The Buffalo Bills improved to 5-1 with a 33-30 Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
This one was much closer than anticipated, with the Raiders fighting back from a 23-13 deficit in the fourth quarter. They scored 10 unanswered points before the Bills responded and took a 10-point lead with under two minutes to play.
Las Vegas continued to fight, with Kirk Cousins hitting Tre Tucker for a 44-yard touchdown with 1:32 to play. Buffalo recovered the onside kick that followed and escaped Las Vegas with a win. That means they went 2-0 on their West Coast trip and will go into their Week 7 bye with plenty of confidence. With the game behind us, let's check out some of the biggest takeaways from yet another close win.
Penalties followed Davison Igbinosun to the NFL, but he remains promising
Buffalo selected Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun at No. 62 overall this season. They said when he was brought in that it had "nothing to do" with Maxwell Hairston. Instead, they saw him as a depth piece, but that changed quickly when Hairston struggled to start the season.
Igbinosun has been starting in his place, but he hasn't been much better. He's also had the same problems in the NFL that he had with the Buckeyes: penalties. Igbinosun was flagged often during his collegiate career, and a pass interference on the opening drive against Brock Bowers was his fifth in five games with the Bills. As if that wasn't enough, he drew a sixth right before the end of the half.
Overall, this was a solid game for the rookie. He had three pass breakups, including one in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Even so, he needs to figure out how to stop the penalties, which could wind up being very costly.
Khalil Shakir finally gets into the end zone
Wide receiver has been a popular position to discuss in Buffalo. DJ Moore is the big name, and he's been in the headlines due to a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the past two games. There's also Keon Coleman, who has been emerging as a playmaker in his third season in the league. Even Joshua Palmer has gotten attention thanks to two deep touchdowns early in the year.
One wideout who seems to never get mentioned, however, is Khalil Shakir. That's likely because Shakir isn't flashy, but he just gets open and makes plays. He did that again in this one, scoring the team's first touchdown of the game, taking a screen pass from Josh Allen and running it in from nine yards out. As good as Shakir has been, that was surprisingly his first touchdown of the season. It was also a reminder that he should be targeted more often inside the red zone, since he simply knows how to make things happen.
Josh Allen is a cheat code
The Raiders have been far better this season than initially anticipated, and they gave it all they had despite suffering a loss to the Bills. Maxx Crosby and the rest of the defensive line were generating pressure on Josh Allen, but the Buffalo quarterback isn't referred to as Superman for no reason.
Allen once again proved he's a cheat code, with his most impressive play coming in the third quarter. Shortly after a turnover created by Dorian Williams, Allen evaded multiple defenders and flipped the ball to Keon Coleman for a 12-yard touchdown.
The former MVP had unreal awareness knowing that he hadn't moved past the line of scrimmage. He also turned a disastrous play into a highlight by throwing a pass that no one would recommend throwing.
Keon Coleman has become a reliable option
Make it three consecutive weeks with a touchdown for Keon Coleman.
Throughout the offseason, there were rumors that Coleman could be on the way out, but thankfully, that never happened. He's developed into a reliable option for the Bills and has filled in nicely for DJ Moore, who has missed the past two weeks. Against the Raiders, Coleman had four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. The Bills will take that type of production every week from Coleman.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson should be released
The Bills signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason in what was considered a controversial move. Gardner-Johnson has all the talent in the world, but his emotions often get the best of him. That was the case in this one, as he was ejected at the end of the first half for spitting in the direction of Brock Bowers.
Gardner-Johnson missed multiple tackles in this game as well and hasn't been a huge help in the secondary overall. Throw in his inexcusable act on Sunday, and it's clear that it's time to end the experiment. Head coach Joe Brady would do himself a favor by making an example out of Gardner-Johnson, letting players know the Bills won't tolerate such selfish actions.
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