Napsat článek o levém tacklovi Bills, Cordy Glennovi, jsem se rozhodl již v druhé polovině listopadu. Připravil jsem si obrázek, který můžete vidět, a také jsem si rozvrhl přibližný obsah. Důvodem pro vznik článku mělo být překvapení pro čtenáře, protože jsem osobně nabyl přesvědčení, že vedení Bills v podstatě učinilo interní rozhodnutí Glenna se zbavit. Měl to být lehce šokující a kontroverzní článek postavený na rozsáhlé spekulaci, zahrnující v první řadě přetrvávající zdravotní problémy Glenna v kombinaci s výší jeho kontraktu, strukturu kontraktu, neobyčejnou podnikavost dua Sean McDermott + Sean Beane v oblasti likvidace nežádoucích finančních převisů i za cenu ztráty takzvaně nepostradatelných talentů a v druhé řadě neopomíjející prostý fakt, že univerzální ofenzívní lineman Dion Dawkins zaujal jeho místo a podával obstojné, či možná překvapivě dobré výkony.

Sezóna ale už skončila, já se konečně dostal k napsání článku a ten bude bohužel postrádat to hlavní: moment překvapení. O plánovaném odchodu /tradu/ Cordy Glenna se nyní hovoří velice otevřeně a v množství informací na toto téma nemůžeme hovořit jako o průsaku nýbrž jako o protržené hrázi. I tak jsem se ale rozhodl článek nakonec napsat, už jen proto, že mi bylo líto obrázku.

Bills si Cordy Glenna pořídili ve druhém kole draftu 2012 jako celkovou jednačtyřicítku. Mohutný, bezmála dvoumetrový hráč Bulldogů z Georgie zažil v dresu Bills několik povedených sezón. Za zcela mimořádnou považuji jeho sezónu z roku 2013, kdy podle mého názoru patřil mezi 5 nejlepších levých tacklů v lize. Také první sezóna v lize ale byla velice dobrá a to v obou činnostech (impaktu - pomohl k výborným výkonům CJ Spillerovi, i v qb-protekci).

Sezóna 2014 ale přinesla, z mého pohledu, velké zklamání ve výkonnosti Glenna. Objevily se první vážnější příznaky dopadu zraněného kotníku na výkony hráče. Glenn jako by mnohem větší pozornost věnoval ochraně zraněné nohy, než ochraně svého quarterbacka. Pro ofenzívní line Bills to znamenalo, že při přetrvávajících zdravotních problémech dua running backů CJ Spiller + Fred Jackson, nebude schopna se prosadit rozhodujícím způsobem po levé straně a zároveň, že vystaví permanentnímu tlaku nezkušeného quarterbacka EJ Manuela, který byl po čtyřech zápasech (upřímně, především kvůli malé podpoře o-line) nahrazen zkušenějším Kyle Ortonem. Orton, který byl velice dobrým quarterbackem (přiznejme si dokonce, že byl při mizerné práci o-line a prakticky neexistující běhové hře skoro výborným QB), se dokázal se situací slušně vypořádat a dovedl tým k sedmi výhrám (celková sezónní bilance Bills byla 9-7).
Co se týče výkonnostního propadu Cordy Glenna mezi úspěšnými sezónami 2012-13 a 2014, je zarážející, že k němu došlo, aniž by došlo k zásadní změně herního schéma. Hlavním koučem byl bývalý ofenzívní lineman Doug Marrone a ten razil jasné heslo: bitvu na line of scrimmage vyhrávají kilogramy, těžší váha vždy porazí menší váhu. Viditelný propad můžeme jednoznačně přičíst na účet zranění kontníku. 

Jakmile se kormidla v Bills chopil kouč Rex Ryan, rychle se zorientoval. Uvědomil si, že Bills nejsou qb-týmem a bez kvalitního hráče na této pozici se jím ani nestanou. Stanovil priority o-line tímto způsobem: klíčový bude impakt, sekundární bude protekce (nedostatečná ochrana quarterbacka bude nahrazena jeho zvýšenou mobilitou - angažování Tyrod Taylora). Ryan začal podnikat příslušné kroky v rychlém sledu: zbavil se kouče o-line Pat Morrise a angažoval vyhlášeného odborníka Aaron Kromera. Společně s majitelem týmu Terry Pegulou se rozjel za odstaveným guardem Richie Incognitem a navrhl mu zkušební sezónu v dresu Bills s možností prodloužení v případě, že Incognito bude sekat dobrotu. Své dílo završil Ryan tak, že ve spolupráci s generálním manažerem Doug Whaleym dosadili na pozici ofenzívního koordinátora Greg Romana, který je odborníkem na vedení pozemní ofenzívy.

Sezóna 2015 proběhla dobře, Glenn si vedl zdatně, tým ale výsledkově zaostal za divizními konkurenty - New England Patriots a New York Jets. Bilance týmu byla 9-7, ale konference byla tak našlapaná, že Jets nestačilo k postupu ani deset výher. V každém případě stáli Bills v otázce dalšího setrvání Cordy Glenna v týmu před důležitým krokem. Celou situaci komplikovalo také to, že rozpočet týmu byl napnutý, v týmu Bills se nacházelo v jednom okamžiku hned několik volných agentů (UFAs) a v možnostech Bills nebylo je všechny udržet. Tým začal těžce doplácet na rozhazovačnost v době příchodu Rex Ryana k týmu (angažování tight enda Charles Claye, příchod hvězdného running backa LeSean McCoye, luxusní smlouvy s defenzívním tacklem Marcell Dareusem a defenzívním endem Jerry Hughesem). Bills potřebovali udržet spoustu hráčů a jejich finanční možnosti byly značně limitovány. 

Rex Ryan určil jako prioritu číslo jedna udržení provozuschopné o-line. Zároveň obětoval několik důležitých hráčů Bills: wide receivera Chris Hogana přeplatili Patriots, do Detroitu odešel DT Stefan Charles a bývalý defenzívní koordinátor Bills Jim Schwartz si do Philadelphia Eagles vzal své svěřence LB Nigel Bradhama, CB Leodis McKelvina a NCB Ron Brookse. To vše byly oběti snahy o udržení o-line pohromadě. Ryan a Whaley totiž měli před sebou hned dva obtížné úkoly: udržet v týmu Cordy Glenna a zároveň se potřebovali dohodnout také s Richie Incognitem, který zažil vynikající sezónu 2015. 

Jednání s Incognitem měla být spíše formalitou, protože hráč měl vykazovat známky jisté loyality s týmem, který mu dal příležitost opětovně se zapojit do profesionálního footballu. Nemohu přímo říci, že přesný opak byl pravdou, to jistě ne, ale jednání snadná nebyla. Incognito ukázal vstřícnost, ale zároveň jasně vyjádřil, že pro něho osobně se jedná o pravděpodobně poslední konkrakt v kariéře a bude mít tedy zájem si vyjednat dobrou cenu na dostatečně dlouhou dobu. Pokud mu Bills vyjdou vstříc, nic mu nepřinese větší radost, než v Buffalu zůstat. Pokud se nedohodnou a Bills ho patřičně neohodnotí, nebude pro něj problém změnit adresu (zájem o Incognita se dal očekávat). Bills se rozhodli Incognita zaplatit (3 roky/ 15,75 mil. USD). 

Nyní byla řada na Glennovi. O Cordy Glenna by na volném trhu byl ještě větší zájem než o Richie Incognita. Hráč neměl v minulosti problémy s morálkou, s nasazením a ani výkonností (alespoň tak byl Glenn experty na celonárodní úrovni přijímán). Těsně před vypršením lhůty byl Glenn informován GM Whaleyem, že Bills na něj uplatnili franchise tag, což mu mělo při souhlasu vynést 13,706 mil. USD v sezóně 2016.  Na začátku května se obě strany dohodly na novém pětiletém kontraktu. Podrobnosti kontraktu jsou zde: Cordy Glenn - smlouva.

Sezóna 2016 ale neprobíhala plně podle představ. Ve druhém a třetím utkání řádné sezóny musel nahradit zraněného Glenna nevýrazný Cyrus Kouandjio a výkon o-line tento výpadek hodně poznamenal. V závěru soutěže Glenn vynechal 3 utkání v řadě a nastartoval tak sérii, která se táhla i celou sezónu 2017. V utkáních s Clevelandem, Miami a NY Jets hrál místo Glenna jako starter také Cyrus Kouandjio a je potřeba rovnou konstatovat, že tím byla levá strana o-line vyřazena ze hry. Každý jiný hráč do rotace pro tuto pozici byl přínosem do hry. Kouandjio byl také před začátkem sezóny 2017 z týmu Bills vyřazen. 

Velkou prozíravost prokázal kouč McDermott tím, že kombinaci: slabá výkonnost Cyrus Kouandjia a nejistý zdravotní stav Cordy Glenna, včas považoval za předpokládanou slabinu týmu a v draftu 2017 vzal ze druhého kola hráče Temple Owls, Dion Dawkinse. Dawkins se dobře rozehrál a byl schopen Glenna poměrně slušně nahradit. Rozhodně mnohem lépe než Kouandjio. 

Jakou sezónu Cordy Glenn pod koučem McDermottem zažil? Připravil jsem tabulku, která by nám mohla ledacos naznačit. Součástí jsou tři sloupce pro každé utkání. V prvním sloupci je uveden week, soupeř a výsledek. Ve druhém sloupci je uvedeno zápasové nasazení Glenna. Ve třetím sloupci je známka Glenna (podle mne). Ve čtvrtém sloupci je uvedena známka Dion Dawkinse (opět podle mne). Důležitý je také řádek před každým utkáním - najdete v něm v krátkém přehledu tréninkové zatížení Glenna podle dnů před utkáním a vyjádření kouče McDermotta, která se Glenna týkají.

Tři weeky před koncem řádné sezóny Bills umístili Cordy Glenna do IR (Injured Reserve) kvůli vleklým problémům s nohou a s kotníkem a ukončili tak jeho sezónu 2017. 

Hlavní kouč Sean McDermott kromě toho také připojil informaci, že Glenn podstoupí vyšetření a speciální léčebné procedury renomovaného chirurga a chiropraktika Dr. Robert Andersona. Kouč zároveň vyjádřil naději, že se Glenn bude moci zapojit do přípravy týmu na začátku příští sezóny i za předpokladu, že by řešením měla být operace. Na přímý dotaz, zda McDermott a Bills nadále počítají s Glennem, kouč opatrně odvětil, že v této fázi nemá smysl na otázku hledat odpověď. 

Tento krok definitivně a dokořán otevřel dveře pro trvalý vstup nováčka Dion Dawkinse do prvního týmu. Dawkins zaujal pozici startera (ovšem při jeho univerzalitě by toho pravděpodobně byl schopen dosáhnout i na pravé straně o-line) a vedl si velmi zdatně. Určil tak směr pro další úvahy kolem setrvání finančně náročnějšího Cordy Glenna v týmu Bills. 

Cordy Glenn byl jedním z nejlepších picků Bills poslední dekády, ale není vyloučeno (ba zdá se skoro pravděpodbné), že jeho cesta povede směrem od Buffala. Je tu řada věcí, které mluví v jeho neprospěch.

Za prvé: Ze svých zdravotních problémů loňského roku se nevyhrabal. Do období přípravy nastoupil s dlahou. Pokud se zdravotně zmátořil a začalo se mu i herně dařit na hřišti, přišlo další zranění a to ho udrželo mimo hru do konce sezóny.

Za druhé: Zařazení zpátky do sestavy nemůže proběhnout hladce, protože jeho místo zaujal zatím Dion Dawkins. Je jisté, že Dawkins představuje pro Bills lepší variantu minimálně po dobu dalších tří sezón. Pokud hraje Glenn povedené utkání, je herně lepší než Dawkins, ale výkonnost Dawkinse vykazuje stabilitu a mladý hráč se stále ještě zlepšuje. Z dalších příkladů na jiných pozicích v sestavě pak víme bezpečně jednu věc: kouč McDermott miluje univerzálnost hráčů. Dawkins je na pravé straně o-line téměř stejně tak dobrý jako na své "levé" straně. A to mu přináší velkou výhodu.

