The Buffalo Bills defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 27-23, in the fourth and final week of preseason action.
PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.
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Final Score
Buffalo Bills 27, Minnesota Vikings 23
Buffalo Bills
2016 UDFA Eddie Yarbrough was the most dominant player on the field for either team on Thursday night. Yarbrough was a menace in run defense, either by making plays or forcing the Vikings backs to change direction away from the intended hole. He was also impactful with his pass rush, coming away with a handful of pressures for his team.
Fellow 2016 UDFA Kyle Peko also made an impact on the Bills' defensive line, but this time on the interior. Peko did his best work in run defense, consistently beating his blocks and cleaning up to make stops.
Rookie Takeaways
Tyree Jackson was given the task of starting the final preseason game. There were some underwhelming plays made by Jackson, most notably his two fumbles, one of which was on the goal line and could have prevented a touchdown. However, Jackson did come back and showed some zip on the game-winning touchdown drive.
Minnesota Vikings
It was not a great showing for quarterback Kyle Sloter in the final preseason game. In an effort to earn a roster spot, Sloter did not wow with any throws and was intercepted once. Sloter overall has had a good preseason, but this was his worst showing to date.
One of the most intriguing UDFA’s of the 2018 draft was Washington State product Hercules Mata’afa. Mata’afa showed amazing quickness in the NCAA and constantly disrupted offenses in college, but he has been unable to make a significant impact this preseason and it was much of the same on Thursday night. Mata’afa seems to have been unable to overcome his size difference to this point in his career.
Rookie Takeaways
Seventh-round pick Kris Boyd impressed when he was on the field. You may not have heard Boyd’s name called much Thursday night, and that because he was hardly targeted due to his quality coverage.
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