Six Things We Learned From Buffalo Bills’ Week 1 Win Over Arizona Cardinals

The Buffalo Bills closed out Week 1 with a thrilling 34-28 home win over the surging Arizona Cardinals. Facing a tough challenge in the form of a 17-3 deficit, the Bills scored 21 unanswered points to take a lead they refused to relinquish.

But the victory didn’t come without a hitch, as nickel cornerback Taron Johnson was injured just minutes into the season, and now quarterback Josh Allen will be dealing with a left wrist injury. Fortunately, Allen was able to finish the day, and he no doubt enjoyed the final kneeldown to secure a hard-fought victory.

As with any team in Week 1, there are plenty of things to work on. As the weeks progress, creating a downfield threat will be key, and it would be wise to get tight end Dalton Kincaid heavily involved at receiver in whatever capacity he can. Hopefully we see more of wide receiver Curtis Samuel in Week 2 after he finished with two catches (on two targets) for 15 yards on Sunday.

Below are six things we learned during the Bills’ Week 1 win over the Cardinals. We’re sure you have your own takeaways from today — so feel free to share them in the comments!

Buffalo Bills are still built for adversity

Entering their home opener, the Bills looked anything but ready for the start of the NFL season. Sloppy execution, ineffective play-calling and self-inflicted punishment. Perhaps most troubling was Buffalo’s completely outclassed and outplayed defense, a unit trying to make up for the loss of nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, who was injured in the game’s opening minutes.

In the days following Buffalo’s win, many questions will be asked about why the team needed an entire half to come alive, and many will find reason to criticize the decision to rest the starters for nearly the entire preseason. Questioning those decisions will only serve to fuel criticism, and ignore the more important issue of the Bills finding a way to win a game.

As Buffalo tried to defend its 34-28 lead, quarterback Kyler Murry stepped up for a Hail Murray play. This time, however, the play fell harmlessly in the g-round near the end zone. Covering that crucial play were defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram and safety Damar Hamlin. This time, the Bills held on, thanks to some unlikely defensive heroes.

Only time will tell how defensive coordinator Bobby Babich chooses to manage the loss of nickel cornerback Taron Johnson — and we don’t know at this point how long that will last. But who’s willing to doubt that the Bills have a solid plan in place to offset another admittedly painful personnel loss?

Josh Allen 2.0 looks just as good as his previous form

The Bills Mafia has been saying all offseason: Buffalo will only go as far as Josh Allen takes the team. Buffalo’s son, Allen, proved that such a major offensive overhaul wouldn’t hurt him, and that his rise to one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks wasn’t built on the shoulders of Stefon Diggs alone.

As everyone predicted, Allen’s first passing touchdown of the season came on a beautiful red zone pass to wide receiver Mack Hollins. For those of you watching at home, that should portend that we may have little idea what to expect from game-day heroes each week. That’s great news, and if things continue to work out, it should keep NFL defenses guessing as they play more honest coverages.

Allen did not play turnover-free football, losing a fumble in curious indecision in the first half. He did not throw an interception, however. On the day, Allen finished 18 of 23 for 232 yards with two touchdowns; and added nine rushes for 39 yards and two more touchdowns. All told, Allen finished with a passing rating of 137.7.

It didn’t take long for Allen to find his cape, but instead of playing a scrambling superhero ball, Allen opted for a methodical approach that utilized punishing downfield decisions. He even took to the air en route to his second rushing score. Virtually everyone who follows the NFL focuses on the stats, which is why Allen sees an abundance of criticism for turnovers. Allen’s heart and effort lead to missteps, but the Bills aren’t the same team without them.

It’s not inconceivable that if Josh Allen has a good day, things will go well for the Buffalo Bills in 2024.

Khalil Shakir is a Pinball wizard

Khalil Shakir might be just what the doctor ordered for Josh Allen. Shakir’s efficiency as a highly targeted wide receiver is a breath of fresh air after what was a head-scratching denouement at the hands of the erratic Stefon Diggs. The way Shakir plays the football is downright exciting. There’s got to be a trick, right?