Za třetí: Nové vedení funguje skutečně jako pověstné nové koště. A zametá pochopitelně hlavně s hráči, se kterými je nepojí žádná společná minulost. Oni (McDermott a Beane) Glenna nedraftovali, oni ho ani nově nekontrahovali. Z jejich pohledu je smlouva s Glennem rozpočtovým balvanem, se kterým bude potřeba pohnout. V sezóně 2018 zatíží smlouva s Glennem rozpočet o 14,45 mil. USD. Pokud by Glenna propustili, vázané prostředky by rozpočet zatížili 11,1 mil. USD. 

Za čtvrté: Cordy Glenn je dobrým zbožím. Riziko představuje jeho zdravotní stav, ale herně může stále ještě patřit k nejlepším levým tacklům v celé lize. Je mu teprve 28 let, má řadu zkušeností a dosáhl mnoha dobrých výsledků. Pokud může hrát a cítí se dobře, představuje pro obranu soupeře nepřekonatelnou překážku. Zároveň v impaktní hře patří k nejlepším hráčům. Právě on se v posledních dvou sezónách významnou měrou podílel na úspěších běhové hry Bills. V této sezóně si týmy NFL rozeberou ročník naplněný hned několika nadějnými quarterbacky (minimálně o šesti se mluví jako o kandidátech pro první kolo draftu) a zároveň draft neoplývá nabídkou extrakvalitních tacklů a guardů. Navíc, každý kouč bude chtít poskytnout mladému quarterbackovi dobrou ochranu do první sezóny a  
Cordy Glenn by se mohl stát předmětem tradu hráč za hráče, ale to spíše nepředpokládám. Pravděpodobněji by mohl být předmětem tradu za draft výběr. Glenn by se mohl stát platidlem při posunu Bills výše na draftu na pozici, ze které by si mohli snáze vybrat jednoho z mladých quarterbacků (pokud by tuto situaci Bills nevyřešili během free agency již dříve, což ale nepředpokládám).

Závěr: 
Dle mého je o osudu Glenna rozhodnuto. Jednomu z nejlepších hráčů Bills poslední dekády začalo v Buffalu odpočítávání. Duo McDermott-Beane razí politiku rozpočtové odpovědnosti a to rozhodne. Z mého hlediska ale znovu dochází k efektu, kterého jsme byli svědky v několika předchozích případech. Cordy Glenn hrál pět let na vynikající úrovni (rád bych věřil, že by se mu mohl Dawkins výkonnostně v budoucnu nikoliv vyrovnat, o tom silně pochybuji, ale alespoň přiblížit) a nyní o něj přijdeme, protože není McDermottovým vyvoleným hráčem.
Nezapadá do koncepce (podobně jako Marcell Dareus, Ronald Darby, Sammy Watkins, Reggie Ragland) procesu budování týmu play-off kalibru. Fajn, rozumím, nechci polemizovat s rozhodnutími kouče, který ukončil sedmnáctileté čekání Buffala na play-off, ale rád si k tomu řeknu své: zdravý Glenn je hráč nejen PO kalibru, ale Pro-bowl kalibru a chcete-li ho ukotvit v sezóně, pak tedy SB kalibru. Kouč McDermott bude v týmu potřebovat nejen výhradě zdravé, společensky nekonfliktní, systémově ryzí, morálně čisté, funkčně univerzální a finančně nenáročné hráče. Pokud nesleví ze svých některých požadavků, zanedlouho pozná, že týmu palčivě chybí špičková, rozdílová kvalita top specialistů zejména na ofenzívní straně míče. 

Joe po utkání s Bucs: Now, this is a sight I’m sure every Bills fan likes seeing from the longtime starting left tackle. Cordy Glenn hasn’t started a game since Week Two of this season, and the month-plus of rest time from game action clearly has done wonders for him. He looked like himself again, always in control of his opponent, and getting around on the field with the athletic ease that he did in every season before this one. If Glenn really is at full health, this is a tremendous development for the Bills in their efforts to turn the offensive line and the play of the offense around. It gives them a solid, every-down starter at the position, and it also allows them the flexibility to get rookie Dion Dawkins some more practice time on the right side in the effort to challenge the incumbent Jordan Mills for playing time.

 

Jets

The Top Five

1) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 43/58
Grade vs. Jets: A
- As for Kyle Williams, he just keeps getting older and things just seem to stay the same. Heading into the matchup, the Buffalo Bills had a tremendous advantage with their defensive line against the Jets offensive line, and once the game got to the second half, Williams took over. He was consistently pushing the pocket back, fighting through double teams, and creating negative plays by the Jets because of his individual efforts. It truly is amazing that he’s able to continue this high of a level of play at this point in his career, but he’s done it through the first week of the season.

2) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 54/77
Grade vs. Jets: A-
- The most noticeable of the top five while the game was happening live, LeSean McCoy made a handful of plays that makes you shake your head after the fact as to say, “how the heck did he do that?!” That’s just how good he is, creating yards where they’re not. The best example of this was on a 3rd and long dump-off, where he turned a certain short gain into making about six Jets defenders miss on his way to a first down on the other side of the field. On offense, he is the most dynamic playmaker they have and there really isn’t anyone close to that distinction.

3) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Jets: A-
- Upon watching the game live, Jordan Poyer stood out because of his sack in the second quarter, and then coming down with an interception in the second half to help lock up the game. However, his game was so much more than that. Above all else, his instincts were on display in sniffing out the play before the play even happened. Whether it was through tape study, or just seeing the natural design of the play unfolding and trusting his football intelligence to sniff out the play, Poyer was everywhere that he needed to be. This was a very encouraging start for an outright unknown of a starter.

4) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 77/77
Grade vs. Jets: B+
- After a bit of a slow start that included misfires, having a pair of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, and then the interception, I thought Taylor settled in nicely and had a heck of a game from there on out. He used his legs to his advantage, he was smart with the football, he was throwing the ball over the middle of the field, and he was even going through his reads. I only counted a pair of plays where Taylor appeared to have someone open had he gone through his reads and didn’t pull the trigger, instead opting for a run. However, he turned one of those into a positive play with his legs, so you can’t negate the outcome of that play too much. This was not a perfect game for Taylor by any means, but it was very much a step in the right direction. I’m interested to see what he does against a bit of a better defense — and one that features a more talented group of linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties, and I’m sure the coaches and front office are as well.

5) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Jets: B+
- While Micah Hyde didn’t make as many flash plays as Jordan Poyer did, Hyde was the picture of consistency throughout the contest. He was exactly where he needed to be, and usually playing as the deep safety, would have had more of an impact on the game had the Jets actually tried to push the ball down the field. Like Poyer, Hyde’s strongest asset was how instinctive he was to be in the right spot before plays developed. He added a centerfield style interception at the end of the game, putting a cherry on top of a fantastic debut for the new pair of starting safeties for the Bills.

The Middle

6) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 67/77
Grade vs. Jets: B+

7) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 46/58
Grade vs. Jets: B+

8) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 77/77
Grade vs. Jets: B

9) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Jets: B

10) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 57/58
Grade vs. Jets: B

11) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 43/77
Grade vs. Jets: B

12) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 39/77
Grade vs. Jets: B

13) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 37/58
Grade vs. Jets: B

14) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 25/58
Grade vs. Jets: B

15) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 20/77
Grade vs. Jets: B

16) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 23/77
Grade vs. Jets: B

17) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 77/77
Grade vs. Jets: B-

18) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 65/77
Grade vs. Jets: B-

19) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 66/77
Grade vs. Jets: B-

20) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

21) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 47/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

22) DT Marcell Dareus
Snaps on the Field: 34/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

23) NCB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 46/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

24) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 21/77
Grade vs. Jets: B-

25) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 21/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

26) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 15/58
Grade vs. Jets: B-

The Bottom Three

27) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 56/77
Grade vs. Jets: C
- Upon watching Cordy Glenn every single play, it creates some doubt that this ankle injury is still an issue for the starting left tackle. The Bills had to bring rookie Dion Dawkins in for Glenn for a few series due to the ankle, and just when you watched him try to move in this zone blocking scheme… it just didn’t look like the player we’ve come to know in Buffalo. On plays that required him to move off his spot as the whole line was blocking to the right, Glenn was slow out of his stance and couldn’t get out in front of the defender to secure the block. It’s a situation to monitor as we go forward, but something just seemed a bit off with Glenn.

28) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 77/77
Grade vs. Jets: C
- You’ll notice a trend here with the bottom three… and a lot of that had to do with the talent along the defensive line of the New York Jets. However, right tackle Jordan Mills saw his struggles from the previous season continue along into Week One of the season. That’s not to say he didn’t have some good moments in the game — in fact, I actually liked his movement skills more than I thought I would in the zone-based scheme. However, he lost track of his man far too often and it led to quite a few negative plays for the Bills. Until Cordy Glenn’s ankle injury subsides, though, the Bills really don’t have anyone else to turn to at right tackle at the moment with rookie Dion Dawkins practicing only at left tackle. Mills will need to pick up his play and capitalize on some of the positive signs he showed on Sunday.

29) RG John Miller
Snaps on the Field: 77/77
Grade vs. Jets: D+
- Heading in, I thought Jordan Mills was the clear weakness of the offensive line on Sunday. However, upon watching the film it became abundantly clear: Third-year player John Miller had the toughest time of any Bills player on the field. He was matched up quite a bit with former top ten draft pick and budding defensive star Leonard Williams, which led to some of his struggles. However, it was his lack of movement ability that was the most discouraging part of the game. There was clearly a reason as to why the Bills kept the starting competition open at right guard between Miller and Vladimir Ducasse, and perhaps Miller just isn’t a good fit for this movement-based zone blocking scheme. More of a power player, the shorter-armed Miller had trouble getting out in front of his blocking assignments as the game wore on.

Players with less than 15 snaps
DT Cedric Thornton (13)
DE Eddie Yarbrough (11)
CB Shareece Wright (11)
TE Logan Thomas (6)
WR Brandon Tate (2)

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Taiwan Jones, RB Joe Banyard, OL Ryan Groy, LB Matt Milano, LB Deon Lacey, S Trae Elston, S Colt Anderson

Inactives: WR Kaelin Clay (1), TE Khari Lee (1), OT Conor McDermott (1), G Vladimir Ducasse (1), DT Jerel Worthy (1), LB Tanner Vallejo (1), CB Greg Mabin (1)
*(Total Games Inactive)

Panthers

The Top Five

1) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 45/68
Grade vs. Panthers: A-
- Oh, what a game it was for Jerry Hughes. He’s back home in the defense that best suits him and he’s clearly having a lot of fun doing it. Coming into the game, it seemed like a huge opportunity against a poor left tackle for Hughes to dominate — and guess what? He did just that. Hughes came away with two sacks, but his game was so much more than that. He was sound against the run on the edge, he forced Cam Newton to hurry up his reads in the pocket multiple times, and he probably could have come away with four sacks against Carolina. The Panthers had no answer for him all game long.

2) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 42/68
Grade vs. Panthers: A-
- By far, this was Shaq Lawson’s best game as a pro. He seems like a natural fit for Sean McDermott’s 4-3 defensive scheme as a defensive end and has really flashed a lot of ability since the beginning of training camp. Against Carolina, Lawson’s raw power was on display in how quickly he could force the right tackle back to disrupt multiple rushing attempts. His best play in doing this was on the goal line, walking back his opposition, and then slamming the ball carrier down for a loss of two yards. While his pass rush may not be as developed as Hughes, his power is his best asset and it helped him get in position for his first sack of the season on Sunday.

3) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 46/68
Grade vs. Panthers: A-
- Notice a trend here? The reason the Bills were in that game right until the very end was because of how well the defensive line played against the Panthers offensive line. For the second straight week, Williams was one of the best on the field for the Bills — defying normal logic about players at his age slowing down. Williams, like Hughes and Lawson, is a natural fit for this defensive scheme and was a disruptive force against the Panthers. While Hughes and Lawson had the bigger games on broadcast, Williams set the table for them on so many different occasions with how well he penetrated the pocket and the line of scrimmage to stop the Panthers cold. He has been outstanding to start the season.

4) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B+
- Although it wasn’t as good as his Week One debut, Jordan Poyer once again showed how instinctive a player he is. He kept his eyes firmly locked on Cam Newton at all times, and on four separate occasions, came from a long distance away — just by reading the quarterback — to either break up a pass or to stop a play completely right after the catch was made. He prevented two touchdowns with pass breakups, he nearly intercepted another pass thanks to his instincts, and he came down with another sack against Carolina.

5) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 66/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B+
- Not nearly as noticeable as the first four, but rookie Tre’Davious White locked down one side of the field for the Bills. It’s not a man-coverage scheme, but White’s confidence in trusting what he sees and instinctively reacting to the play has shown that he has a lot of potential in the NFL. Not once did I sit there, watching his Week Two performance thinking to myself ‘Man, they’re really picking on the rookie.’ He’s been rock steady, and very nearly caused a turnover because of how well he disguised himself, trusted what he saw, and tipped the pass back. He’s a good player right now. If he can start to pick some passes off along with continuing his solid play, he’s going to make some waves in the NFL. His biggest test will come in Week Four when the Bills take on the high-powered Atlanta Falcons. However, White has been really good through two weeks.

The Middle

6) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 66/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B+

7) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 43/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B+

8) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 54/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B+

9) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 23/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B+

10) CB EJ Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 64/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B

11) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 32/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B

12) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 50/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

13) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

14) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 40/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

15) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 45/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

16) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 37/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

17) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 31/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

18) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 26/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

19) DT Marcell Dareus
Snaps on the Field: 17/68
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

20) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 34/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

21) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 54/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

22) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 20/54
Grade vs. Panthers: B-

23) RG John Miller
Snaps on the Field: 54/54
Grade vs. Panthers: C+

24) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 49/54
Grade vs. Panthers: C+

25) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 17/54
Grade vs. Panthers: C+

26) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 54/54
Grade vs. Panthers: C

The Bottom Three

27) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 63/68
Grade vs. Panthers: C
- While Ramon Humber does provide some nice ability on running sideline to sideline and in making a play against the run, the starting weakside linebacker just has had too many gaffes in both coverages and in missed tackles to save his day. When comparing him to Tyrod Taylor as to who would be in the bottom three, Taylor made enough positive plays to keep him out ahead of Humber. Now with the presence of Jelani Jenkins on the roster — a young, quick linebacker that has 34 starts to his name in the NFL, Humber can’t afford many more games like this one.

28) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 46/68
Grade vs. Panthers: D+
- There weren’t any bad beats for Leonard Johnson, but on way too many occasions he was just a half-step slow to react to the receiver in his zone, which gave Cam Newton all the room he needed to make multiple plays and keep the chains moving. Perhaps he was a bit slowed down by the quad injury that he suffered on Thursday at practice, but some of those throws could have been prevented had he been quicker to react. In what was a tremendous defensive performance, for the most part, Johnson was one of the weak spots that the Panthers picked on.

29) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 54/54
Grade vs. Panthers: D+
- For the second straight week, the starting right tackle of the team was one of the bottom three performers on the field. Jordan Mills, going up against a combination of Charles Johnson and Julius Peppers, struggled to maintain his blocks — and at times, to even stay on his own two feet. The struggles of Mills have been well documented at this point, but there’s really nothing the Bills can do. With Dion Dawkins tied up at left tackle (and showing potential over there) due to Cordy Glenn’s longstanding ankle injury, Mills will be the starter for the foreseeable future. The team does have rookie Conor McDermott on the roster, but he hasn’t made any waves in practice thus far and has been inactive for both games this season.

Players with less than 15 snaps:
RB Mike Tolbert (13)
WR Kaelin Clay (5)
CB Shareece Wright (2)
TE Logan Thomas (1)

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Taiwan Jones, OL Ryan Groy, LB Matt Milano, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Trae Elston, S Colt Anderson

Inactives: RB Joe Banyard (1), WR Brandon Tate (1), TE Khari Lee (2), OT Conor McDermott (2), G Vladimir Ducasse (2), DT Jerel Worthy (2), LB Jelani Jenkins (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 30 snaps to qualify

1) DT Kyle Williams - 3.83
2) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.50
3) S Jordan Poyer - 3.49
4) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.36
5) S Micah Hyde - 3.33
6) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.24
7) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.22
8) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 3.21
9) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.14
10) LG Richie Incognito - 3.14
11) WR Jordan Matthews - 3.05
12) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.90
13) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.89
14) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.88
15) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.87
16) CB EJ Gaines - 2.86
17) WR Andre Holmes - 2.85
18) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.78
19) C Eric Wood - 2.67
20) LB Preston Brown - 2.67
21) TE Charles Clay - 2.67
22) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.67
23) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.67
24) DE Ryan Davis - 2.67
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.67
26) WR Zay Jones - 2.53
27) LB Ramon Humber - 2.48
28) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.17
29) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.08
30) RT Jordan Mills - 1.86
31) RG John Miller - 1.74

Broncos

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Broncos, along with full explanations of the top five and the bottom three:

The Top Five

1) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 47/70
Grade vs. Broncos: A-
- For the second week in a row, defensive end Jerry Hughes tops the list as the best player on the field for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. His game against the Denver Broncos wasn’t as flashy as some others (see: E.J. Gaines), but what we ended up seeing was a sound defender that stayed home against the run and reverses, while continuing to make Trevor Siemian make throws either off-balance or way earlier than he wanted to. Working against a rookie left tackle, Hughes took advantage and was an outright nuisance to the Denver Broncos all game long. While, yes, he did take a penalty, that was really his only misstep in yet another big game. I’m going to sound like a broken record, but Hughes seems like he’s at home in this defense once again — and it doesn’t appear that there is much that can slow him down outside of an injury.

2) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 54/70
Grade vs. Broncos: A-
- For the third straight week, Kyle Williams was one of the most important players on the field for the Buffalo Bills as the defensive line continued to set the tempo for entire roster and game. It’s been three weeks that Williams has helped lead an overwhelmingly dominant defensive line effort — and in two of those games, it helped the Bills to a victory. If the offense could get much of anything going in Carolina, the defense played well enough for the Bills to be undefeated right now. However, against Denver, Williams was forcing the issue up the middle, causing penalties, early throws, redirections of running plays, and a few plays that make you shake your head and say, ‘How did he do that?’ Now getting nearly 73-percent of the Bills defensive snaps, that is the highest of any defensive lineman on the team. He is one of the most critical pieces of the puzzle.

3) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 69/70
Grade vs. Broncos: A-
- In the first two weeks, E.J. Gaines has been extremely solid in Sean McDermott’s zone-based defensive scheme, which has certainly helped the secondary to play way above expectations to start the 2017 season. On Sunday against the Denver Broncos, Gaines had his best game as a member of the Bills — showing a strength in knowing his space on the field in the zone, and correctly identifying which players are coming into his area, and which are leaving so that way he can pass them off. He had some flash plays along the way, too, including pass breakups that showed a really good reaction time. And of course, he had the interception where he exhibited exactly what has made him such a strong fit for this defense in the first place. It’s early yet, but he has been an outstanding pickup for the Bills just a few weeks before the start of the season.

4) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 43/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B+
- For those that listen to the Bills Beat podcast (you can subscribe on iTunes here), you’ll have known of the type of effort that Shaq Lawson has put it on a weekly basis to start the 2017 season. He already has three sacks to his name, but that isn’t the most impressive part of his game at this stage of his career. Lawson has proven over the first three weeks to be a ferocious run defender in this scheme, bull rushing his offensive lineman wherever he wants in an effort to either make the play, or to set up one of his defenders to bring down the ball carrier. If he continues to learn from Jerry Hughes in the ways of rushing the passer (the way that Hughes did with Dwight Freeney in Indianapolis), he could become a big part of this defense for the foreseeable future. He’s off to a great start in his career.

5) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 18/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B+
- Five players, and four of them are defensive lineman. If that doesn’t tell you how the Bills won this game, not much else will. Eddie Yarbrough did not have a lot of time on the field — but in the time that he did have, he was an outright warrior that made multiple plays that put the Broncos in position to waste a play or to flip it in the Bills favor. On three of Yarbrough’s 18 total snaps, he was breathing down Trevor Siemian’s neck and forced him to make a throw just to survive. On the last of those snaps for Yarbrough, he made Siemian so nervous that he couldn’t even put enough on the ball to throw it out of bounds, helping it land safely into the arms of cornerback Tre’Davious White. Yarbrough is very, very good at staying home against a rollout to his side and does not fall for much, which is what led to all his opportunities in this game. Normally I’d say someone who is playing at this kind of level should warrant even more playing time, but who does he replace? Both Hughes and Lawson have been outstanding, so it seems Yarbrough is in the perfect role for now — though I do wonder what he could be if given a full starting responsibility. In three games, he’s shown that he has the ability to start in the NFL. The Bills are in a great situation at defensive end, that’s for sure.

The Middle

6) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B

7) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B

8) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B

9) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 41/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B

10) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B

11) WLB Ramon Humber:
Snaps on the Field: 65/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B

12) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 50/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B

13) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 52/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B

14) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 22/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B

15) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

16) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

17) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 43/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

18) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 54/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

19) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 21/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

20) WR Kaelin Clay
Snaps on the Field: 15/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

21) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 27/70
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

22) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 15/65
Grade vs. Broncos: B-

23) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: C+

24) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 37/70
Grade vs. Broncos: C+

25) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 34/65
Grade vs. Broncos: C+

26) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: C+

27) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 55/65
Grade vs. Broncos: C+

The Bottom Three

28) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 34/70
Grade vs. Broncos: C+
- While the defensive line dominated the day, the Bills did have to overcome some missteps of defensive tackle Adolphus Washington. You have to give credit where credit is due, and he tore through the line of scrimmage to drop a running back for a three-yard loss on one play. The only thing, though, was that was it — and that’s been the biggest critique of Washington since he entered the league, and even at his time at Ohio State. He shows these flashes of outright dominance, and then gets blown off the ball three times as much as he flashes great ability. If he ever figures out how to tap into that ability for the majority of the game, he could be a really good player. However, unless he does that, he’s a rotational player that will occasionally make you go, “Whoa, where’d that come from?” He certainly still has potential as a young player.

29) RG John Miller
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: C
- For what it’s worth, I still think John Miller can be a dependable starter in the NFL in the right offensive scheme. However, after a third straight week of being one of the weak links on the field for the Bills, it’s pretty obvious that Miller and his skill-set just are not a fit for the zone blocking scheme. He’s a powerful, short-armed guard that can block really well going downhill, and he was really good in that role in 2016. He’s struggling mostly with getting out in front of the defender when moving from side to side — he just doesn’t have the quickness, to which the defender beats him to the spot and blows up the running play before it starts. At this point, if I’m the Bills, I’m wondering how Ryan Groy might look lined up at right guard — even though he is the backup center.

30) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Broncos: D+
- This week against the Denver Broncos, Jordan Mills had probably the toughest assignment — and probably the biggest mismatch of anyone on the field. For the vast majority of the game, he was up against Von Miller, who we all know as one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Miller had a huge impact on the game, and when Mills was left on an island against him, he really couldn’t contain or slow down the pass rusher much at all. With rookie Dion Dawkins still locked in on the left side of the line due to Cordy Glenn’s ankle injury, Mills probably has another two weeks before there’s a big competitor for his starting gig — Seantrel Henderson. The right tackle’s suspension is over in just a couple of weeks, which could pave the way for a renewed competition at right tackle.

Players with less than 15 snaps:
TE Logan Thomas (11)
WR Brandon Tate (6)
C/G Ryan Groy (1)
CB Shareece Wright (1)

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Taiwan Jones, T Conor McDermott, LB Matt Milano, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Colt Anderson, S Robert Blanton

Inactives: DT Jerel Worthy (3), TE Khari Lee (3), G Vladimir Ducasse (3), RB Joe Banyard (2), LT Cordy Glenn (1), DT Marcell Dareus (1), DT Deandre Coleman (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 45 snaps to qualify

1) DT Kyle Williams - 3.77 (1)
2) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.56 (2)
3) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.35 (4)
4) S Jordan Poyer - 3.31 (3)
5) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.26 (7)
6) S Micah Hyde - 3.21 (5)
7) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.17 (16)
8) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 3.13 (8)
9) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.11 (9)
10) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.06 (6)
11) WR Jordan Matthews - 3.03 (11)
12) LG Richie Incognito - 2.98 (10)
13) WR Andre Holmes - 2.88 (17)
14) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.85 (18)
15) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.81 (15)
16) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.80 (14)
17) TE Charles Clay - 2.78 (21)
18) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.70 (12)
19) MLB Preston Brown - 2.67 (20)
20) DE Ryan Davis - 2.67 (24)
21) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.67 (23)
22) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.66 (27)
23) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.66 (13)
24) C Eric Wood - 2.56 (19)
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.51 (25)
26) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.49 (22)
27) WR Zay Jones - 2.46 (26)
28) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.35 (28)
29) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.08 (29)
30) RG John Miller - 1.83 (31)
31) RT Jordan Mills - 1.80 (30)

Falcons

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Falcons, along with full explanations of the top five and the bottom three:

The Top Five

1) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Falcons: A
- It’s hard to imagine what this game could have been without Micah Hyde on the field for the Bills. Hyde picked off two passes, and quite often, made huge plays that saved the defense from giving up big plays to the Falcons offense. He was collected and always where he needed to be, which made up for a few areas that the Bills were lacking against Atlanta. He single-handedly saved a touchdown on a perfectly designed and executed running play to Tevin Coleman on a stretch to the right side. Had Hyde not taken the perfect angle, and secured the tackle as the absolute last line of defense, the Falcons would have scored a touchdown. Atlanta had to settle for a field goal on that drive. The two interceptions were a great example of being where he needed to be, and coming down with the game-changing play. Plus, his return on the second interception put the Bills in field goal range to make it a six-point lead, which forced Atlanta to need a touchdown to win it. He created and saved points, and couldn’t have been much better on Sunday.

2) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 55/75
Grade vs. Falcons: A-
- Another week, and another game in which Jerry Hughes was one of the best players on the field for the Bills. While he only had one sack, his huge impact on the game in getting constant pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan. He forced early throws, incompletions, and continued being an outright nuisance to the opponent’s passing game. While it might have been an incomplete pass, Hughes forced the referees to make a decision by getting back to Ryan so quickly, caused the fumble, and rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White scooped it up for the score. Hughes has been outstanding this season, and with another great performance, is now atop the season-long player rankings.

3) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 48/60
Grade vs. Falcons: A-
- To this point in the 2017 season, Charles Clay has had his best as a member of the Bills. However, Sunday’s win over the Falcons was the first one that he really took over. He was blocking well, he made defenders miss in the open field, he found the soft spot in the defense when Tyrod Taylor was scrambling, and he made tough, contested catches all game long. It was his individual effort, along with a great throw from Taylor, to put the Bills in field goal position to go ahead by three points in the fourth quarter. Clay’s athleticism was on display all game long, and he’s become a go-to weapon in this Bills offense.
4) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Falcons: A-
- There really isn’t more the Buffalo Bills could have asked for in the first four games of the season from the rookie first-round pick and cornerback Tre’Davious White. After a bit of a challenging start to the game last week against Denver, White showed impressive poise in coming back with an incredibly strong effort. He transferred that right into the Falcons game and looked calm and confident all the while in doing so. Mohamed Sanu, when healthy, could not beat White in the open field. The rookie was physical, strong, showed the ability to flip his hips on double moves, and kept his assignments from making a true impact. The fumble return for a touchdown was just the cherry on top to a great game. The early returns on White are really good — and if he keeps this up, the Bills might have found an outright steal of a draft pick at the end of the first round.

5) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B+
- As White was outstanding on the defensive side of the ball, the team’s second-round pick Dion Dawkins just so happened to have his best game as a professional on Sunday. Dawkins was starting at left tackle in place of the injured Cordy Glenn for the second straight week, and really, he was the best offensive lineman on the field against the Falcons. This week, it was a bit easier on him from a matchup perspective as the Falcons had a backup player in the game due to injury. However, Dawkins showed much better in pass blocking than he had previously, and helped pave the way for some solid gains for LeSean McCoy on the ground. Dawkins’ most recent performance should just reinforce the point that the Bills just need to let normal starter Cordy Glenn all the way without feeling like they have to force him back into the lineup.

The Middle

6) DT Jerel Worthy
Snaps on the Field: 23/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B+

7) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B

8) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 64/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B

9) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 54/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B

10) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 43/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B

11) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 30/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B

12) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B

13) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 30/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B

14) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

15) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 31/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

16) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 39/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

17) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

18) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field:  49/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

19) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

20) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 29/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

21) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 26/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

22) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 58/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

23) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 32/60
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

24) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

25) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 36/75
Grade vs. Falcons: B-

26) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 15/60
Grade vs. Falcons: C+

27) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 44/60
Grade vs. Falcons: C+

28) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 32/75
Grade vs. Falcons: C+

The Bottom Three

29) DT Marcell Dareus
Snaps on the Field: 22/75
Grade vs. Falcons: C+
- Of any player on defense that took a snap Sunday, no one took fewer than Marcell Dareus on Sunday. On Monday, head coach Sean McDermott said that it was a combination of wanting to rotate the defensive tackles and Dareus’ most recent ankle injury. Near the end of the game, you could see Dareus favoring the ankle a tad after plays were completed, and it also impacted how he played. All too often, Dareus was being pushed back off his spot, or taking one or two steps and falling down to a knee as he was being blocked by opponents. If the ankle continues to bug him the way that it did on Sunday, he just doesn’t look like the same player that we’ve come to know. It might be worth their time to allow him some time to get it right again — much like with Cordy Glenn. Otherwise, they aren’t getting much from the highly paid defensive tackle.

30) RG John Miller
Snaps on the Field: 60/60
Grade vs. Falcons: C
- This game started off a lot better than it had in recent weeks for the starting right guard John Miller. He seemed like he was getting a good push on run blocking and helped open up some things for LeSean McCoy in the early stages of the game. As the game went on, the same problems that we’ve seen from Miller during the other three games kept popping up. It’s the movement ability or lack thereof, that keeps Miller from making the blocks that he should be making. Yet again, you have to wonder how long until the Bills start to consider a change at right guard — especially with someone like Ryan Groy on the bench.

31) NCB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 45/75
Grade vs. Falcons: C
- The Bills were fortunate for a few different reasons on Sunday, but perhaps none more so than when it was announced Julio Jones would not be returning to the game. The Falcons were starting to go after Leonard Johnson in the slot by lining Jones against him. When the Bills cornerback had to follow him around — and didn’t pass him off as part of zone coverage — Jones was getting a ton of separation. The nickel corner also took a penalty late in the game, on the Falcons final drive, that both negated a sack and gave the opponents a fresh set of downs. He’s much better in run support than pass coverage which helps keep him on the field. However, that was a matchup to exploit, and the Falcons were doing so until Jones had to miss the rest of the contest.

Players with less than 15 snaps
WR Kaelin Clay (13)
TE Logan Thomas (9)

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Taiwan Jones, C/G Ryan Groy, OT Conor McDermott, DE Eric Lee, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Colt Anderson, S Robert Blanton

Inactives: G Vladimir Ducasse (4), TE Khari Lee (4), RB Joe Banyard (3), WR Brandon Tate (2), LT Cordy Glenn (2), DT Adolphus Washington (1), DE Shaq Lawson (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 60 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.59 (2)
2) DT Kyle Williams - 3.45 (1)
3) S Micah Hyde - 3.43 (6)
4) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.35 (3)
5) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.27 (9)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.13 (4)
7) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.13 (5)
8) LB Lorenzo Alexander - 3.08 (8)
9) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.06 (7)
10) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.05 (10)
11) WR Jordan Matthews - 3.03 (11)
12) LG Richie Incognito - 2.99 (12)
13) TE Charles Clay - 2.98 (17)
14) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.89 (14)
15) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.88 (15)
16) WR Andre Holmes - 2.84 (13)
17) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.77 (26)
18) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.70 (16)
19) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.69 (18)
20) MLB Preston Brown - 2.67 (19)
21) DE Ryan Davis - 2.67 (20)
22) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.66 (22)
23) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.66 (23)
24) C Eric Wood - 2.58 (24)
25) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.57 (21)
26) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.56 (25)
27) WR Zay Jones - 2.43 (27)
28) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.27 (28)
29) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.08 (29)
30) RT Jordan Mills - 2.00 (31)
31) RG John Miller - 1.87 (30)

How they’re graded:

Bengals

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Bengals, along with full explanations of the top five and the bottom three:

The Top Five

1) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 51/66
Grade vs. Bengals: A
- After a start this strong to the beginning of the season, there has been continued proof that Hughes has been the best player on the Bills roster — and it really hasn’t even been close. Though he was called for a roughing the passer penalty — perhaps being called on reputation alone as opposed to it actually being deserved — that was the lone misstep in a game that he dominated off the edge against both the run and the pass. Though he didn’t come away with a sack, Hughes was by left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi so quickly on plays that it caused Andy Dalton to panic and make a throw he didn’t want to, or to leave the pocket far more quickly than desired. No matter the matchup in 2017, Hughes has been an unstoppable force. In all his years in Buffalo, this is the highest consistent level I’ve seen him play at, and it would be hard to believe that Sean McDermott’s scheme doesn’t have a big part to do with it.

2) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 66/66
Grade vs. Bengals: A-
- Another week, and another game that safety Jordan Poyer had his hand in some potentially game-changing plays. Poyer caught the deflected pass for an interception and had the fumble recovery along with a pretty substantial return after the fact, but his ability to read a play and be there to thwart the offense was once again noticeable. Poyer’s outright ability to continuously be in the right spot against both the run and the pass has turned his contract and cap hit into an outright steal for the Bills five games into his tenure with the team.

3) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 66/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B+
- The playmaking safeties had a hand in three turnovers against the Bengals, and Hyde’s contribution was by adding yet another interception to his total. Now with four on the season, it’s not just luck that has put Hyde in the right spot at the right times. I’m really impressed, week-to-week, by his ability change his body’s momentum and adjust to the ball, which has created numerous opportunities for him to pick off a pass. We saw a tipped pass get intercepted by Hyde against Atlanta as well, which also shows his ability to finish plays is really strong as well. Hyde was also a calming presence in coverage as well. As their big money free agent this past offseason, he’s been a dynamite signing by the Buffalo Bills.

4) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 47/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B
- The Cincinnati Bengals really struggled to get themselves going on the ground to a large degree, and that’s partially due to the work that Shaq Lawson had been doing off the edge. Clearly, this isn’t just about tackles because if it were, then you would see linebackers up here. No, his body control, strength, and positioning continue to take away options from opposing running backs as they try to the right side of the offense. Lawson is usually there pushing his blocker or holding at the point of attack, and if he isn’t, that’s probably because he forced a holding penalty (which he’s done multiple times this year). You didn’t hear Lawson’s name much during the game, but he did a really nice job against the run and helped the problem from the last two weeks go away a bit.

5) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 54/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B
- A day of only having 89 total yards from scrimmage on 25 touches usually isn’t one that warrants this type of billing, but when he was given his opportunities up the middle on run plays, McCoy made things happen. About four or five times through the Bengals game — and really the three games before it, too — I would shake my head and say, ‘Man, the positive yardage on that run is totally LeSean McCoy. He’s getting no help.’ And it’s true when the Bills are trying to stretch the ball to the outside, the running game rarely gets much of anything. The encouraging part of Sunday was the work up the middle, though. McCoy started to get some room, and that could be to build upon. I also liked him when he was lined up as a wide receiver. He came away with a couple of big catches in situations that needed someone to make a play. This was as encouraging as a performance from McCoy, and by parts of this running game, that we’ve seen in recent weeks.

The Middle

6) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 61/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B

7) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 66/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B

8) WR Brandon Tate
Snaps on the Field: 34/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B

9) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B

10) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 41/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B

11) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 15/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

12) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 16/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

13) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 51/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

14) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 59/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

15) DT Marcell Dareus
Snaps on the Field: 22/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

16) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 17/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

17) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 66/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

18) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 15/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

19) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 31/70
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

20) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 15/66
Grade vs. Bengals: B-

21) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

22) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 16/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

23) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

24) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

25) WR Kaelin Clay
Snaps on the Field: 41/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

26) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 33/66
Grade vs. Bengals: C+

27) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C

28) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 66/66
Grade vs. Bengals: C

29) TE Logan Thomas
Snaps on the Field: 20/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C

The Bottom Three

30) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C
- It’s really hard to put the blame totally on Tyrod Taylor for this game because of who the Bills had surrounding him. The wide receivers are below starting caliber, as is the tight end, and the pass blocking was lacking as they tried to get some semblance of a passing attack started. However, what is Tyrod’s fault is not seeing when some of those receivers were open — and in his line of sight on certain plays, strangely inaccurate passes to the intermediate areas that brought on incompletions, and shockingly, a lack of wanting to leave the pocket and run the ball. The latter is something we don’t usually see from Taylor, as he’s usually at his best when he’s moving and getting outside the pocket. This does not mean that the Bills should move on from Taylor as their starter. He’s done enough over the three wins of the Bills to help them claim the victories, and, he’s good enough to keep the team close in games and by not committing turnovers. He’s also thrown some pretty outstanding passes, including the touchdown pass to Brandon Tate against the Bengals. Though he is a shiny new toy, Nathan Peterman is still a rookie, and one wasn’t overwhelmingly impressive during the preseason. He was just a bit different of a player, and because people have become so used to Taylor’s problems, new problems might be more desirable at this point. However, Taylor gives them the best chance to win week in, and week out. And since the Bills are trying to build a team and potentially steal a playoff spot this year, you shouldn’t expect Taylor to leave the starting lineup anytime soon.

