ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After a long three-game road trip, the Bills returned home to Highmark Stadium and perhaps had a little lag from all of their travels and primetime games. Facing a down 1-4 Titans team, the Bills watched as the opponents dominated the first quarter on both sides of the ball.
The Bills offense had three straight three-and-outs, while the defense allowed two long drives that resulted in 10 points. Then, after a three-play touchdown drive that spanned 61 yards, they woke up for good. They raced forward, scoring 34 points and not allowing a single one the rest of the way, en route to their fifth victory of 2024.
The 34-10 victory came with the stark debut of their new receiver, along with some significant shifts in how they used some of their top young players. Here are several observations from the Bills’s win over the Titans.
Amari Cooper’s involvement and what to expect moving forward
When the Bills traded for Amari Cooper this week, his talent on film through his first six weeks was easy to see in how it could fit with Josh Allen and the Bills… eventually. Getting traded on Tuesday, and having only four days of onboarding before his first game was asking too much, too soon of him to be more than just a calculated bit player in his first game. And that’s exactly what we saw Sunday with Cooper taking 35.7 percent of the offensive snaps (including penalties). The Bills dropped back on 67 percent of the snaps Cooper was on the field, targeting him on 41.7 percent of his routes.
The Bills clearly knew they needed someone like Cooper, and it led to immediate dividends even with a small sample size. Cooper’s four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown was a snippet of his entire skill set. He showed his proficiency against zone, sitting in an open area with correct spacing for Allen to locate. And then, against man coverage, he ran a slant route that resulted in an excellent off-body catch for a first down.
But it’s also what he helped do for everyone around him. The spacing was excellent, and they used him in three different personnel groupings. He had 13 snaps in 11 personnel, four snaps in 12 personnel and even one snap as the lone wide receiver in 13 personnel. When Cooper was on the field, and the Bills dropped back to pass, the team averaged 10.4 yards per play. The Cooper effect was immediate.
As for the rest of the receiver group, it became really condensed after Curtis Samuel left the game with a shoulder injury and only two snaps taken. Rookie Keon Coleman actually led the way with 75 percent of snaps during his first 125-yard receiving afternoon. Hollins was second with 73.2 percent, simply because he knew the offense and could play both perimeter positions, while Shakir wound up with 67.9 percent. Moving forward, the Coleman and Shakir percentages seem like a safe bet to remain around the same. Hollins will likely see the most significant downturn in time on the field as Cooper gets more comfortable, and in a few weeks, it would not be a shock for Cooper to be up near the 85 to 90 percent area. The Bills now have a No. 1 wide receiver, and this game was all the evidence you need that they sorely needed it.
COOOOOOOOOOP!!
Cannot wait for this @JoshAllenQB mic’d up to drop. 😍@GEICO | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/h16PCYTEUp
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 20, 2024
A major reason for Greg Rousseau’s best game since Week 1
During the Bills’ first game of the year, Greg Rousseau’s impact on the outcome was a remarkable one. The pass rusher was seemingly always in the backfield, registering pressures and a whopping three sacks. It was the type of game the Bills had been waiting to see from their fourth-year pass rusher, and since it happened in Week 1, the hope was that he could build off of that. Rousseau has been a steady starter and extremely helpful against the run, though his pass-rushing production had certainly dipped for much of the next five games.
Sacks aren’t the only tell-tale for defensive ends, though Rousseau winding up without any over five weeks wasn’t the ideal follow-up to a promising first outing. But on Sunday against the Titans, Rousseau was a menace with six quarterback hits and he combined for a sack with Dawuane Smoot. But there seemed to be a pretty big reason why Rousseau made this type of impact, and it’s because the Bills made a major change in how they used him.
Throughout the entire 2023 season, and in the first six games of 2024, the Bills used Rousseau as their do-everything defensive end. They lined him up on both the left and right side, basing it really on whichever defensive end was on the field with him and where they were at their best. Rousseau was so consistent, dependable and malleable for all the basics that they threw a lot at him. But for the first time since the 2022 season, the Bills lined up Rousseau exclusively at left defensive end for the entire game. This is a significant shift from his usage over the last two years, but the Bills clearly wanted to simplify the game for Rousseau at least for this week. Rather than Rousseau doing the left-to-right switch, they put Smoot in that role on Sunday.
After all, Rousseau had his borderline breakout season as a pass rusher in 2022, rushing almost exclusively from the left side, only for a high ankle sprain to slow him down, and he wasn’t quite the same upon his return that year. The left side is so important because that’s much of what Rousseau has known for his entire football career. He played there nearly every snap in college and both his first two NFL seasons. That’s the side that turned him into a first-round prospect, where he developed his moves and where much of his muscle memory was formed. To his credit, he’s done a nice job getting better on the right side, but it’s night and day for him rushing from the left side. The Bills should continue to lean into this, even when Von Miller returns from his suspension. Rousseau’s development and maximizing his pass-rushing skills should be their highest priority moving forward, especially with a response like this one with the role change.
Is the true shift toward Dalton Kincaid finally beginning?
As was the case after Dawson Knox’s return from injured reserve in 2023, the playing time cap for top tight end Dalton Kincaid has been real due to Knox’s presence. The Bills have always liked Knox as a piece of their offense. To keep him involved at a relatively high rate, Knox’s snaps would often come at the expense of Kincaid, who is clearly the more talented receiver of the two. Although Kincaid is flawed as a blocker, the Bills are a different offense when he’s on the field. But the Kincaid usage has seen a subtle yet notable shift forward over the last two weeks. Against the Jets, Kincaid’s snaps were at 79.7 percent, and then Sunday against the Titans, Kincaid was at 75 percent. Before the Jets game, Kincaid’s usage was at 61.9 percent, making that extra handful of opportunities significant. Kincaid was involved in key moments and making huge plays for a second straight week.
The isolation of snaps and routes run has been a major talking point around the receiver group, but it’s equally as important at tight end. For the Bills to become this dynamic offense that can win both on the ground and through the air, having Kincaid on the field as much as possible is vitally important. Knox does not separate as well as Kincaid, and even when he’s open, he’s had a tendency throughout his career to drop passes. Simply put, two of the third-down catches Kincaid brought in are ones Knox just isn’t making at this stage of his career. Kincaid is a significant key to their Super Bowl aspirations.
Ray Davis gets a slight uptick, but small role remains
After rookie running back Ray Davis’ breakout performance on Monday Night Football, many wondered if he would form more of an even backfield timeshare with starter James Cook when Cook returned to the lineup. The last time both were healthy, Davis wound up with only two total offensive snaps against the Texans and zero drives started or to himself. The Bills definitely made it a point to involve Davis more than that, but not to a grand degree. The Bills gave Davis two separate drive starts against the Titans, one in the second and third quarters. However, two things have remained the same since before the Davis breakout. Cook was the overwhelming snap leader of the running back room with 53.8 percent, and Ty Johnson held on to the third down role he’s had all season. Regardless, Davis played his way into a bigger role, and the one he had Sunday seems sticky moving forward.
Bills MVP: QB Josh Allen — It didn’t start off well, but Allen was dynamic in finding his open target, established a nice early rapport with Cooper and wound up with a 323-yard and two-touchdown passing day.
Bills LVP: WR Mack Hollins — For all the good the receiver room provided, Hollins played on 73.2 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, and managed one target without a single catch. It shouldn’t be long before his role diminishes with Cooper now in the building.
Up Next: The 5-2 Bills head west to take on the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks on the road next Sunday.
(Top photo of Amari Cooper: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
