All-22 Grades for Bills/Steelers (The Athletic)

[HappyDays]

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1. The O-line had its best collective game of the year

 

Saffold and Bates looked good in one-on-one opportunities when tasked with them, but the Bills also put their guards in a position for success in both the passing and run game. Saffold did well against the bigger interior players who make up the Steelers defensive line. His primary weakness this season has been against quicker twitch defensive tackles, so the matchup and game plan both worked well with Saffold. With Bates, this was as close to his end-of-year run in 2021 as we’ve seen this season. He seemed well-connected to Morse and did well in passing off defenders from side to side on combination blocks. That was one of his strengths last year at left guard. Perhaps it’s taken a while for Bates to find his way at right guard and with a new offensive line coach, but something clearly clicked against the Steelers. So, with a tough matchup against the Chiefs ahead, we’ll find out if the early season struggles were merely an isolated run.

 

Perhaps an even bigger development for the Bills was the play of second-year right tackle Spencer Brown. Outside the game in Miami, where he left in the second quarter due to heat illness, Brown has been a source of strength for the team. He looked in control as a pass blocker against a good Steelers defensive line, even giving a pair of reps where he put his assignment on the ground. As a run blocker, as long as Brown didn’t overrun the defender, he has shown both the quickness and physicality to be a plus with the run-blocking schemes they’ve started to favor.

 

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2. Better rushing results Sunday, but why?

 

When the Bills began the year, they utilized a lot of wide zone rushing attempts, getting much of their offensive line on the move to allow for the backs to spot the gap and exploit it while already on the move. The trouble was that the Bills’ blockers had a difficult time reaching their targets, which allowed defenders to fill all the potential running lanes and lower the yards before contact of each rush. There were hints all offseason of wanting to use more zone rushing schemes, but it did not translate to results. Since then, the Bills have used the outside zone rushes much less often and began to work in a staple of their rushing success late last season — the pin-and-pull blocking technique. Some of their best runs before Week 5, including the 18-yard attempt by Devin Singletary against the Ravens, featured that pin-and-pull system.

 

Against the Steelers, the Bills began to utilize it more often and continued to have some of their best results. Many of their offensive linemen boast above-average athleticism and are at their best when they can pull and get downhill to wipe out a defender.

 

Clearing out some space for a back like Singletary, who thrives in his elusiveness and making people miss with his subtle moves in the open field, makes it the ideal system for him too. Singletary’s last four rushing attempts against the Steelers all featured the pin-and-pull, and the Bills gained 42 yards on four carries, including a 23-yard gain in the second quarter. All four of those plays gained a minimum of five yards.

 

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3. Elam’s current weakness the Chiefs are sure to attack

 

The Steelers molded many plays against zone coverage to test Elam’s reaction time to an underneath route. The Steelers have quick-footed boundary receivers in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and how efficiently they broke down their route and worked back to the ball put pressure on Elam to have an instant reaction, which he didn’t. So the Steelers kept going to the well with success. Even in man coverage, which the Bills did at their highest rate of the season because they were against a rookie, Elam was a bit slow to react to the quick-footed routes to break down along the sidelines, and it led to multiple receptions in that way.

 

To Elam’s credit, he looked great in man coverage against deep routes with how fluidly he turned and ran with the receiver, but the Bills aren’t likely to play much man coverage against more prolific offenses.

 

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5. A warm-up round for Oliver, but he showed a flash in limited action

 

The Bills were smart with Oliver in his first game back, limiting his reps and allowing for a slow ramp-up to a big game in Kansas City. He didn’t stand out a lot early in the game, likely just getting his bearings after a multi-week absence and learning to trust the ankle after dealing with it for so long. But even with a smaller snap count than usual, Oliver still flashed that big-play ability as a run defender once he got more comfortable.

 

On one snap, Oliver soundly won his rep from the interior, filled the rushing lane to force the play outside, ran horizontally with the runner, and collapsed on the ball carrier along with linebacker Matt Milano. Oliver began to look like what we knew of him pre-injury, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that unlocked his faith in the ankle to be the dynamic moving defensive tackle they know him to be.