31) CB Greg Mabin
Snaps on the Field: 28/66
Grade vs. Bengals: C-
- It was certainly a tough spot for the undrafted rookie, being brought up from the practice squad on Saturday, and then jettisoned into the lineup once nickel corner Leonard Johnson suffered a hamstring injury. Upon entering the lineup, the Bengals went after Mabin. They completed multiple passes on him and got big chunks of yards along the way. To Mabin’s credit, he made a really nice play in the end zone by playing his man really well — so there is at least some potential to work with here. It was just a tough spot to be in during a close game and without much prep time. Truth be told, I’d like to see more of Mabin — as he is the prototypical type of cornerback McDermott and the Bills usually go for. If the E.J. Gaines injury persists, I wouldn’t be opposed to him starting over Shareece Wright.

32) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Bengals: C-
- With the Bills successfully upgrading their right guard spot by placing Vladimir Ducasse into the lineup for John Miller — a surprisingly much better fit for the scheme, the focus should now shift to how to improve the ever-struggling right tackle Jordan Mills. Through five games, Mills has struggled consistently — as he did for the majority of the 2016 season, and even in his handful of starts in the 2015 season. At this point, we know who Mills is. And now, the Bills have some options to replace him. The Bills weren’t committed to Cordy Glenn taking his spot back at left tackle, which could mean he gets a look at right tackle. Seantrel Henderson is also returning from his suspension and practiced at right tackle in the second-half of the summer practices. No matter what it is, the Bills have to be better than they’ve been at right tackle.

Players with less than 15 snaps:
TE Charles Clay - 13

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Taiwan Jones, RB Joe Banyard, LT Cordy Glenn, G/C Ryan Groy, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: TE Khari Lee (5), DT Jerel Worthy (4), OT Conor McDermott (3), WR Jordan Matthews (1), RG John Miller (1), LB Ramon Humber (1), CB E.J. Gaines (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 75 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.67 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.48 (3)
3) DT Kyle Williams - 3.29 (2)
4) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.25 (4)
5) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.22 (5)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.17 (6)
7) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.07 (7)
8) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.06 (9)
9) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 3.06 (8)
10) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.04 (10)
11) WR Jordan Matthews - 3.03 (11)
12) TE Charles Clay - 2.98 (13)
13) LG Richie Incognito - 2.85 (12)
14) WR Andre Holmes - 2.80 (16)
15) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.79 (15)
16) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.70 (14)
17) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.70 (18)
18) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.68 (19)
19) C Eric Wood - 2.67 (24)
20) DE Ryan Davis - 2.67 (21)
21) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.66 (22)
22) MLB Preston Brown - 2.60 (20)
23) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.59 (25)
24) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.57 (26)
25) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.56 (23)
26) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.55 (17)
27) WR Zay Jones - 2.49 (27)
28) NCB Leonard Johnson - 2.30 (28)
29) CB Shareece Wright - 2.22 (NR)
30) RT Jordan Mills - 1.93 (30)
31) RG John Miller - 1.87 (31)

**LT Cordy Glenn was removed for falling below the minimum snaps for the rankings

Buccaneers

After a week off to recuperate, the Buffalo Bills returned to their winning ways — defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and improving to a 4-2 record.

Up next, the Bills have a crucial contest with another AFC opponent that is looking like they’ll factor into the playoff race this year: the Oakland Raiders. Before we turn our attention to the Raiders, first, a look back at the week that was.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Buccaneers, along with full explanations of the top five and the bottom three:

The Top Five

1) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 50/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: A-
- My sincerest of apologies if this is getting repetitive, but defensive end Jerry Hughes and his effort on Sunday was once again the best performance on the field for the Buffalo Bills. Nevermind the lack of statistical production, he forced plays to unravel earlier than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted them to — whether it be on the ground or through the air — and wasn’t caught as the reason for a negative play on defense for the Bills. This is what he is this season, and at the level he’s playing at right now, he has to be one of the highest performing all-around defensive ends in the National Football League this season.

2) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 58/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: A-
- Now, this is a sight I’m sure every Bills fan likes seeing from the longtime starting left tackle. Cordy Glenn hasn’t started a game since Week Two of this season, and the month-plus of rest time from game action clearly has done wonders for him. He looked like himself again, always in control of his opponent, and getting around on the field with the athletic ease that he did in every season before this one. If Glenn really is at full health, this is a tremendous development for the Bills in their efforts to turn the offensive line and the play of the offense around. It gives them a solid, every-down starter at the position, and it also allows them the flexibility to get rookie Dion Dawkins some more practice time on the right side in the effort to challenge the incumbent Jordan Mills for playing time.

3) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 47/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: A-
- Last week, rookie Matt Milano was solid but not spectacular in his first career start. This time around, Milano was flying all over the field and making multiple impact plays that helped the Bills defense in some pretty key spots. His interception late in the first half should have resulted in points for the Bills had the offense played the clock correctly. However, you can’t take that away from Milano, though, who made an athletic turn and play on the ball and took advantage in some mediocre ball placement from Jameis Winston to come down with a potentially game-changing play. I was also quite impressed, unexpectedly so, with his ability to hold his ground, get off blocks, and make a tackle against the run. If this type of play continues for Milano, I just don’t know how you can take him off the field on defense completely. He’s showed quite a bit of promise and going up against a great offense this coming week, it will get very interesting if he stands out like this again.

4) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+
- It was a slow start for Tyrod Taylor, turning in an average first half and missing some throws along the way. In the second half, though, that’s when the Buffalo Bills offense really got in gear and made multiple clutch plays in the passing attack when they were most needed. Taylor’s ability to get out of trouble in the pocket not only avoided lost yardage on multiple occasions, but he also turned them into positive gains whether it be with his legs, or by finding an open receiver down the field. You also can’t go much longer without considering what he did on the game-tying touchdown drive with under four minutes to play. That ball to Deonte Thompson for 44 yards was a great one for its location upon the first watch. However, after looking at the All-22, it makes it that much more impressive. Taylor spots the zone coverage before Thompson makes his final break, and with a safety slow to react, threw the ball with anticipation and it landed right where it needed to go in such a humongous moment of the game. That gain, plus a 15-yard penalty on top of it, left the Bills in the red zone and on the doorstep of tying the game. There have been a few ‘wow’ throws from Taylor, and that one certainly ranks up there because of what it was — and maybe even more importantly — when it was.

5) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+
- If you’re a weekly reader of these, you’ll have noticed that seeing two offensive linemen this high on the rankings hasn’t happened. However, what occurred on Sunday was by far the most all-encompassing and productive start from the offensive line in total since the start of the season. If not for Glenn controlling everything out left, Wood likely would have been the top-rated offensive lineman from the day. He was quite impressive in the first half in controlling defenders on run plays. He helped set the table for multiple big LeSean McCoy runs, and took advantage of a weak matchup against a poor Tampa Bay front seven. I also think Wood had his best grade of the season because of both his efforts and because the play of the two players next to him were as good as it was. If the Bills can build off this offensive line effort, we could be in line to see a lot more fruitful days on the ground for LeSean McCoy and company.

The Middle

6) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 21/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

7) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 57/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

8) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 72/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

9) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 54/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

10) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 30/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

11) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 72/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

12) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 22/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B+

13) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 55/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

14) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 16/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

15) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 45/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

16) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

17) CB EJ Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 41/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

18) DT Marcell Dareus
Snaps on the Field: 41/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

19) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 59/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

20) DT Jerel Worthy
Snaps on the Field: 29/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

21) G Ryan Groy
Snaps on the Field: 15/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

22) TE Logan Thomas
Snaps on the Field: 29/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

23) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 29/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B

24) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 72/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B-

25) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 72/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B-

26) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 68/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B-

27) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 27/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: B-

28) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 55/68
Grade vs. Buccaneers: C+

The Bottom Three

29) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 60/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: C
- It appeared that Tampa Bay found a particular weakness to exploit when the Bills were on defense, and unfortunately for the normally solid Lorenzo Alexander, they were pitting his aggressiveness against him. The linebackers in the defense are schooled to be fast and aggressive in getting downhill to stuff the run — to which they do so admirably. However, Tampa Bay really opened things up when they went to a lot of play action looks, and it got Alexander to bite on some pretty big plays. Alexander is a good pass rusher, but as an every down backer he has a very hard time changing direction quickly, so if he’s got a full head of steam heading towards the line of scrimmage, it’s going to take him a bit longer to change his body’s momentum and get back into coverage. And by that time, the receiver has shown to be in an open area and ready for a pass. It happened on both OJ Howard touchdowns for Tampa Bay and quite easily could have contributed to the Bills losing the game. I wonder if it’s also a byproduct of Alexander being on the field for more than his usual role — and still taking a high percentage of special teams snaps to go along with it. However, with the way Matt Milano played on Sunday, and with Ramon Humber not a guarantee to play Sunday against Oakland, I wonder if we’ll start to see Alexander’s snap count go down and Milano’s go up — especially in two-linebacker nickel defense situations.

30) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 53/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: C
- When it comes to reading a short play, reacting, and making a tackle, Leonard Johnson is a solid player as the nickel corner — and has shown that multiple times. However, one of the key aspects of the job is to be quick enough to change direction in the middle areas of the field — and that’s where Johnson struggled on Sunday. He was beaten on multiple occasions before a new target arose shortly after the start of the second half…

31) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 30/72
Grade vs. Buccaneers: C-
- …And that’s where Shareece Wright comes in. His prominent involvement on the defense almost cost the Bills a victory for the second week in a row. The Buccaneers successfully targeted Wright multiple times, whether it was with Mike Evans or DeSean Jackson. There were also a couple of plays that the receiver had Wright beat, but Winston was unable to connect with them on those plays. The most prominent of those was when Jackson ran right past Wright from the right side of the offense to a deep area of the field down the left. He had at least a step-and-a-half on Wright, but Winston was just a couple of yards too far out in front of him. Like Johnson, Wright is a sound tackler but is also a bit of a liability in coverage. The Bills desperately need EJ Gaines to get healthy — especially in time for their Week Eight matchup against Oakland.

Players with less than 15 snaps
LT Dion Dawkins - 11
RB Mike Tolbert - 10
TE Khari Lee - 5
RB Taiwan Jones - 2
WR Brandon Tate - 2

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (4), WR Kaelin Clay (2), G John Miller (2), LB Ramon Humber (2), TE Charles Clay (1), T Seantrel Henderson (1), DT Cedric Thornton (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 90 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.67 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.34 (2)
3) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.26 (4)
4) DT Kyle Williams - 3.25 (3)
5) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.24 (5)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.20 (6)
7) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.09 (10)
8) WLB Matt Milano - 3.08 (NR)
9) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.06 (7)
10) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.05 (8)
11) WR Jordan Matthews - 3.02 (11)
12) TE Charles Clay - 2.98 (12)
13) LG Richie Incognito - 2.87 (13)
14) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.84 (9)
15) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.83 (18)
16) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.82 (15)
17) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.81 (16)
18) C Eric Wood - 2.79 (19)
19) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.78 (NR)
20) WR Andre Holmes - 2.78 (14)
21) DE Ryan Davis - 2.77 (20)
22) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.73 (17)
23) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.71 (23)
24) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.66 (21)
25) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.66 (NR)
26) MLB Preston Brown - 2.62 (22)
27) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.58 (25)
28) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.57 (24)
29) OT Dion Dawkins - 2.56 (26)
30) WR Zay Jones - 2.46 (27)
31) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.24 (28)
32) CB Shareece Wright - 2.10 (29)
33) RT Jordan Mills - 2.06 (30)
34) G John Miller - 1.87 (31)

Raiders

The Buffalo Bills came into a key game against an AFC opponent with many playoff implications, and ended up blowing the Oakland Raiders out en route to their most impressive victory of the 2017 season.

