Despite two early Josh Allen interceptions, the Buffalo Bills cruised to an easy 31-6 road win over the New Orleans Saints to close out the Thanksgiving Day NFL slate.
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BUFFALO BILLS
Quarterback
Only one of Allen’s interceptions was charted as a turnover-worthy play in PFF’s grading system, but he also only recorded one big-time throw. The box score will look better than his final PFF grade, but he still should finish in the high 70s after review.
Running Back
With Zack Moss out as a healthy scratch, Devin Singletary (45 snaps) and Matt Breida (21) split the reps in Buffalo’s backfield. Singletary broke seven tackles on the ground but still managed just 44 total yards on 15 carries. And Breida didn’t fare much better with his 26 yards on nine carries and just one broken tackle. A high percentage of their yards all came after contact.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Stefon Diggs led the team in targets (9), receptions (7) and receiving yards (74) against New Orleans. He also dropped zero passes, caught two first-down receptions and routed up Marshon Lattimore for a touchdown in the red zone.
Stefon Diggs vs Marshon Lattimore 🤧
pic.twitter.com/gudZjqg1nV— PFF (@PFF) November 26, 2021
Tight end Dawson Knox only had three receptions for 32 yards on the night, but two of his catches went for scores. None of the Bills receivers/tight ends dropped a pass Thursday night.
Offensive Line
Both Cody Ford and Mitch Morse allowed zero total pressures in the game, and tackle Daryl Williams only allowed one. The team’s lowest-graded lineman in pass protection was Dion Dawkins, as he allowed four total pressures — including two sacks — on the night.
Defensive Line
All of the Bills' defensive linemen graded average to above average in run defense, but Ed Oliver stood out even more because of his efforts on passing downs. He led the team with five total pressures, and no other Buffalo defensive lineman had more than one.
Linebacker
Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds both played 48 defensive snaps to lead the team’s linebacker group. Both were outstanding in run defense while missing zero tackles and combining for six defensive stops.
Secondary
Tre’Davious White played just nine defensive snaps before exiting the game with a knee injury, but the loss wasn’t too detrimental to the group against New Orleans. No Buffalo defensive back allowed more than 36 yards in coverage.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Quarterback
With Jameis Winston on injured reserve and Taysom Hill battling a foot injury, Trevor Siemian got the nod for New Orleans. He completed just 17-of-30 pass attempts for 163 yards, one touchdown and a pick while logging zero big-time throws. His performance Thursday night should earn him a grade below 50.0 and potentially even spark an Ian Book regular-season appearance sooner rather than later.
Running Back
With Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II sidelined, Tony Jones Jr. took all 21 offensive snaps for the Saints at running back. He broke one tackle on his way to 27 yards on 16 carries. It was about as bleak as Siemian’s performance.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
The Saints wide receiver/tight end group combined for just six first-down receptions in the game. Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Ty Montgomery shared the team lead in first downs with two apiece. Humphrey also led the team in receiving yards with 47, with most of his yards coming when the game was already out of reach.
Offensive Line
A small silver lining for New Orleans out of this one is that Cesar Ruiz graded really well in pass protection and allowed zero total pressures on 32 pass-blocking snaps on first review. Calvin Throckmorton and James Hurst shared the team lead in pressures allowed with three apiece.
Defensive Line
The Saints were stout up front and limited the Bills’ rushing attack for nearly all of the game. Defensive tackle Christian Ringo should finish reviews as the team’s highest-graded defensive lineman with an 80.0-plus mark in run defense.
Linebacker
Demario Davis was also stout in run defense and recorded three defensive stops across his 28 run-defense snaps. Kwon Alexander only had one defensive stop but came away with one of the plays of the day with his interception of Allen at the tail end of the second quarter.
Kwon Alexander lays out for the interception 🔥 @kwon #Saints
📺: #BUFvsNO on NBC
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/qGoz0hxyP0— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2021
Secondary
None of the Saints defensive backs made too many positive plays on Thursday. The group combined for just one forced incompletion and 11 first downs allowed. The Bradley Roby interception was a spark that soon faded, as he finished the game with a team-high 88 yards allowed in coverage.
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