The Buffalo Bills struggled out of the gate in their 2024 regular-season opening game against the Arizona Cardinals. A horrendous personal foul call gave the Cardinals additional life on their first drive, one that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson from Kyler Murray. However, the next mistake was a self-inflicted wound by the Bills. Roy Lopez sacked and stripped the ball from Josh Allen. Arizona tacked on three more points.
By the middle of the second quarter, the Cardinals held a two-touchdown lead over the Bills.
Buffalo kept their composure, methodically chipping away at the lead. By the middle of the third quarter, the Bills took their first lead of the season.
Buffalo’s offense and defense seemed to have things under control in the second half. However, the Bills special teams unit decided to make things interesting by allowing a 96-yard kickoff return to DeeJay Dallas.
The Bills defense did enough on the final drive to hold the lead and prevent another “Hail Murray.”
Here is how Bills Wire grades the position groups for Buffalo’s performance on Sunday:
Quarterback: A-
Bills quarterback Josh Allen keeps the ball and runs for several yards during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024.
The first half was a bit rugged for Allen, as there was a bit of overzealous hero ball occurring. He did not protect the ball while extending a play and lost a fumble on the first drive. As the game progressed, the hero ball became more measured and less reckless. In the end, this would not have been a Buffalo victory without Allen.
Allen went 18-of-23 throwing for 232 passing yards and two touchdowns. He added 39 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.
Allen is a beast. Sometimes, when the hero ball becomes a bit more focused and purposeful, it leads a player to MVP status.
Running backs: A-
Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs against Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
James Cook gets a lot of love in this game even though the stat line is not overwhelming. He rushed 19 times for 71 yards. He added three receptions in the mix for 32 yards. Cook made several defenders miss throughout the game. His shiftiness made something out of nothing several times.
Rookie Ray Davis looked good in limited touches. He rushed three times for 13 yards. Davis also had a catch for 14 yards. It was a good glimpse into how Davis will be a solid No. 2 behind Cook.
Receivers: B+
Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) reacts after a play against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
The receiving corps had a solid afternoon for the Bills. However, it started slowly, as it seemed that the group was struggling to find separation. Maybe it was a little of Allen’s anxiousness, some of the receivers not finding space, or the line not giving enough time, but it seemed that Allen was not able to settle in with passing plays early in the game.
That changed a bit as the offense found their footing. In the end, seven different wideouts and tight ends registered a catch. The passing game was punctuated by two standout plays: Khalil Skakir’s run-after-catch for a touchdown and Keon Coleman’s contested-catch on the sidelines.
Offensive line: B-
Bills Khalil Shakir is congratulated by teammates Keon Coleman, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown on his touchdown catch during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024.
The offensive line looked all right at times. However, there still seem to be too many moments where blitzes and overloads overwhelm them. Allen seemed to bail out of several passes early in the game, electing to break the pocket.
Still, there’s enough to like about the group. For their first game together, the unit did well. James Cook has several runs with solid gaps to attack.
The penalties were a bit discouraging, as Dion Dawkins, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Spencer Brown all earned flags on Sunday.
Defensive line: B+
Arizona’s James Conner carries the ball before getting taken down by Bills Greg Rousseau during first half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 8, 2024. Coming up to help out Rousseau is teammate DaQuan Jones.
Like the rest of the team, the defensive line took a little bit of time to settle in. James Conner moved the ball methodically against the unit. Over time, though, the group did a much better job at containing Kyler Murray and putting pressure on him. Greg Rousseau notched three sacks today. Von Miller broke his sackless streak with a fortunate sack today. The line seems so much more complete with a healthy DaQuan Jones in the interior. The big concern is that Ed Oliver had a very quiet day.
Linebackers: B+
Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) tackles Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams had a solid game. Bernard led all players with 11 total tackles. Williams added eight total tackles to the ledger. They held things together nicely in the middle portion of the field. The duo did well against the run and in coverage as well. Arizona tight end Trey McBride only averaged six yards per catch.
Secondary: A-
Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) slides to avoid a hit by Buffalo Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram (46) in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
For all of the talk and worries about the shifting landscape of the Buffalo secondary, it was exaggerated. The only players to average more than 10 yards per catch for the Cardinals were their running backs. If the running backs are removed from the equation, the Arizoan receivers caught 16 passes for only 103 yards. That’s a nice day. Ja’Marcus Ingram did not let a bogus personal foul in the first quarter ruin his day. It was poetic justice that his defense sealed the victory for Buffalo.
Special teams: B-
Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back DeeJay Dallas (20) returns a kick off and dives for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
There was quite a bit of good and a moment of really bad. The unit allowed DeeJay Dallas to return a kick 96 yards for a touchdown. That lowers them a letter grade right off the bat.
However, the first return of the year was great. Brandon Codrington returned the first kick of the year for 53 yards and put the Bills in plus territory right off the bat. Tyler Bass made all of his kicks on the day: four extra points and two field goals. Plus, he did it in less than ideal conditions, as the wind to play games with kicks today. Bass did send a kickoff out of bounds, which was not the plan. However, the defense recovered and kept things under wraps.
Sam Martin had a quiet day, averaging 42.5 yards on two punts.