Up next, the Bills don’t have much time to rest before their Thursday night tilt against the New York Jets — the second time they’ll face the AFC East rival. Before we get to that game on Thursday, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Raiders:

1) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 69/69
Grade vs. Raiders: A

2) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 69/69
Grade vs. Raiders: A

3) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 64/65
Grade vs. Raiders: A-

4) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Raiders: A-

5) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 50/69
Grade vs. Raiders: A-

6) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 69/69
Grade vs. Raiders: A-

7) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 66/69
Grade vs. Raiders: A-

8) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 28/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

9) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 52/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

10) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 21/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

11) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 54/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

12) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 15/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

13) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 28/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B+

14) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 69/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B

15) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 47/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B

16) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 69/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B

17) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 59/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B

18) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 55/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B

19) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 19/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B

20) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 36/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

21) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 42/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

22) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

23) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 48/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

24) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 64/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

25) TE Logan Thomas
Snaps on the Field: 21/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

26) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field:  38/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

27) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 23/65
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

28) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 23/69
Grade vs. Raiders: B-

29) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 38/65
Grade vs. Raiders: C

30) S Trae Elston
Snaps on the Field: 64/65
Grade vs. Raiders: D+

Players with less than 15 snaps
DT Jerel Worthy - 14
G/C Ryan Groy - 12
TE Khari Lee - 9
WR Brandon Tate - 5
T Dion Dawkins - 3
S Shamarko Thomas - 1

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, RB Joe Banyard, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, CB Lafayette Pitts

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (5), G John Miller (3), LB Ramon Humber (3), TE Charles Clay (2), T Seantrel Henderson (2), CB E.J. Gaines (2), S Jordan Payer (1)

*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 105 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.55 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.38 (2)
3) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.29 (5)
4) DT Kyle Williams - 3.22 (4)
5) S Jordan Poyer - 3.20 (6)
6) LT Cordy Glenn - 3.20 (19)
7) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.18 (7)
8) WLB Matt Milano - 3.18 (8)
9) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.17 (3)
10) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.08 (9)
11) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.05 (10)
12) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 3.00 (25)
13) LG Richie Incognito - 2.99 (13)
14) TE Charles Clay - 2.98 (12)
15) C Eric Wood - 2.97 (18)
16) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.97 (11)
17) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.92 (15)
18) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.92 (16)
19) DE Ryan Davis - 2.86 (21)
20) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.84 (17)
21) WR Andre Holmes - 2.84 (20)
22) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.83 (14)
23) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.77 (22)
24) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.71 (23)
25) LB Ramon Humber - 2.66 (24)
26) MLB Preston Brown - 2.62 (26)
27) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.59 (28)
28) T Dion Dawkins - 2.56 (29)
29) WR Zay Jones - 2.54 (30)
30) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.46 (27)
31) NCB Leonard Johnson - 2.38 (31)
32) CB Shareece Wright - 2.28 (32)
33) RT Jordan Mills - 2.20 (33)
34) G John Miller - 1.87 (34)

JETS

(WKBW) - After a huge home victory, just five days later, the Buffalo Bills laid an egg against the division rival New York Jets. They couldn’t collect their sixth win, and found themselves with a 5-3 record at the halfway point of the 2017 regular season.

Up next, the Bills take on the red hot New Orleans Saints in a home game that will be pose some problems for the team. Before we start to discuss that game next week in totality, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Jets:

1) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 40/75
Grade vs. Jets: B+

2) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 49/67
Grade vs. Jets: B+

3) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: B

4) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 25/67
Grade vs. Jets: B

5) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Jets: B

6) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 50/67
Grade vs. Jets: B

7) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 52/75
Grade vs. Jets: B

8) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

9) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 43/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

10) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 40/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

11) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 39/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

12) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 31/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

13) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

14) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 55/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

15) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 20/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

16) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 35/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

17) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

18) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 71/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

19) DT Jerel Worthy
Snaps on the Field: 23/67
Grade vs. Jets: B-

20) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 20/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

21) TE Logan Thomas
Snaps on the Field: 21/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

22) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

23) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

24) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: B-

25) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 58/75
Grade vs. Jets: C+

26) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 51/67
Grade vs. Jets: C+

27) LT Cordy Glenn
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: C+

28) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 21/67
Grade vs. Jets: C+

29) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Jets: C-

30) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Jets: D+

Players with less than 15 snaps:
LB Matt Milano - 10
FB Patrick DiMarco - 9
OL Ryan Groy - 8
QB/WR Joe Webb - 3
TE Khari Lee - 2
RB Taiwan Jones - 1

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, T Dion Dawkins, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, CB Lafayette Pitts, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (6), G John Miller (4), WR Brandon Tate (3), TE Charles Clay (3), T Seantrel Henderson (3), CB E.J. Gaines (3), WR Kelvin Benjamin (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 120 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.52
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.29
3) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.22
4) DT Kyle Williams - 3.15
5) S Jordan Poyer - 3.13
6) WLB Matt Milano - 3.13
7) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.11
8) DE Shaq Lawson - 3.10
9) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.05
10) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 3.00
11) TE Charles Clay - 2.98
12) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96
13) LG Richie Incognito - 2.94
14) C Eric Wood - 2.93
15) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.91
16) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.91
17) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.91
18) DE Ryan Davis - 2.88
19) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.86
20) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.82
21) WR Andre Holmes - 2.81
22) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.76
23) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.76
24) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.73
25) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.71
26) MLB Preston Brown - 2.67
27) WR Zay Jones - 2.61
28) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.60
29) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.50
30) NCB Leonard Johnson - 2.41
31) RT Jordan Mills - 2.13
32) CB Shareece Wright - 2.04
33) G John Miller - 1.87

Saints

 For the second week in a row, the Buffalo Bills suffered a loss in blowout fashion — except this time around, it was quite a bit worse. The New Orleans Saints dominated the Bills from start to finish, dropping the team’s record to 5-4 on the season.

Up next, the Bills head out west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers, and in a game that they likely need if they want to make it to the playoffs in 2017. Before we start to discuss that game next week, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Saints:

1) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 48/48
Grade vs. Saints: B+

2) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 48/48
Grade vs. Saints: B

3) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 48/48
Grade vs. Saints: B

4) WR Kelvin Benjamin
Snaps on the Field: 41/48
Grade vs. Saints: B

5) QB Nathan Peterman
Snaps on the Field: 11/48
Grade vs. Saints: B

6) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 48/48
Grade vs. Saints: B

7) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 36/48
Grade vs. Saints: B-

8) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 24/48
Grade vs. Saints: B-

9) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 72/77
Grade vs. Saints: B-

10) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 29/48
Grade vs. Saints: B-

11) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 25/77
Grade vs. Saints: B-

12) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 75/77
Grade vs. Saints: B-

13) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 48/48
Grade vs. Saints: B-

14) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 70/77
Grade vs. Saints: B-

15) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 19/48
Grade vs. Saints: B-

16) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 39/77
Grade vs. Saints: C+

17) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 39/48
Grade vs. Saints: C+

18) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 32/77
Grade vs. Saints: C+

19) DT Jerel Worthy
Snaps on the Field: 26/77
Grade vs. Saints: C+

20) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 46/77
Grade vs. Saints: C+

21) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 44/77
Grade vs. Saints: C

22) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 42/77
Grade vs. Saints: C

23) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 37/48
Grade vs. Saints: C-

24) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 17/77
Grade vs. Saints: C-

25) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 73/77
Grade vs. Saints: D

26) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 53/77
Grade vs. Saints: D

27) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 69/77
Grade vs. Saints: D

28) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 72/77
Grade vs. Saints: D-

29) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 58/77
Grade vs. Saints: D-

Players with less than 15 snaps
LB Matt Milano - 14
RB Mike Tolbert - 14
FB Patrick DiMarco - 14
QB Nathan Peterman - 11
WR Andre Holmes - 9
TE Logan Thomas - 9
S Shamarko Thomas - 5
LB Tanner Vallejo - 5
S Trae Elston.- 5
WR Brandon Tate - 3
LB Deon Lacey - 3
G Ryan Groy - 2
CB Lafayette Pitts - 2

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB/WR Joe Webb, T Seantrel Henderson

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (7). TE Khari Lee (6), G John Miller (5), CB E.J. Gaines (4), LT Cordy Glenn (3), RB Travaris Cadet (1), WR Zay Jones (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 135 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.47 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.22 (2)
3) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.15 (3)
4) WLB Matt Milano - 3.12 (6)
5) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.08 (7)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.07 (5)
7) CB E.J. Gaines - 3.05 (9)
8) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.97 (16)
9) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (12)
10) LG Richie Incognito - 2.95 (13)
11) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.95 (8)
12) TE Charles Clay - 2.95 (11)
13) C Eric Wood - 2.93 (14)
14) DT Kyle Williams - 2.90 (4)
15) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.89 (15)
16) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.86 (10)
17) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.86 (17)
18) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.82 (20)
19) WR Andre Holmes - 2.81 (21)
20) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.80 (NR)
21) DE Ryan Davis - 2.79 (18)
22) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.78 (19)
23) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.72 (23)
24) DT Marcell Dareus - 2.71 (25)
25) T Dion Dawkins - 2.63 (29)
26) WR Zay Jones - 2.61 (27)
27) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.56 (28)
28) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.48 (22)
29) MLB Preston Brown - 2.43 (26)
30) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.42 (30)
31) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.37 (31)
32) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.37 (24)
33) RT Jordan Mills - 2.17 (32)
34) RG John Miller - 1.87 (34)
35) CB Shareece Wright - 1.82 (33)

Proti Chargers

The Buffalo Bills, for the third week in a row, were completely blown out — this time against the Los Angeles Chargers, and are now 5-5 on the season.

Up next, the Bills will head back on the road to take on the suddenly struggling Kansas City Chiefs. Before we start to discuss that game next week, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Chargers:

1) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 46/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B+

2) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 42/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B+

3) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 53/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B+

4) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 40/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B

5) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 38/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B

6) DT Deandre Coleman
Snaps on the Field: 29/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B

7) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 36/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B

8) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 37/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

9) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

10) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 39/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

11) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 35/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

12) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 74/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

13) RB Travaris Cadet
Snaps on the Field: 23/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

14) WR Andre Holmes
Snaps on the Field: 39/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

15) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 36/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

16) S Trae Elston
Snaps on the Field: 28/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

17) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 32/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

18) WR Brandon Tate
Snaps on the Field: 47/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

19) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 34/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

20) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

21) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 50/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

22) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 37/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

23) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 37/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

24) LB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 25/74
Grade vs. Chargers: B-

25) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 69/74
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

26) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

27) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 23/74
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

28) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 50/74
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

29) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 73/74
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

30) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Chargers: C+

31) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 8/65
Grade vs. Chargers: C

32) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 74/74
Grade vs. Chargers: C

33) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 65/65
Grade vs. Chargers: C-

34) QB Nathan Peterman
Snaps on the Field: 25/65
Grade vs. Chargers: F

Players with less than 15 snaps

FB Patrick DiMarco - 8
LB Tanner Vallejo - 8
T Seantrel Henderson - 5
LB Deon Lacey - 5
WR Kelvin Benjamin - 4
TE Khari Lee - 3

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB/WR Joe Webb, OL Ryan Groy, CB Lafayett Pitts, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (8), G John Miller (6), LT Cordy Glenn (4), WR Jordan Matthews (2), RB Mike Tolbert (1), TE Logan Thomas (1), CB Shareece Wright (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 150 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.40 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.23 (2)
3) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.11 (5)
4) LB Matt Milano - 3.07 (4)
5) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.06 (3)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.02 (6)
7) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (9)
8) LG Richie Incognito - 2.92 (10)
9) C Eric Wood - 2.91 (13)
10) TE Charles Clay - 2.91 (12)
11) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.91 (11)
12) DT Kyle Williams - 2.90 (14)
13) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.89 (15)
14) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.87 (8)
15) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.82 (17)
16) CB E.J. Gaines - 2.83 (7)
17) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.82 (16)
18) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.80 (18)
19) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.80 (22)
20) WR Andre Holmes - 2.79 (19)
21) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.78 (20)
22) DE Ryan Davis - 2.77 (21)
23) RB Mike Tolbert - 2.72 (23)
24) WR Zay Jones - 2.69 (26)
25) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.58 (25)
26) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.57 (27)
27) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.50 (28)
28) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.45 (30)
29) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.43 (31)
30) MLB Preston Brown - 2.42 (29)
31) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.36 (32)
32) RT Jordan Mills - 2.12 (33)
33) G John Miller - 1.87 (34)
34) CB Shareece Wright - 1.82 (35)
*Marcell Dareus removed from rankings for falling below snap count minimum

How they’re graded:

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. Those can be seen above.

