Bills PFF Week 15 Grades: Josh Allen, Ed Oliver lead vs. Lions

Bills PFF Week 15 Grades: Josh Allen, Ed Oliver lead vs. Lions

The Buffalo Bills came to Ford Field on Sunday and played one of their best games of the season.

Buffalo’s offense scored 48 points against a Detroit Lions defense that had no answer for Josh Allen or the team’s defenders. Pro Football Focus noted the Bills’ dominance on the offensive side of the ball a day after the team’s 48-42 win. The analytics site gave Buffalo a grade of 90.9 in passing and a grade of 87.2 in running, both season highs.

Who else stood out for Buffalo against the Lions? Here’s a look at Pro Football Focus’ best and worst grades following the Bills’ win over the Lions.

Top 5 offensive grades

  • QB Josh Allen: 92.5
  • RB James Cook: 92.3
  • RB Ty Johnson: 86.3
  • C Connor McGovern: 78.9
  • TE Dalton Kincaid: 77.5

The game’s three biggest stars on offense had the team’s three best marks. Josh Allen threw two touchdowns and rushed for two scores, James Cook rushed for 100 yards (14-105) and two touchdowns and Ty Johnson rushed for over 100 yards (5-114) to secure the win. All three of her grades were season highs.

In addition to his overall grade, Allen had a passing grade of 90.9 and a run grade of 78.8. Cook had three overall grades of 90 or higher. The back had a pass-catch grade of 91.1 and a run grade of 90.2 in addition to his overall grade.

Dalton Kincaid also performed well for Buffalo in his return from injury. The tight end had four balls for 53 yards in the win. For his performance, he received a pass-catch grade of 76.5.

Top 5 defense grades

  • DT Ed Oliver: 90.3
  • DT DaQuan Jones: 77.4
  • S Kareem Jackson: 67.5
  • DT Austin Johnson: 66.6
  • CB Kaiir Elam: 66.3

It was a good day for most of Buffalo’s defensive tackles. Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones and Austin Johnson all landed in Buffalo’s top five. Led by Oliver, the Bills’ defensive front was strong throughout the game against the Lions. PFF gave Oliver a total of nine pressures in the win, resulting in a dominant pass-rush grade (88.8).

Kaiir Elam also landed in the Bills’ top five. Elam performed well from the start, replacing the injured Rasul Douglas. The third-year cornerback had a tackle grade of 79.7 and a team-high coverage grade of 68.0.

The worst 3 offensive classes

  • WR Curtis Samuel: 52.7
  • WR Amari Cooper: 51.8
  • LG David Edwards: 45.7

Josh Allen moved the ball up and down the entire game, but that doesn’t mean everyone was involved. Curtis Samuel had just one catch per yard in the win, while Amari Cooper, who is generally a strong man defense, had no catches and no targets in the win. This resulted in poor grades for both players.

Defensive ratings in the bottom 3

  • LB Terrel Bernard: 30.0
  • DT DeWayne Carter: 6/29
  • LB Baylon Spector: 9/27

DeWayne Carter was the outlier among defensive tackles on Sunday. He’s still fighting back from a wrist injury but has struggled with two guys in a row. Carter stayed off the stat sheet for 17 snaps in the win.

Baylon Spector, who was called in due to injuries to Dorian Williams and Matt Milano, also had problems for Buffalo. Spector came off injured reserve on Saturday and had no practice reps to prepare for the match.

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