Football is back, so are the Bills!

On a windy afternoon in Orchard Park, the Buffalo Bills kicked off their 2024-25 season with an electric win over the Arizona Cardinals. Although it looked like the defense couldn’t stop Kyler Murray and James Conner, MVP Josh Allen was on full display to carry the team to a victory.

All Arizona

For the entire first half, the Cardinals offense looked very dangerous. Conner continued seeing his bellcow work from last season, and Murray made the most of his opportunities to scramble. On the opening drive, Conner racked up 41 total yards, while a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on Ja’Marcus Ingram reset the downs and gave the Cardinals 1st and Goal. Although a sack and tackle for loss from Greg Rousseau helped give the defense some life, Murray found Michael Wilson in the back of the endzone for a five yard score.

Buffalo’s offense started out hot, with a 53 yard return by the newest Bill, Brandon Codrington. 12 rushing yards from James Cook and a 14 yard completion to Mack Hollins set them up inside the redzone, but Allen held onto the ball for too long and was stripped from behind. The Cardinals recovered, putting Allen’s first turnover of the year in the books.

Arizona’s drive was highlighted by a 24 yard completion to running back Emari Demercado, as Murray continued to pepper Buffalo’s defense with short completions to different receivers. To open the 2nd quarter, the Cardinals settled for a 29 yard field goal, thanks to a great open-field tackle by Rasul Douglas on third down.

The Bills were able to match Arizona’s field goal on their next drive, with Tyler Bass drilling one from 37 yards out. Allen had led the team all the way to the goal line, but an obvious facemask penalty against O’Cyrus Torrence negated an Allen touchdown run and backed them up 15 yards.

The Cardinals extended their lead with their second touchdown of the game, thanks to a 13 play drive that included two third down conversions. Murray completed passes of 5, 4, 5, 14, 8, and 7, tearing up Buffalo’s defense. The drive was capped off with a three yard run from Conner into the endzone, to take a 17-3 lead.

Everybody Eats

With 2:40 remaining in the first half, the Bills had an opportunity to double-dip, and score points on both sides of halftime. Before the half ended, Allen was able to complete passes to Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman to move down the field. One of the best plays of the game was Allen’s third down scramble, where he found Shakir for the first down. Shakir broke the ensuing tackle, turning a minimal completion to a gain of 19 yards. From the seven yard line, Allen rushed to his right and dove into the endzone for Buffalo’s first touchdown of the season. The Bills were back.

Despite numerous penalties from Buffalo’s offensive line, the Bills were able to overcome the yardage losses thanks to their explosive offense. Allen found Cook for a 25 yard gain on third down, wiping out a 10 yard holding penalty on first down. Rookie running back Ray Davis showed flashes, getting 1st downs on a 14 yard reception and 13 yard run in back-to-back plays. From the 11 yard line, Allen zipped a pass to Mack Hollins over the middle for the score, tying the game at 17-17.

I AM GROOT

Rousseau, already with a sack and TFL in the game, came up big for the Bills in the second half. With the Cardinals looking to counter after Buffalo’s second touchdown, Groot sacked Murray in the backfield for an eight yard loss on 3rd down. After a three-and-out from the Bills, Rousseau knocked the ball out of Murray’s hands for a strip sack, which was recovered by Dorian Williams at the Arizona 21 yard line.

A QB sneak on 4th and 1 extended the drive, and led to the play of the game. A screen to Shakir at the 11 yard line saw him dodge a tackle at the line of scrimmage, follow a beautiful block by Dion Dawkins downfield, break a tackle at the five yard line, and roll over the body of another defender as he reached for the goal line while laying on his back. The incredible effort by Shakir is not anything new, but the shifty receiver seems to have a knack for making amazing plays at the perfect moments.

Too Close for Comfort

A 29 yard scramble by Murray, followed by a 20 yard rush from Conner, set the Cardinals up in field goal territory. A 31 yard field goal by Matt Prater kept it a one-possession game.

Allen hit offseason acquisition Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 19 yards and Shakir for 12 yards, and a five yard scramble by the QB gave them a first down on 4th and 2. Then, the moment all Bills fans were waiting for, Allen threw a back-shoulder pass to Keon Coleman down the sideline, who came down with the 28 yard contested catch. Two plays later, Allen hurdled over All-Pro safety Budda Baker for his fourth total touchdown of the game.