 

Top 5 grades:

1) Josh Allen (A)

2) Gabe Davis (A-)

3) DaQuan Jones (A-)

4) Stefon Diggs (A-)

5) Matt Milano (A-)

 

Bottom 5 grades:

1) Kaiir Elam (C)

2) Boogie Basham (C+)

3) Cam Lewis (B-)

4) Ja'Marcus Ingram (B-)

5) Terrel Bernard (B-)

[EmotionallyUnstable]

I suppose this is a good place for my notes regarding the run game (not Josh):

 

FIRST HALF 

-2&10 from the 2

Bates blown up, Saffold and Morse miss blocks…9 man box. No gain.

 

-2nd and 6 after the Steelers fumble…bates hold as he overpersued 51 Jack…otherwise good gain for Singletary

 

1&10 Dive to Singletary knifing DB makes the play cutting in front of gabe Davis. Looked clean up front. Bunched formation. No gain.

 

-4th drive from the 1

Moss makes nice cut off the backend of the zone, great push up front, stumbles as he turns it up feild and falls for 6

-toss to cook to the bunch set…motion away. Morris whiffs on a crack block as Dawkins and saffold fold around, forced to cut it back into traffic flowing. Loss.

 

-1st and 10 RPO zone to Cook for 2. Bates/Brown double team gets zero movement…Brown unable to get to the backer with Sweeney also unable to move the DE. Cook cuts off the back of the zone into waiting backer. Falls forward for 2 

-Singletary for 25. The old pin and pull. Saffold seals (hardly) the nose with Morse and Dawkins pulling around. Single follows Morse through a tight squeeze and picks up two good downfield blocks (Sweeney and Davis) to break it for a big gain.

 

Not that anyone cares but I’ll be doing the second half tonight 

[Coach Tuesday]

2 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

I suppose this is a good place for my notes regarding the run game (not Josh):

 

FIRST HALF 

-2&10 from the 2

Bates blown up, Saffold and Morse miss blocks…9 man box. No gain.

 

-2nd and 6 after the Steelers fumble…bates hold as he overpersued 51 Jack…otherwise good gain for Singletary

 

1&10 Dive to Singletary knifing DB makes the play cutting in front of gabe Davis. Looked clean up front. Bunched formation. No gain.

 

-4th drive from the 1

Moss makes nice cut off the backend of the zone, great push up front, stumbles as he turns it up feild and falls for 6

-toss to cook to the bunch set…motion away. Morris whiffs on a crack block as Dawkins and saffold fold around, forced to cut it back into traffic flowing. Loss.

 

-1st and 10 RPO zone to Cook for 2. Bates/Brown double team gets zero movement…Brown unable to get to the backer with Sweeney also unable to move the DE. Cook cuts off the back of the zone into waiting backer. Falls forward for 2 

-Singletary for 25. The old pin and pull. Saffold seals (hardly) the nose with Morse and Dawkins pulling around. Single follows Morse through a tight squeeze and picks up two good downfield blocks (Sweeney and Davis) to break it for a big gain.

 

Not that anyone cares but I’ll be doing the second half tonight 

I care.

[Beck Water]

46 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

I suppose this is a good place for my notes regarding the run game (not Josh):

 

FIRST HALF 

-2&10 from the 2

Bates blown up, Saffold and Morse miss blocks…9 man box. No gain.

 

-2nd and 6 after the Steelers fumble…bates hold as he overpersued 51 Jack…otherwise good gain for Singletary

 

1&10 Dive to Singletary knifing DB makes the play cutting in front of gabe Davis. Looked clean up front. Bunched formation. No gain.

 

-4th drive from the 1

Moss makes nice cut off the backend of the zone, great push up front, stumbles as he turns it up feild and falls for 6

-toss to cook to the bunch set…motion away. Morris whiffs on a crack block as Dawkins and saffold fold around, forced to cut it back into traffic flowing. Loss.

 

-1st and 10 RPO zone to Cook for 2. Bates/Brown double team gets zero movement…Brown unable to get to the backer with Sweeney also unable to move the DE. Cook cuts off the back of the zone into waiting backer. Falls forward for 2 

-Singletary for 25. The old pin and pull. Saffold seals (hardly) the nose with Morse and Dawkins pulling around. Single follows Morse through a tight squeeze and picks up two good downfield blocks (Sweeney and Davis) to break it for a big gain.

 

Not that anyone cares but I’ll be doing the second half tonight 

 

Thanks.  I care.

