in and the safeties to crash down — to help keep the Seahawks’ best offensive option at bay. And they couldn’t have played it any better. Walker III tried everything. He looked to get outside the tackles. He tried pushing up the middle. And yet, Walker III couldn’t get anything started. His rushing day concluded with only 12 yards on nine rushes, and digging into those nine attempts makes the job the Bills did all the more impressive.
Walker III’s longest gain on the ground was a measly five yards, and that was only the result of a fumble by quarterback Geno Smith where the running back could get some space. The other eight attempts resulted in seven yards. Six of those eight attempts went for one yard or less. It was a full-scale superiority over the Seahawks up front that completely frustrated the Bills’ opponents. After the game, Bills head coach Sean McDermott mentioned wanting to make the Seahawks one-dimensional by taking away their explosive runs. So without the threat of the big play on the ground and no Metcalf in the lineup, the Seahawks’ path to getting chunk plays shrank toward non-existent.
It was a masterful job by the defense in so many different spots. They forced a negative rushing attempt on first-and-goal from the two, pushing the Seahawks into a passing situation that resulted in the horrible snap, giving the opponents only a field goal. Then, after Josh Allen’s first interception, the defense bailed out the offense with four straight stops from goal-to-go, which easily could have swung the game in the Seahawks’ favor with a 10-7 lead. Instead, the Bills got the stop; they drove down the field for an end-of-half touchdown and didn’t have to worry the rest of the afternoon. That side of the ball deserves full marks, and when you zoom out from this game, there is a lot of reason for optimism moving forward.
The Bills will get Bernard back soon, termed “day-to-day” by the team this week. Rotational edge rusher Von Miller returns from his suspension this week. And the most significant news, the Bills declared that there is a “vision” for star linebacker Matt Milano’s return this season. Although they didn’t share the timeline, they now believe it’s a matter of “when,” not “if.” Then there’s that whole Micah Hyde idea at some point, which the team has not hidden from whenever asked. Suddenly, the Bills defense, which looked like a major question mark heading into the year for various reasons, appears on the up-and-up. That defense, with an offense playing as well as it is, could be a scary combination for the rest of the AFC.
Big man INT!
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/6FCtI5v7a5
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 27, 2024
Complete OL dominance… minus the penalties
Speaking of that offense, while Allen, James Cook and the receivers will get much of the credit, the offensive line deserves almost as much, if not more. Whether it was as run blockers or in giving Allen ample time to distribute the ball, the offensive line dominated the Seahawks’ defensive line and continued to show why this is the best starting five the Bills have had for Allen in his entire career. The Bills quarterback stayed mostly under control all game, and barely felt pressure throughout the contest as the Seahawks finished the day without a single quarterback hit.
In the ground game, it looked almost too easy for Cook at times, with a great push up front, giving him all the space he needed to be patient and find the proper rushing lane to maximize his attempts. There weren’t many times in the game where Cook needed to make defenders miss just to get some yardage out of the play. Cook also deserves a lot of credit for his rushing efficiency and for showing he could win with speed and with power between the tackles. Cook and the offensive line were a mutually beneficial partnership all game long.
The Bills have remained remarkably healthy with their offensive line all season, just as they were in 2023 as well. With Dion Dawkins’ continued dominance, Spencer Brown’s ascent, the revelation of David Edwards in the lineup at left guard, and consistency from center Connor McGovern and right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, the Bills are in a great place. Should that continue, they have one of the best starting fives in the NFL, which seemed unlikely just a couple of years ago. They are a big reason why the Bills have remained mostly consistent on offense throughout the 2024 season. If they can figure out their penalty problems, they’ll be near perfect.
Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and other WR musings
New Bills receiver Amari Cooper was the toast of the town just last weekend, and for good reason. His arrival completely changed the complexion of the Bills’ passing attack. However, while he continues to ramp up, the contributions the Bills are getting from rookie Keon Coleman and third-year slot receiver Khalil Shakir are immeasurable.
Coleman had a huge statistical performance against the Titans last week. With a couple of broken plays, though, it wasn’t nearly as dominant as the yardage might have indicated. Without question, Coleman’s game against the Seahawks was the best of his young career. He earned seven targets and won on his routes, proving to be a full-game threat rather than just a big-play-every-now-and-then type. On top of that, his blocking continued to improve.
Coleman’s development has been found money for a team making strides seemingly every week on offense. It was even more encouraging for the overall offensive environment as Cooper’s snaps went up (unofficially 52 percent, including penalties), but they didn’t come at the expense of Coleman. Instead, it was Mack Hollins drifting into the WR4 role, playing only 47 percent of the snaps.
As for Shakir, his overall impact on the Bills’ game plan continues to be one of the most important evolutions of the 2024 offense. Shakir earned 10 targets throughout the evening, and he did so with less time on the field than you’d expect. Shakir only took 58 percent of the offensive snaps as the team’s slot receiver, which makes his nine-reception, 107-yard performance all the more impressive. The emergence of Coleman and Shakir, plus Cooper getting closer to a full-time role, gives the Bills a legitimate three-receiver set to hang their hats on as long as they remain healthy. The need for them to trade for another receiver is likely out the window at this point. They likely believe this trio gives them a great chance in a playoff push this season.
Bills MVP: RB James Cook — The Bills set out to make a statement on the ground, and they did just that, dominating the line of scrimmage and with Cook gaining 111 yards in just a little over three quarters.
Bills LVP: Penalties — It didn’t wind up hurting them because the Seahawks continued to undo all their positive moments with penalties, but the Bills getting that many penalties without repercussions is unsustainable.
Up Next: The 6-2 Bills head back to Buffalo for their rematch against the 2-5 Dolphins at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
(Top photo of Keon Coleman and the offensive line: Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)