Thanks to the subtle way Shakir seemingly employs the mentality of a running back in traffic, defenders are often caught flat-footed in their attempts to surround him at the line for the win. Shakir finished with three catches on three targets for 42 yards and an incredibly inventive and acrobatic touchdown twist. Moves like Shakir’s in the end zone will become a staple in his red zone repertoire.

Keon Coleman vs. Marvin Harrison Jr.

There was a lot of talk leading up to today’s game asking how the Bills would stack up against rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. It’s fair to say that Harrison is ready to put this game behind him, looking forward to better days. Harrison threw his first target and finished the afternoon catching one pass on three targets for four yards.

Keon Coleman had more luck in his first regular-season game. Coleman was a handful of defenders early on for the Cardinals, claiming a few flags for aggressive defense to compensate for Coleman’s skilled basketball background. Coleman ultimately caught four passes on five targets for 51 yards — including a long of 28 yards. It was an encouraging performance from a rookie who One Bills Drive surely expects to see big things in 2024.

Special teams start strong and then do everything they can to give the Cardinals life

In the first half of the game, it wouldn’t be entirely absurd to say that the Bills’ kicking units were a clear standout. In fact, Buffalo’s trade for rookie kick returner Brandon Codrington paid off almost immediately thanks to a long kickoff return early in the play.

Their solid play continued into the third quarter, but kicker Tyler Bass and the kick coverage unit were plagued by a threatening wind to end the game. It proved fatal on a key kickoff when Bass failed to get the kick into the end zone. Ninety-six yards later, Buffalo’s coverage unit was exhausted and unable to stop Arizona’s return man from claiming six points in his team’s favor. It had been 145 games since the Cardinals’ last return touchdown.

It’s one game, and Bass has made his biggest attempts count every time. That said, we all know that wind is a factor at Highmark Stadium, even with the best of weather forecasts. Lake Ontario isn’t affected. It will be interesting to see how special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley addresses this concern going forward, especially if he doesn’t get a kickoff touchback every time Bass touches it. That situation made matters worse than they needed to be when Bass felt like he had to line drive a boat across the turf, only to have the ball go out of bounds and be flagged in the Cardinals’ favor. There’s plenty to work on for a unit still trying to navigate a rewritten NFL kickoff.

Greg Rousseau is becoming a quarterback’s nightmare

We’ve all heard the comments, the criticisms, and the calls to develop defensive end Greg Rousseau into the difference-maker he was designed to be for Buffalo. His is a position that notoriously takes time to acclimate to in the NFL, and we may now be witnessing the fruits of that labor. After a dominant preseason performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers that had many warning of a possible future, Rousseau came out of the blocks against the Cardinals. Rousseau’s Week 1 was remarkable, with six solo tackles and three sacks for a loss of 11 yards; and he added a forced fumble to his record. That effort could put him in contention for AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Thank you!

• As mentioned earlier, defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram deserves a standing ovation for his efforts as a nickel cornerback. Ingram’s physical defense saved the day on the Cardinals’ final deep pass — which fell incomplete to the turf with Damar Hamlin supporting on fourth down.
• Edge rusher Von Miller looked like his old self again, the player the Bills brought in to impact games late in the game. Miller claimed his first sack since injuring his ACL two seasons ago and had two tackles.
• Wide receiver Mack Hollins put on a touchdown party this season, scoring the team’s first six with Josh Allen on the other side of the rope. Hollins could be a huge factor for the Bills in 2024, and I’m inclined to argue his involvement is greater than most would like to predict.
• Left tackle Dion Dawkins got his Shnowplow service going early, completely taking out a Cardinals defender and creating space for Shakir to reach the end zone.
• Kick returner Brandon Codrington looked decisive and quick in traffic on kickoff returns. I like Codrington as a quick-footed North-South runner.
• Safety Damar Hamlin totaled four tackles (2 solo) on an afternoon where he didn’t look out of place as a starter and didn’t endanger his team in one of the game’s most obvious deciding moments. Hamlin has earned his chance to start for this team.
• Linebacker Dorian Williams held his own in similar fashion in his first action as a replacement for linebacker Matt Milano.
• For those still counting, kicker Tyler Bass made every punt attempt.
• Kudos to the Cardinals for their great game plan in the first half. Fortunately, the Bills’ response in the second half was even better.