[StHustle]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

 

 

Top 5 grades:

1) Josh Allen (A)

2) Gabe Davis (A-)

3) DaQuan Jones (A-)

4) Stefon Diggs (A-)

5) Matt Milano (A-)

 

Bottom 5 grades:

1) Kaiir Elam (C)

2) Boogie Basham (C+)

3) Cam Lewis (B-)

4) Ja'Marcus Ingram (B-)

5) Terrel Bernard (B-)

Mind sharing who was the “unseen star of the 98 yard TD & why” ?

[HappyDays]

Just now, StHustle said:

Mind sharing who was the “unseen star of the 98 yard TD & why” ?

 

Tommy Sweeney because he blocked his man long enough for Allen to get the pass off.

[EmotionallyUnstable]

2nd half run play notes:

 

1&10 first drive of 2nd half on the 20

 

-Counter to Singletary, Dawkins pulls and seals DE. Morse and Brown up to 2nd level and get on bodies decently, shakir with a nice block. Singletary for 8.

 

1&10 variation of pin and pull, Morse/Bates pull around with Brown and Morris down blocking onto DT and DE. Bates destroys CB at LOS, Morse leads around upfield to miss 51 Jack, he gets enough. Singletary for 6

 

1&10 Pin and Pull variation, this time Bates/Sweeney blocking down with Morse and Brown pulling around. Brown kicks out Safety at end of LOS, Morse leads through. Tackle made by backside backer (Bush), scraped through the mess for shoestring tackle. Singletary for 5

 

(Drive results in a Morris fumble from the 1)

 

6OL (Hart) 1&10, stretch to Cook away from strength, cuts back to the heavy side, whole OL is washing the DL, Sweeney makes the TD block here, gets enough of the DE to stake him to create whole off the back end of Hart and moves onto 2nd level to cut off safety trying to fill hole. Cook does the rest. Touchdown. 

 

Keenum Enters Game 

 

1&10 to cook, essentially the same play he scores on out of different formation. No cut back here. OL moves the LOS with good push and Cook presses the hole. Brown Morris Bates with a good push. Gain of 6ish

 

It is wild the only scored 38 points in this game. I’m liking what I’m seeing from the pin and pull run game (idk what they call it, tbh). I’m not so crazy about the RPOs. I think they are finding their groove up front on the ground. 
 

They will never be road graders, moving tough DLs and just muscling yards off of teams. I think their future on the ground is utilizing the speed of our lineman and using angles and misdirection to their advantage. 

[atlbillsfan1975]

17 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

2nd half run play notes:

 

1&10 first drive of 2nd half on the 20

 

-Counter to Singletary, Dawkins pulls and seals DE. Morse and Brown up to 2nd level and get on bodies decently, shakir with a nice block. Singletary for 8.

 

1&10 variation of pin and pull, Morse/Bates pull around with Brown and Morris down blocking onto DT and DE. Bates destroys CB at LOS, Morse leads around upfield to miss 51 Jack, he gets enough. Singletary for 6

 

1&10 Pin and Pull variation, this time Bates/Sweeney blocking down with Morse and Brown pulling around. Brown kicks out Safety at end of LOS, Morse leads through. Tackle made by backside backer (Bush), scraped through the mess for shoestring tackle. Singletary for 5

 

(Drive results in a Morris fumble from the 1)

 

6OL (Hart) 1&10, stretch to Cook away from strength, cuts back to the heavy side, whole OL is washing the DL, Sweeney makes the TD block here, gets enough of the DE to stake him to create whole off the back end of Hart and moves onto 2nd level to cut off safety trying to fill hole. Cook does the rest. Touchdown. 

 

Keenum Enters Game 

 

1&10 to cook, essentially the same play he scores on out of different formation. No cut back here. OL moves the LOS with good push and Cook presses the hole. Brown Morris Bates with a good push. Gain of 6ish

 

It is wild the only scored 38 points in this game. I’m liking what I’m seeing from the pin and pull run game (idk what they call it, tbh). I’m not so crazy about the RPOs. I think they are finding their groove up front on the ground. 
 

They will never be road graders, moving tough DLs and just muscling yards off of teams. I think their future on the ground is utilizing the speed of our lineman and using angles and misdirection to their advantage. 

During the draft it appears the Bills value o-linemen with high Relative Athletic Scores (RAS). These type of players are more appropriate for the pin and pull run game and good pass blockers. The Bills struggle trying to just blow teams off the LOS, they excel when they are out in space and using angles to wall off defenders. Nice write-up. Thanks.