Proti Chiefs

Despite getting blown out each of the last three weeks, the Buffalo Bills were able to switch courses in a tough road game against Kansas City, and improved their record to 6-5 on the season.

Up next, the Bills return home for the first of a three-game stretch — and they’ll be up against the mighty New England Patriots. Before we start to discuss that game next week, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

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. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Chiefs:

1) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: A-

2) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 40/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B+

3) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 57/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B+

4) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 49/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

5) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

6) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

7) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 45/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

8) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 45/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

9) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 40/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

10) RB Travaris Cadet
Snaps on the Field: 21/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

11) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

12) LB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 13/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

13) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B

14) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 56/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

15) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

16) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 21/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

17) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 17/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

18) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

19) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

20) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

21) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

22) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 30/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

23) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 21/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

24) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 20/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

25) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

26) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 58/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

27) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 42/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: B-

28) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 18/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: C+

29) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 39/58
Grade vs. Chiefs: C

30) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Chiefs: C-

Players with less than 15 snaps
DT Deandre Coleman - 14
WR Andre Holmes - 14
OL Seantrel Henderson - 10
TE Khari Lee - 7
WR Brandon Tate - 2

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, QB/WR Joe Webb, OL Ryan Groy, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, CB Lafayette Pitts, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (9), G John Miller (7), LT Cordy Glenn (5), RB Mike Tolbert (2), WR Kelvin Benjamin (2), TE Logan Thomas (2), CB Shareece Wright (2)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 165 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.39 (1)
2) S Micah Hyde - 3.21 (2)
3) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.11 (5)
4) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.10 (3)
5) LB Matt Milano - 3.07 (4)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 3.02 (6)
7) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (7)
8) TE Charles Clay - 2.92 (10)
9) DT Kyle Williams - 2.91 (12)
10) LG Richie Incognito - 2.89 (8)
11) C Eric Wood - 2.88 (9)
12) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.87 (13)
13) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.83 (17)
14) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.82 (11)
15) CB E.J. Gaines - 2.80 (16)
16) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.80 (15)
17) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.79 (18)
18) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.78 (19)
19) WR Andre Holmes - 2.78 (20)
20) WR Zay Jones - 2.76 (24)
21) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.75 (21)
22) DE Ryan Davis - 2.75 (22)
23) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.69 (14)
24) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.59 (25)
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.58 (26)
26) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.50 (27)
27) MLB Preston Brown - 2.47 (30)
28) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.46 (29)
29) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.46 (28)
30) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.43 (31)
31) RT Jordan Mills - 2.17 (32)
32) G John Miller - 1.87 (33)
33) CB Shareece Wright - 1.82 (34)
*RB Mike Tolbert removed from rankings for falling below snap count minimum

Proti Patriots

(WKBW) - While it seemed like the Buffalo Bills had a good gameplan heading into their contest with the New England Patriots, the lack of offensive execution, and the defense just wearing out led to their fourth loss in the last five games.

Up next, if the Bills want to maintain any playoff hopes, they’ll need a win against a struggling Indianapolis Colts team. Before we start to discuss that game next week, first is a look back at the game that was for the Bills.

Each and every week, WKBW.com will review the tape, and bring you how each player graded out in the previous week, wit ah the help of the Game Pass app on NFL.com. You can see a full explanation of how they are done at the bottom of the article.

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Patriots:

1) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Patriots: A-

2) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 65/70
Grade vs. Patriots: A-

3) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

4) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

5) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

6) NCB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 35/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

7) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 35/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

8) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 52/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

9) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 26/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

10) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

11) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 44/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

12) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 44/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

13) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 41/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

14) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 28/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

15) RB Travaris Cadet
Snaps on the Field: 28/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

16) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 55/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

17) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 65/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

18) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

19) DT Deandre Coleman
Snaps on the Field: 24/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

20) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 30/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

21) TE Logan Thomas
Snaps on the Field: 22/67
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

22) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 22/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

23) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 36/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

24) QB Nathan Peterman
Snaps on the Field: 21/67
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

25) DE Shaq Lawson
Snaps on the Field: 25/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

26) CB Lafayette Pitts
Snaps on the Field: 19/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

27) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

28) WR Jordan Matthews
Snaps on the Field: 51/67
Grade vs. Patriots: C

29) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 67/67
Grade vs. Patriots: C

30) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

31) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 46/67
Grade vs. Patriots: D+

32) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 48/70
Grade vs. Patriots: D

Players with less than 15 snaps

WR Andre Holmes - 13
QB/WR Joe Webb - 5
FB Patrick DiMarco - 5
TE Khari Lee - 5
T Seantrel Henderson - 1

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: WR Brandon Tate, OL Ryan Groy, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (10), G John Miller (8), LT Cordy Glenn (6), RB Mike Tolbert (3), WR Kelvin Benjamin (3), CB Shareece Wright (3), TE Nick O’Leary (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 180 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.36 (1)
2) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.15 (3)
3) S Micah Hyde - 3.13 (2)
4) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.06 (4)
5) WLB Matt Milano - 3.03 (5)
6) S Jordan Poyer - 2.98 (6)
7) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (7)
8) C Eric Wood - 2.95 (11)
9) LG Richie Incognito - 2.93 (10)
10) DT Kyle Williams - 2.89 (9)
11) TE Charles Clay - 2.89 (8)
12) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.85 (13)
13) CB E.J. Gaines - 2.83 (15)
14) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.80 (16)
15) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.79 (14)
16) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.79 (17)
17) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.78 (12)
18) WR Andre Holmes - 2.78 (19)
19) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.77 (23)
20) WR Zay Jones - 2.75 (20)
21) DE Ryan Davis - 2.74 (22)
22) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.73 (21)
23) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.69 (18)
24) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.69 (24)
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.62 (25)
26) NCB Leonard Johnson - 2.52 (28)
27) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.51 (26)
28) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.48 (29)
29) MLB Preston Brown - 2.40 (27)
30) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.29 (30)
31) RT Jordan Mills - 2.16 (31)
32) G John Miller - 1.87 (32)
33) CB Shareece Wright - 1.82 (33)

How they’re graded:

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. Those can be seen above.

Proti Dolphins 1

1) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 41/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: A-

2) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: A-

3) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B+

4) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B+

5) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 72/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B+

6) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 72/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B+

7) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 36/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B+

8) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 44/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

9) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 42/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

10) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 40/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

11) RB Travaris Cadet
Snaps on the Field: 22/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

12) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

13) FB Patrick DiMarco
Snaps on the Field: 24/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

14) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 48/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

15) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 51/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

16) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 32/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

17) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 48/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B

18) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 27/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

19) CB E.J. Gaines
Snaps on the Field: 40/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

20) CB Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 63/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

21) DT Kyle Williams
Snaps on the Field: 55/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

22) DE Nordly “Cap” Capi
Snaps on the Field: 23/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

23) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 23/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

24) DT Deandre Coleman
Snaps on the Field: 17/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

25) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

26) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

27) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 24/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

28) WR Kelvin Benjamin
Snaps on the Field: 37/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: B-

29) WR Zay Jones
Snaps on the Field: 44/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: C+

30) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 63/63
Grade vs. Dolphins: C+

31) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 75/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: C+

32) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 37/75
Grade vs. Dolphins: C

Players with less than 15 snaps
WR Andre Holmes - 14
G Ryan Groy - 7
WR Brandon Tate - 4
TE Logan Thomas - 3

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB/WR Joe Webb, T Seantrel Henderson, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, CB Lafayette Pitts, S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (11), G John Miller (10), TE Khari Lee (8), RB Mike Tolbert (4), WR Brandon Reilly (2), QB Nathan Peterman (1), CB Breon Borders (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 210 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.33 (1)
2) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.17 (2)
3) S Micah Hyde - 3.15 (3)
4) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.11 (4)
5) S Jordan Poyer - 3.05 (6)
6) WLB Matt Milano - 3.03 (5)
7) C Eric Wood - 2.98 (8)
8) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (7)
9) LG Richie Incognito - 2.94 (9)
10) TE Charles Clay - 2.91 (11)
11) DT Kyle Williams - 2.87 (10)
12) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.87 (12)
13) CB E.J. Gaines - 2.82 (13)
14) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.82 (14)
15) DE Ryan Davis - 2.80 (21)
16) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.79 (15)
17) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.79 (16)
18) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.78 (17)
19) WR Andre Holmes - 2.77 (18)
20) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.77 (22)
21) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.76 (19)
22) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.74 (23)
23) WR Zay Jones - 2.72 (20)
24) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.68 (24)
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.62 (25)
26) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.55 (27)
27) CB Leonard Johnson - 2.54 (26)
28) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.44 (28)
29) MLB Preston Brown - 2.39 (29)
30) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.30 (30)
31) RT Jordan Mills - 2.17 (31)
32) CB Shareece Wright - 1.92 (33)
33) G John Miller - 1.87 (32)

Proti Patriots 2

Now, to the individual player grades of the Bills versus the Patriots:

1) RB LeSean McCoy
Snaps on the Field: 51/70
Grade vs. Patriots: A-

2) S Jordan Poyer
Snaps on the Field: 71/71
Grade vs. Patriots: A-

3) WR Kelvin Benjamin
Snaps on the Field: 52/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

4) CB Tre’Davious White
Snaps on the Field: 69/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B+

5) DE Jerry Hughes
Snaps on the Field: 45/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B

6) WR Deonte Thompson
Snaps on the Field: 61/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

7) LT Dion Dawkins
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

8) RG Vladimir Ducasse
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

9) C Eric Wood
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B

10) DT Kyle Willians
Snaps on the Field: 45/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

11) WLB Matt Milano
Snaps on the Field: 45/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

12) DE Ryan Davis
Snaps on the Field: 36/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

13) DT Adolphus Washington
Snaps on the Field: 45/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

14) DT Cedric Thornton
Snaps on the Field: 29/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

15) S Micah Hyde
Snaps on the Field: 68/71
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

16) LG Richie Incognito
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: B-

17) WR Brandon Tate
Snaps on the Field: 20/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

18) TE Nick O’Leary
Snaps on the Field: 22/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

19) DE Eddie Yarbrough
Snaps on the Field: 37/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

20) RT Jordan Mills
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C+

21) TE Charles Clay
Snaps on the Field: 51/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C

22) RB Mike Tolbert
Snaps on the Field: 15/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C

23) SLB Lorenzo Alexander
Snaps on the Field: 30/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C

24) NC Leonard Johnson
Snaps on the Field: 51/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C

25) DT Deandre Coleman
Snaps on the Field: 21/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

26) CB Shareece Wright
Snaps on the Field: 60/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

27) QB Tyrod Taylor
Snaps on the Field: 70/70
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

28) WLB Ramon Humber
Snaps on the Field: 26/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

29) MLB Preston Brown
Snaps on the Field: 71/71
Grade vs. Patriots: C-

30) DE Cap Capi
Snaps on the Field: 24/71
Grade vs. Patriots: D+

Players with less than 15 snaps

FB Patrick DiMarco - 13
CB Lafayette Pitts - 9
RB Travaris Cadet - 5
TE Khari Lee - 5
QB/WR Joe Webb - 3
S Trae Elston - 2

Active players without an offensive or defensive snap: QB Nathan Peterman, G Ryan Groy, T Seantrel Henderson, LB Tanner Vallejo, LB Deon Lacey, S Shamarko Thomas

Inactives: T Conor McDermott (12), G John Miller (11), CB E.J. Gaines (5), WR Brandon Reilly (3),  TE Logan Thomas (3), CB Breon Borders (2), WR Andre Holmes (1)
*(Total games inactive)

Season Grades (Last week’s rank)
*At least 225 snaps to qualify

1) DE Jerry Hughes - 3.30 (1)
2) CB Tre’Davious White - 3.18 (2)
3) RB LeSean McCoy - 3.15 (4)
4) S Micah Hyde - 3.11 (3)
5) S Jordan Poyer - 3.10 (5)
6) C Eric Wood - 2.98 (7)
7) WLB Matt Milano - 2.98 (6)
8) LT Cordy Glenn - 2.96 (8)
9) LG Richie Incognito - 2.92 (9)
10) DT Kyle Williams - 2.86 (11)
11) CB E.J. Gaines - 2.82 (13)
12) DE Eddie Yarbrough - 2.82 (12)
13) TE Charles Clay - 2.81 (10)
14) WR Deonte Thompson - 2.81 (20)
15) DE Shaq Lawson - 2.79 (16)
16) DE Ryan Davis - 2.79 (15)
17) FB Patrick DiMarco - 2.79 (14)
18) RG Vladimir Ducasse - 2.78 (21)
19) WR Jordan Matthews - 2.78 (18)
20) TE Nick O’Leary - 2.77 (17)
21) WR Andre Holmes - 2.77 (19)
22) WR Zay Jones - 2.72 (23)
23) LT Dion Dawkins - 2.72 (24)
24) QB Tyrod Taylor - 2.66 (22)
25) DT Cedric Thornton - 2.63 (25)
26) SLB Lorenzo Alexander - 2.52 (26)
27) NCB Leonard Johnson - 2.49 (27)
28) DT Adolphus Washington - 2.46 (28)
29) MLB Preston Brown - 2.34 (29)
30) WLB Ramon Humber - 2.27 (30)
31) RT Jordan Mills - 2.18 (31)
32) CB Shareece Wright - 1.89 (32)
33) G John Miller - 1.87 (33)

Do you believe that the Peterman decision was all McDermott's, as he says, or do you think Dennison or even ownership played important roles in pushing for the decision?
I have a hard time believing that Rick Dennison didn't at least influence that decision a little bit.

