The Buffalo Bills did something no one thought they'd be able to pull off, myself included. Sunday afternoon's matchup pitted the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills against the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks. What we saw right from the get-go out of Buffalo was nothing short of pure dominance, defeating Seattle 44-34. After a tough four week stretch, where we saw the Bills drop back to back games against the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs, then struggling to beat the New York Jets and New England Patriots in weeks seven and eight, we thought the Bills were regressing. But after a huge bounce back Week 9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks and MVP candidate Russell Wilson, we were reminded that the Bills 7-2 record isn't a fluke. This Buffalo team is a real contender in the AFC, and they are here to show the doubters that they're not to be taken lightly.
So, with that being said, let's hop right into this weeks pro's and con's.
Pro's
Josh Allen
Here it is folks! It is with much excitement that I can finally announce that the Josh Allen we knew and loved for the first four weeks of the season is officially back. Allen absolutely torched the Seahawks defense through the air all afternoon long. Allen completed 31 of his 38 passes, for a whopping 415 yards, including three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown of his own. Allen also finished the day with zero turnovers. This was easily the best game of Josh Allen's career so far, and it is only fitting that it came just one day after the unfortunate passing of Josh Allen's grandmother. Many were unsure of what Allen's status would be for the Week 9 matchup, but he assured head coach Sean McDermott over and over again that there was nothing more he wanted to do than to play.
Stefon Diggs
This feels so nice; first I write about Josh Allen, now I'm writing about his battle buddy, Stefon Diggs. This feels like I'm back in Week 4, when everyone was so high on this team and the sky was the limit. Stefon Diggs hauled in nine receptions on 12 targets, and ran for 118 yards. Though he wasn't on the receiving end of any touchdowns, he still came up huge in pivotal moments. When it seemed like the Seahawks were starting to claw their way back into the game, Diggs would get the ball back in his hands and do his best to bury any hopes of a comeback that Seattle might've had.
John Brown
After the Week 9 matchup against the Seahawks, it was so abundantly clear how much Buffalo's offense had been missing wide receiver John Brown. Brown has spent the last few weeks dealing with a nagging knee injury all while battling a calf injury. The first half of the season hasn't been kind to Brown's health. That all (hopefully) seems to be behind Brown now, as he caught eight of his 11 targets on Sunday, and racked up 99 yards, even converting on a key 3rd and 16 late in the game. Brown has been a cornerstone of Buffalo's offensive success this season.
Tremaine Edmunds
The Buffalo linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds, had his best game of the season in Week 9. One of the biggest holes on the Bills' roster in 2020 has been their rush defense, and Seattle's head coach Pete Carroll's Week 9 game plan was centered around Seattle running the ball down Buffalo's throat. That plan backfired on him quickly, as Edmunds and the rest of the Bills' defensive line came ready to play. Edmund's finished the day with 11 total tackles, two for a loss, one sack, and had one pass defended.
Con's
The Offensive Line
I guess some things just never change... Due to an abundance of injuries, the offensive line was forced to shuffle several times in the early stages of this game, so for that reason, I'm not that salty about the offensive line's performance against Seattle, though I was pretty upset at the time. Josh Allen was sacked SEVEN times on Sunday, that's just unacceptable. Had the Bills managed to surrender the lead to the Seahawks, it surely would have been because of the O-line's inability to protect their quarterback.
Aside from the offensive line, I don't have much to complain about this week. The Bills dominated every aspect of this game, and never gave up the lead even for a second. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills sat in the driver's seat, and sent the Super Bowl contending Seahawks back to Seattle with their tails tucked between their legs. As for the team back in Buffalo, they have another huge NFC West matchup in Week 10, when they fly to Arizona to take on the 5-3 Cardinals.
Expectations are high for the Bills heading into Week 10 after defeating the mighty Seattle Seahawks, and the expectations are now especially high since the Arizona Cardinals are still licking their wounds after a tough loss against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.
Follow me on Twitter for all your Buffalo Bills news, rumors, and updates, @NY_cth. Have a great week, Bills Mafia!
-Chris
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