The Cardinals would not go away easily, as DeeJay Dallas returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. A run by Conner led to a successful 2-point conversion attempt, and suddenly the score was 31-28 with half of the 4th quarter still remaining.

An 11 yard completion to Dalton Kincaid, his first catch of the game, gave the BIlls a first down, but Allen’s third down pass attempt three plays later fell incomplete, resulting in a punt for Buffalo. Von Miller helped get the ball back to the offense, bulldozing the right tackle on 3rd and 10 to sack Murray and force a three-and-out.

After a rough 28 yard punt, the Bills had great field position, but Allen’s third down run was stopped at the line of scrimmage. Facing 4th and 2 from the 20 yard line, Sean McDermott elected to kick a field goal, as Bass drilled a 39 yarder to take a six point lead at the two minute warning.

Small completions from Murray, gains of 5, 12, 4, and 7, brought Arizona to Buffalo’s 32 yard line. After back to back incompletions, the Cardinals tried to confuse the Bills with a run play, but Conner was tackled after just three yards by Dorian Williams. On 4th and 7, Murray faced pressure and threw a pass downfield towards Greg Dortch, but Ja’Marcus Ingram forced the incompletion and ended the game. The Bills would start the season 1-0.

Afterthoughts

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady wasn’t kidding when he said “Everybody Eats”. Allen completed 18 passes to nine different receivers, with the leader being Brandon Beane’s first draft pick Keon Coleman. Coleman led Buffalo with five targets, four catches, 51 yards, and a 21.7% target share, more work for the rookie than I was expecting in his first NFL game. Kincaid’s lone catch was a crucial first down, but I’m surprised he wasn’t more of a focal point for the offense. Similarly, Curtis Samuel recorded just two catches for 15 yards, and most of his routes seemed to be short and intermediate.

The offensive line needs to be more disciplined, with several penalties wiping out good field position or even touchdowns. While they weren’t all on the OL, Buffalo was flagged nine times on Sunday, a number that must come down. The Bills were only 3/9 on third down, but 2/2 on 4th down thanks to Allen’s legs.

Defensively, losing Taron Johnson early to an injury definitely hurt. Without their two best players (Matt Milano on IR), the pass coverage left something to be desired. Dorian Williams was unsuccessful as a QB spy against Murray, but not many QBs are as fast and agile as he is. Terrel Bernard was everywhere, notching 11 total tackles.

After an offseason full of questions for Buffalo’s special teams units, Bass was a perfect 2/2 on field goals and 4/4 on extra points despite the wind, while Sam Martin averaged 42.5 yards per punt. Codrington’s lone kick return provided an early spark for the team, but I wonder how many more chances he’ll have to actually return a kick this season.

Game Awards

Offensive Player of the Game: James Cook

Cook was Buffalo’s bell cow against a weak Cardinals front-seven. He recorded 19 carries for 71 yards, and added three catches for 32 yards for a total of over 100 scrimmage yards on the day. I expect Buffalo to throw more in the future, but a mix of the wind and Arizona’s personnel led to the back seeing as much work as he did.

Defensive Player of the Game: Greg Rousseau

Rousseau could be in the mix for AFC Defensive Player of the Week. His three sacks are what immediately jump out from the box score, but his talent at stuffing the run led to six tackles, while his awareness to swipe at the football during his strip sack gave Buffalo’s defense their only turnover of the game.

MVP: Josh Allen

After a frustrating Week 1 last season, it was great to see Allen start off hot this year. He was very accurate, completing 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 232 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he added nine carries for 39 yards and two more scores. Although he landed on his left hand awkwardly after his hurdle, he was taped up and able to return to the game. If the pain lingers, that could be something to monitor in the coming weeks.

What’s Next? Bills @ Dolphins 9/12

The Bills have a short week, traveling to Miami for Thursday Night Football. The Dolphins are coming off a close 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, as both teams will compete for an early edge in the AFC East race.

Editor’s babble: We are blessed to have Colin Richey write up our postgame reviews for us each week. You can also find Colin on Twitter @whatthef00tball.