Here's a timeline of the Deflategate investigation of the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady. Data are from ESPN Stats & Information.

• Jan. 18, 2015 (AFC Championship Game): The Patriots defeat the Colts 45-7. But after the second-half kickoff, game officials replaced the 12 balls that were used in the first half with 12 backup balls that had been approved before game time, which drew questions.

• Jan. 19, 2015: KTHR Colts reporter Bob Kravitz tweets that the Patriots would be investigated for reportedly deflating footballs. Asked about the issue, coach Bill Belichick says, "I really don't know what to say or know anything about what we're talking about here. Whatever it is, we'll cooperate with them the best we can." On his weekly radio hit for WEEI, Brady calls the accusations "ridiculous."

• Jan. 20, 2015: Newsday reports the Colts noticed something unusual after an interception by Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in the second quarter. Jackson gave the ball to a member of the Colts' equipment staff, who noticed the ball seemed underinflated and notified coach Chuck Pagano.

• Jan. 20, 2015: ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that 11 of the 12 balls used in the first half of the game were significantly underinflated.

• Jan. 23, 2015: Belichick addresses media and says the Patriots are cooperating with the league. "I have no explanation for what happened. That's what they're looking into." Brady, in an appearance a few hours later, says, "I didn't alter the ball in any way." He says he had yet to talk to the NFL.

• Jan. 23 2015: The league issues a statement that an investigation is ongoing, with executive vice president Jeff Pash and Ted Wells leading the probe. (Wells led the league's investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct with the Dolphins in November 2013.) The investigation was to also look into the chain-of-custody protocol for all game personnel.

• Jan. 23, 2015: Jackson tells the Indianapolis Star that he had nothing to do with tipping off the league to underinflated balls. Jackson said he gave the ball to the Colts' equipment staff to save for him as a "souvenir."

• Jan. 23, 2015: Colts general manager Ryan Grigson declines comment on who notified the league about potential deflation.

• Jan. 24, 2015: Belichick, in another news conference, discusses the science behind the PSI rates and detailing the Patriots' process for preparing balls, saying that the team's process of getting balls ready raised the air pressure by one pound per square inch. He then discusses putting his QBs through tests to see if they could tell the difference in balls at different air pressures. He insisted the balls weren't prepared in a heated room, or treated in any unique way. A clearly irritated Belichick then cites "My Cousin Vinny" character Mona Lisa Vito. "I'm not a scientist. I'm not an expert on footballs or football measurements. I'm just telling you what I know," Belichick said. "I would not say I'm the Mona Lisa Vito of the football world as she was in the car expertise area."

• Jan. 26, 2015: FoxSports reports that league investigators have interviewed a Patriots' locker room attendant who was seen on surveillance video taking the footballs from the officials' locker room into another room at Gillette Stadium before bringing them out to the field before kickoff against the Colts. ProFootballTalk.com then says the attendant was captured on video carrying two bags of balls into the bathroom and exiting the bathroom 90 seconds later. The report says the surveillance video was given by the Patriots to the NFL early in the investigation. The locker room attendant has not been identified.

• Jan. 26, 2015: When the Patriots arrive in Arizona for the Super Bowl, owner Robert Kraft tells reporters, "It bothers me greatly that their reputations and integrity -- and by association, that of our team -- has been called into question this past week. ... If the [NFL] investigation is not able to definitively determine that our organization tampered with the air pressure in the footballs, I would expect and hope that the league would apologize to our entire team, and in particular, coach Belichick and Tom Brady for what they have had to endure this past week."

• Jan. 26, 2015: Wells says in a statement he expects the investigation to take at least several more weeks.

• Feb. 1, 2015: The Patriots defeat the Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX.

• Feb. 3, 2015: NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent says in an interview for "60 Minutes Sports" that Grigson told the NFL in the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game that the Patriots might be tampering with the footballs.

• Feb. 19, 2015: At the NFL combine, Grigson confirms the Colts reached out to the NFL in the week leading up to the AFC Championship Game regarding concerns with underinflated footballs. The Patriots and Colts had played Nov. 16. In Grigson's viewpoint, Indianapolis had suspicions from that game that sparked the NFL's actions during the AFC title game. Grigson declined further comment after saying he was simply doing his job to ensure a level playing field. Pagano said any suggestion that the Colts might have deflated the football used by the Patriots was "ludicrous."

• May 6, 2015: The Wells report is released, and it states the NFL found it "more probable than not" that Patriots personnel deliberately deflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game, and that Brady was probably "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. Among the evidence were text messages between equipment assistant John Jastremski and locker room manager Jim McNally that implicated Brady. In investigating Brady, Wells said he was hindered by Brady's refusal to provide his own emails, texts or phone records. But using Jastremski's phone records, Wells found an increase in the frequency of phone calls and texts between Brady and the equipment assistant shortly after suspicions of tampering went public. After not communicating via phone or text for six months, they spoke six times on the phone over the course of three days.

• May 11, 2015: Punishments for Brady and the Patriots are handed down, with Brady being suspended four games and the team being fined $1 million and surrendering two draft picks: a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017. Chairman and CEO Kraft criticized the investigation, calling it one-sided and saying Brady has the team's "unconditional support." He admonished the league for the severity of the punishment and for dismissing "scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report." Brady would appeal, his agent said.

• May 12, 2015: The Patriots issue a lengthy, point-by-point rebuttal of the Wells report on the website wellsreportcontext.com. In the rebuttal, the Patriots say the Wells report's conclusions are "incomplete, incorrect, and lack context," and don't factor in scientific evidence. The rebuttal also stated that texts between McNally and Jastremski using the word "deflator" were a joke about weight loss.

• May 12, 2015: The NFLPA announces that Brady will appeal his four-game suspension, and urges Goodell to appoint a neutral arbitrator. The NFL announces Goodell will preside over the appeal. The union wants Goodell to recuse himself, but ESPN's Ed Werder reports that is unlikely.

• May 15, 2015: The NFLPA releases the letter officially notifying the NFL of Brady's appeal. As expected, the union asks Goodell to step aside as an arbitrator, as it intends to call Goodell and Troy Vincent as witnesses.

• May 15, 2015: The Associated Press reports the NFL plans to change guidelines on how footballs are handled before games and will discuss the changes at the owners meetings May 20-21 in San Francisco.

• May 15, 2015: ESPN's Darren Rovell reports that an E-Poll indicates Brady's personal popularity has slipped to the point where people are nearly equally split on whether they like him or not.

• May 15, 2015: It's reported that Roderick MacKinnon, the Nobel laureate who contributed to the Patriots' rebuttal of the Wells report, is compensated by a drug company in which the Kraft Group is an investor.

• May 17, 2015: The website The MMQB posts an interview with Kraft in which the Patriots owner says Brady is innocent and he believes the quarterback because "he has never lied to me and I have found no hard or conclusive evidence to the contrary." Kraft declines to comment on whether he'll go to court to fight the NFL's discipline against the team, his relationship with Goodell and why the team suspended the two clubhouse employees if the Patriots think they did nothing wrong.

• May 18, 2015: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there are "back-channel conversations" between the NFL and the Patriots to see if the two can resolve their differences without an appeal of the team's discipline or litigation.

• May 19, 2015: Goodell and Kraft met, spoke and hugged at a birthday party for CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus, sources tell Schefter. A witness says the men spoke privately at length.

• May 19, 2015: Schefter reports the NFL asked the Patriots to suspend McNally and Jastremski before the Wells report was released. That time frame matches information released by the NFL on May 11, when the discipline against the team was handed down. The NFL denies the report.

• May 19, 2015: Saying he doesn't want the rhetoric to continue and is opting to do what's best for the league, Kraft announces he's reluctantly accepting the NFL discipline levied on the team.

• May 19, 2015: The NFLPA is quick to remind everyone that Kraft's announcement has no bearing on Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension and later, officially asks Goodell to recuse himself from hearing Brady's appeal. Mortensen reports the NFLPA has not received any official notice from the NFL that Goodell will actually hear Brady's appeal, nor has the union been given a date for the hearing.

• May 19, 2015: After Kraft's announcement, there is quick and widespread reaction that Kraft had traded his decision to back off an appeal for some concession on Brady's suspension. Schefter reports that this is not the case, that the two were, indeed, separate issues.

• May 20, 2015: Speaking after the NFL owners meetings in San Francisco, Goodell says that Kraft's decision to accept the league's punishment will not affect Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension. Goodell dodged the issue on whether he would remove himself as arbitrator for Brady's appeal, but said he was looking forward to hearing from Brady. Goodell also said the NFL did not ask the Patriots to suspend the employees implicated in the Wells report.

• May 22, 2015: DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, reiterates to Outside the Lines host Bob Ley that the union wants Goodell to recuse himself from the Brady hearing. Asked if the NFLPA will go to court to try to block Goodell from hearing the appeal, Smith said: "It's our job to make decisions about process that are in the best interest of the client."

• May 22, 2015: The NFL rejects the NFLPA's motion asking Goodell to recuse himself from hearing Brady's appeal. The decision was expected after Goodell said at the spring owners meetings that he looked forward to hearing directly from Brady.

• May 29, 2015: It is reported the NFL will hear Brady's appeal beginning on June 23.

• June 2, 2015: Goodell officially informs the NFLPA he will not recuse himself and will hear Brady's appeal. In a letter to the union, Goodell cited his responsibility under the labor agreement to "serve as hearing officer in any appeal involving conduct detrimental to the integrity of the game." But Goodell also wrote that his mind is "open" and "there has been no prejudgment and no bias that warrants the recusal."

• June 23, 2015: Brady's appeal takes place in New York with 10 hours of testimony.

• July 28, 2015: The NFL announces Brady's four-game suspension will not be reduced.

• Sept. 3, 2015: U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said Goodell went too far in affirming punishment of Brady, erasing the quarterback's four-game suspension.

• Nov. 23, 2015: A federal appeals court in New York announces that the NFL’s hearing on its appeal will be held March 3.

• Feb. 25, 2016: The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York announced the judges who will hear the NFL's appeal of the decision by U.S. District Court Judge Berman to overturn the league's four-game suspension of Brady. Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann, Judge Barrington D. Parker and Judge Denny Chin will preside.

• March 3, 2016: Judges pepper Brady's attorneys with tough questions during the appeal hearingand at one point Judge Chin said evidence of ball tampering was "compelling, if not overwhelming." The hearing ended with an expected ruling in the upcoming months.

• April 25, 2016: Brady's suspension is reinstated.

• May 23, 2016: Brady files an appeal for a second hearing by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in regard to his four-game suspension.

• June 1, 2016: It has been 500 days since Deflategate started.

• July 13, 2016: The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denies Brady's appeal in regard to his four-game suspension imposed by the NFL.

• July 15, 2016: Brady announces he will not appeal his four-game Deflategate suspension to the U.S. Supreme Court.