It started with one. A win in the books that is.
The Buffalo Bills held up to their end of the bargain by fulfilling their team marketing campaign’s slogan, “It starts with one,” and beating the New York Jets 21-12 in their home opener.
With that win, the team finds itself on top of the AFC East, which at this point is a weird concept that’s straight out of The Twilight Zone. The NFL can be a strange place.
Here are my major takeaways from Sunday’s game:
1) It’s Always Shady in Buffalo
Even at the age of 29, LeSean McCoy still proves that he’s an elite running back. He’s made it very clear on social media that’s he’s determined to dominate, and after 12,000 career rushing yards, he’s moving in the right direction by rushing for 110 yards on 22 carries in Week 1.
He’s currently third behind rookies Kareem Hunt and Dalvin Cook in rushing so far. With a run heavy offense, he will have plenty of opportunities to work toward his mission.
2) Top Dog
Left Guard Richie Icognito’s dominant performance was awarded the top grade, per Pro Football Focus, among guards for this week. One criticism I have on Icognito ‘s performance is the two holding penalties he had committed during the game. Overall, the Bills offensive line remains consistent with what we saw last year.
3) Good Old Chemistry
It was nice to see a familiar face, tight end Charles Clay, score the first touchdown of the game. He and Tyrod Taylor have known each other the longest, as opposed to their other teammates, newcomers Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews, and Andre Holmes. Their chemistry has been consistently evident as Clay has had scored at least one touchdown in the last five games and led the team in receptions (57) last year.
4) Welcome to Buffalo, Jordan Poyer
Former Cleveland Browns safety Jordan Poyer had quite the coming out party in Buffalo this Sunday. He made a crucial interception, the third of his career, to solidify the Bills’s nine point lead with a little over six minutes remaining in the game. That interception probably won over the hearts of the faithful Bills fans in their home opener.
5) In Tyrod We Trust
Let this sink in: Tyrod Taylor scored more touchdowns (3) than Tom Brady in Week 1. Yeah, this week was pretty weird. He also broke a team record. With a total of 1,175 rushing yards as a quarterback, he surpassed Joe Ferguson’s most rushing yards record (1,174) in Bills history, which is impressive company. Taylor’s performance aided tremendously in getting Coach McDermott’s first win as Buffalo’s new head coach.
Next up – The Bills travel to Carolina for Week 2.
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