Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Seahawks
The Buffalo Bills (6-2) came into Sunday on a two-game winning streak following losses to two opponents that are expected to be major players in the AFC playoff picture in the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. However, after victories over the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, Buffalo knew that it had a chance to continue its winning ways against a tough adversary in the Seattle Seahawks (4-4).
The Bills stepped up to the challenge of the day and beat the Seahawks 31-10, positioning themselves as the clear leader in the AFC East as the team seeks to go deeper in the playoffs than they have done in recent seasons. Buffalo dominated the game on both sides of the ball as they racked up 445 yards offense while holding Seattle to just 233 yards overall.
There were big performances across the board, including Bills running back James Cook bouncing back for his best outing of the season as he put up 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. With that being said, here is the Bills stock report following Sunday’s win over the Seahawks:
Stock Up: RB James Cook
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As mentioned above, Cook had his best game of the season as he had his second game with at least two touchdowns and had his best day running the football. Cook did not do much in the receiving game in this one, but he didn’t have to given how much success he was having on the ground.
Stock Down: WR Amari Cooper
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After posting a solid outing last week against the Titans, Cooper looked to be an integral part of the offense from the beginning and appeared to not miss a beat despite being acquired with little time to get used to the playbook. However, part of the reason that Cooper put up just one catch for three receiving yards was because of the amount of attention he was getting from Seattle’s secondary and he also took a hard hit in the third quarter that may have limited his ability to do much with Buffalo running away with the game at that point anyway.
Stock Up: WR Khalil Shakir
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Ever since Shakir returned to the field following his one-game absence due to an ankle injury, he has been on fire as he recorded his second straight game of at least seven receptions and eclipsed the 100-yard mark in receiving yards for the first time this season. Shakir had a breakout year last season, but with the way that he’s playing right now, he has a chance to have another breakout year, especially with his ability to pile up the yards after the catch.
Stock Down: LB Dorian Williams
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While it is hard to find many negatives in a dominating performance such as this one, but this entry for Williams is more to show how well he played heading into this game. Williams had just two tackles against the Seahawks, but prior to that, he had at least 10 total tackles in five of his last six games, but his lack of involvement was something to note following Sunday’s conclusion.
Stock Up: Buffalo’s Defense
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Prior to Sunday, Seattle had boasted one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL as they were near the top of the league in terms of yards gained, especially in the passing game. Where the Seahawks struggled was running the football and because of how the Bills’ defense played to the scouting report, Seattle gained just 201 yards through the air and just 32 yards on the ground, good for the second-worst and worst marks of their campaign thus far, respectively.
Stock Up: DE Greg Rousseau
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Rousseau had one of his best performances of the season as he was all over the field in Sunday’s win. Rousseau piled up four tackles (three solo, two tackles for losses) and he also had two pass deflections, showing just how active he was not just stopping the run, but being disruptive in the passing game as well.
