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Joe B All-22 Review: Grading Bills vs. Patriots (10/4/16)

Joe B All-22 Review: Grading Bills vs. Patriots (10/4/16)
Posted at 4:53 PM, Oct 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-04 16:59:04-04

In Week Four of the 2016 regular season, the Buffalo Bills capitalized on the New England Patriots being without their top two quarterbacks. As a result, they currently have a 2-2 record and sit one-game out of the final playoff spot in the AFC a quarter of the way into the season

They’re next up against the Los Angeles Rams, but before we turn the page to the next week’s opponent, first is a detailed look at how the game went for the players that make up the Buffalo Bills roster.

Each and every week, WKBW.com will review the tape, and bring you how each player graded out in the previous week, with the help of the Game Pass app on NFL.com. Before we get to the rankings, first, an explanation of how they are done.

Every Tuesday, when the All-22 film becomes available, we’ll go through and watch each play and every player on each play as many times as necessary, to assess a letter grade for that game to the player. It is subjective analysis, and it’s important to note that we do not know the play calls and full responsibilities. With that written, the grades stem from technique, outstanding efforts, and presumed liability.

Only players that take a snap on offense or defense are accounted for, and players with under 15 snaps, unless they have a significant impact on the game, will not be factored into weekly rankings.

Season-long grades have been tallied and documented, with each individual game’s grade being weighted for how much the player was on the field in a given week. You can find those below all the weekly rankings at the bottom of the article.

You’ll see an explanation of the best five players of the week, but this week, there will only be a ‘bottom three,’ rather than the normal five because most of the Bills played a relatively solid game. Not a single one of their players really had a poor day, which is a big reason why the Bills played as complete of a game as they did.
Now, the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Patriots:

The Top Five

1) ILB Zach Brown
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: A-minus
- Most times after watching the coaches film, the players that played the best game aren’t always the ones you notice the most as the game is going on. Inside linebacker Zach Brown was an exception to the rule, after stealing the show both on Sunday, and during the re-watch of the game with different camera angles. Brown set the tone, almost every single drive that the New England Patriots had on the field — and that isn’t an over-exaggeration. He fired off the snap, displayed the athleticism that made him such a fascinating prospect when he came out of North Carolina five years ago, and showed fantastic range in coverage with his ability to change direction as well as he does. All of it resulted into a huge statistical performance, bringing players down in the backfield multiple times and forced a pair of fumbles to go along with it.

2) HB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 53/76
Grade vs. Patriots: A-minus
- The Bills offense sustained drives against New England, but they wouldn’t have been able to do so without their top running back. With each passing week, LeSean McCoy is continuing to return to the form that we came to know of him while he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Against New England, McCoy made something out of nothing multiple times.

 

 

He not only took what was given to him, he took yards he had no business of getting with his ability to cut up the field quickly, and to make people miss in the open field. For the second straight week McCoy’s total touches increased, and he will be the player the Bills run the offense through without Sammy Watkins available to them.

3) OLB Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 50/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-plus
- Jerry Hughes has been the best defensive player for the Bills through the first three weeks of the season, and he continued that success against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Hughes continued to force Jacoby Brissett into the pocket, and eventually the Patriots had to commit at least two players to Hughes by the end of the game — that’s how dominant he could have been against Marcus Cannon. With the news that Shaq Lawson will be ready to return by Week Seven (at least in some capacity), if he’s able to give them more pass rushing ability on the other side of the defense, that could help push Rex Ryan’s defense over the edge.

4) DL Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 46/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-plus
- Kyle Williams did the majority of his damage against the Patriots during the first half, when New England just wasn’t able to get anything going offensively. Williams was there eating up blockers to free up his teammates, forcing his one-on-one assignments into the backfield, and he did it all without registering a tackle for himself. The Bills have to be excited to get Marcell Dareus back on the field alongside Williams. With how well the latter is playing, and how much talent the former has, it could bring big results for an already impressive Bills defense in 2016.

5) WR Robert Woods
Snaps on the Field: 67/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B-plus
- With extended opportunities, Robert Woods surely didn’t disappoint in his second game as the Bills top wide receiver. The two things that stood out with Woods, more than anything, were his route running and his run blocking ability. On a couple of his receptions, Woods completely forced his defender into being flat-footed as he made his break toward the conclusion of his route. It helped give Tyrod Taylor the window to complete successful passes. Then in blocking for LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee, Woods turned his normal aggressive approach into an asset on the boundaries. With an at times east-west runner in McCoy, Woods helped the running back to more yardage on a few different occasions.

