Bills report card: Josh Allen had the game of his life, Buffalo offense is putting on a show

This was the kind of day the old Sean McDermott, the one who worked as a defensive coordinator in Philadelphia and Carolina, would have cringed at.

The Buffalo Bills head coach, defensive-minded to the core, had just watched his highly-regarded defense allow 28 points and 410 yards of total offense to the Miami Dolphins, who will never be compared to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Yet, because of the pyrotechnics of the Buffalo offense — a whopping 524 yards including 413 net through the air — the Bills were able to escape the South Florida soup with a 31-28 victory Sunday afternoon.

“I think some defensive head coaches take the approach of continuing to pad their side of the ball," McDermott said, speaking of roster building. “And then they like winning 11-9 and having no hair, I guess (as he pulled off his hat). Whereas for me, I don't like winning 11-9, I like winning. I just feel like to have a good football team that can sustain success, you need to have a balanced football team.”

Early in his tenure, he rebuilt the Buffalo defense in his mold, bringing in players suited to playing his 4-3, zone-based scheme. Having achieved that, he and general manager Brandon Beane turned their focus to the offense, starting with the drafting of Josh Allen in 2018 and then adding all the weapons they have acquired for the big-armed quarterback.

More:Josh Allen erupts for 417 yards and four TDs as Bills take down Dolphins 31-28

Two weeks into 2020, the Bills are 2-0 and have gained 928 yards, made 54 first downs, and scored 58 points.

We all know 2020 is upside down and given what the Bills have looked like on offense for most of the 21st century, to watch the exciting show they’ve put on thus far, it’s one more data point to confirm what a crazy and unusual year it has been.

Here’s how I graded their performance:

PASS OFFENSE: A+

To say it was a stunning performance by Allen would probably be better suited for his first two years in the NFL because the game he played Sunday would not have been possible then. This year, after how he opened the season against the Jets, it’s far easier to envision this becoming more the norm. Still, 417 yards passing and four TDs to four different receivers with no picks and just one sack taken? Well, it was stunning, plain and simple. Once again Allen looked like he was in complete control of the offense as he knew where everyone was supposed to be on their routes, and he delivered some dimes. Of course, it also helps when you have a top three WR corps of Stefon Diggs (8 catches, 153 yards), John Brown (4-82) and Cole Beasley (5-70). The Dolphins had no answers, especially when CB Byron Jones left the game early. When the Bills needed him most, Allen came through in the fourth quarter with two touchdown drives to win the game, and he now has thrown for 729 yards in two games. Just wow.

RUN OFFENSE: C+

Against a team that struggled so much to stop Cam Newton’s QB runs last week in New England, it was odd that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll didn’t try to use more of those read-option plays. Instead, Allen rushed only four times for 18 yards. True, that’s the safer route, but as I’ve said before, I’m not totally opposed to having him run so I didn’t like that Daboll hardly used Allen’s legs at all. There were some obvious situations where designed runs might have enabled the Bills to pick up a few first downs. Devin Singletary (10-56) and Zack Moss (8-37) were both better than last week, but still, something is lacking up front. The Bills tried some different combinations on the offensive line, but they weren’t able to get great push on many plays. Three runs — one each by Allen, Singletary and Moss – accounted for 48 of Buffalo’s 111 yards. On the other 20 rushes, they barely averaged three yards.

PASS DEFENSE: C-

It was not a good day for the normally impenetrable secondary. Ryan Fitzpatrick carved them up for 328 yards and 28 points and Miami finished with 410 total yards and 28 first downs, 20 via the pass. Fitz knew what he was doing, as he usually does, and he went after CB Levi Wallace much of the day. Wallace had a tough time covering everyone which is why he led the Bills with 10 tackles. However, in some of the key moments of the game, the pass defense came through, particularly during the goal-line stand that very likely saved the game. Micah Hyde had a great pass breakup on third down, and then the Dolphins Preston Williams dropped the fourth-down pass as Wallace was all over him. The Bills clearly missed LBs Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano in coverage, mostly over the middle as TE Mike Gesicki killed the Bills with eight catches for 130 yards and a TD. That’s the kind of player the Bills wish Dawson Knox would become, but it’s been a slow go for Knox.

RUN DEFENSE: B-

Tyrel Dodson’s debut as an NFL starter went pretty well as he batted down a pass and was in on seven tackles. However, the Bills need to get Edmunds back quickly because Dodson doesn’t quite have the same athleticism and speed. A.J. Klein was in on five tackles but that’s not a player you want on the field for excessive snaps. DT Ed Oliver was a stud in the middle. His first down stuff at the goal line set the tone for that great stand in the third quarter when an 85-yard Dolphins drive came away with no points. The Dolphins used three backs — Myles Gaskin, Jordan Howard and Matt Breida — and they combined for 87 yards on 19 carries. I thought Miami should have run the ball a little more and it finished with just 22 attempts for 99 yards. They were biting off good chunks, so the Bills need to shore that up a little. 

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Tyler Bass had a nice bounce back as he made his only field goal attempt from 39 yards — though he sure used all of the space between the uprights — and he drilled all four extra points. He also went 6-for-6 on kickoff touchbacks which is such a nice weapon to have. Corey Bojorquez averaged just 38.3 net punting yards, and that just isn’t good enough. He has to be better, though he at least had two downed inside the 20. Not much to speak of in the return game for Andre Roberts, just two punts for 18 yards and no kickoff opportunities. The punt coverage team held dangerous Jakeem Grant to 11 yards on two returns.

COACHING: B+

The end of the first half was a mess. I thought overall Brian Daboll called another good game, especially with all the creativity he’s showing in the passing game. But that last series of the second quarter was not good and it left the Dolphins time to get the ball and drive down for a last-second field goal. Still, I love how Daboll got aggressive early, and then again late and, surprise, surprise, that’s when the Bills did all their scoring. The lack of Allen runs was odd. He needs to find the right mix — too many last week, too few Sunday. On defense, the Bills may have a Levi Wallace problem. Miami is not a high-powered passing attack, but Fitzpatrick attacked Wallace all day and Wallace was mostly lousy. He needs to be a whole lot better in the weeks to come. It was obviously tough scheming without Milano and Edmunds, so to get the win was impressive.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To get the best local news coverage, subscribe to us through these special offers at https://cm.democratandchronicle.com/specialoffer/