Everyone Else

6) CB Stephon Gilmore
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-plus

7) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 69/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

8) OLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 40/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B

9) S Aaron Williams
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B

10) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 76/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

11) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 76/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

12) CB Ronald Darby
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B

13) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 75/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

14) HB Mike Gillislee
Snaps on the Field: 22/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

15) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 27/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B

16) CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
Snaps on the Field: 35/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B

17) DL Corbin Bryant
Snaps on the Field: 25/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

18) ILB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

19) FB Jerome Felton
Snaps on the Field: 21/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

20) OLB Lerentee McCray
Snaps on the Field: 16/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

21) WR Marquise Goodwin
Snaps on the Field: 61/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

22) DL Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 16/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

23) WR Walt Powell
Snaps on the Field: 43/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

24) S Corey Graham
Snaps on the Field: 56/56
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

25) RG John Miller
Snaps on the Field: 76/76
Grade vs. Patriots: B-minus

The Bottom Three

26) DL Leger Douzable
Snaps on the Field: 28/56
Grade vs. Patriots: C-plus
- Douzable made a flash play early in the game, but during the second half he was forced out of the way on a few of the bigger gains New England had in the ground game. It wasn’t a bad game for Douzable by any means, but in comparison to the rest of his defensive teammates, only a few lapses helped get him into the bottom three.

27) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 73/76
Grade vs. Patriots: C-plus
- Without Cyrus Kouandjio available to them, the Bills needed usual starting left tackle Cordy Glenn to play in the worst way. If he didn’t start, the Bills would have had to use Michael Ola as their starting left tackle — and Ola was signed by the team on Wednesday of last week. Yeah, not ideal. So Glenn, who was under a month removed from re-injuring his high ankle sprain that cost him the entire preseason, played against the Patriots — but he really wasn’t the same guy we’ve grown accustomed to. Glenn did a solid job, but he couldn’t plant on that ankle and use his normally athletic attributes. A few times, you could even see him only half-step because of the pain in his ankle. I’d expect he gets some rest in the early stages of the week leading up to Week Five.

28) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 76/76
Grade vs. Patriots: C-plus
- One of the best players on the team through the first four weeks, this was an uncharacteristic week for the Bills starting left guard — and it wasn’t even for missed assignments or getting beat one-on-one by Patriots defenders. Incognito was the recipient of three separate penalties: two clear as day holding calls, and a questionable personal foul call. It really was only a matter of just a few missteps, because the Bills were that good against the Patriots on Sunday on all three phases.

Players with less than 15 snaps

S Robert Blanton (8)
G Ryan Groy (7)
CB Kevon Seymour (6)
WR Brandon Tate (5)
DL Jerel Worthy (5)
ILB Brandon Spikes (5)
TE Jim Dray (4)
T Michael Ola (4)
RB Jonathan Williams (1)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 50 snaps to qualify

1) OLB Jerry Hughes - 3.69 (1)
2) DL Kyle Williams - 3.43 (2)
3) ILB Zach Brown - 3.18 (7)
4) ILB Preston Brown - 3.10 (3)
5) HB LeSean McCoy - 3.04 (15)
6) C Eric Wood - 3.02 (6)
7) RG John Miller - 3.00 (5)
8) S Aaron Williams - 2.99 (8)
9) OLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.94 (10)
10) LG Richie Incognito - 2.93 (4)
11) CB Stephon Gilmore - 2.90 (16)
12) DL Adolphus Washington - 2.88 (9)
13) S Corey Graham - 2.86 (11)
14) TE Charles Clay - 2.85 (17)
15) DL Corbin Bryant - 2.85 (12)
16) WR Sammy Watkins - 2.84 (14)
17) WR Robert Woods - 2.80 (22)
18) RT Jordan Mills - 2.77 (19)
19) DL Leger Douzable - 2.75 (13)
20) CB Nickell Robey-Coleman - 2.74 (20)
21) CB Ronald Darby - 2.73 (21)
22) WR Marquise Goodwin - 2.73 (18)
23) OLB Lerentee McCray - 2.57 (23)
24) WR Walt Powell - 2.52 (NR)
25) T Cyrus Kouandjio - 2.47 (24)
26) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.41 (NR)
27) S Robert Blanton - 2.41 (NR)
28) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.34 (27)
29) S Duke Williams - 2.31 (25)
30) CB Corey White - 2.04 (26)

Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia