It was a dominant performance for the Bills in all three phases. The star was quarterback Josh Allen, who threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in three quarters of work. He had a field day throwing the ball to Stefon Diggs, who caught 12 passes for 148 yards and three scores. Buffalo’s offense was complemented by a defense that shut out Titans star running back Derrick Henry, who finished the night with 25 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. The game started quite competitively as both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives. But the Bills took over the game after that, scoring 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 17-7 halftime lead. The Bills finished the game by scoring 24 unanswered points in the third quarter. Of those points, 17 were the result of three forced turnovers that included Matt Milano’s 43-yard pick-six to Ryan Tannehill, who was relieved by rookie Malik Willis after making his second pick of the quarter. The win allowed the Bills to keep pace with the Dolphins atop the AFC East. At 0-2, Tennessee is in good company, being one of three winless teams currently residing in the AFC South.
Because the bills won
Everything went well for the Bills on Monday night, which is really the headliner. Buffalo showed in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams that it deserves to be the favorite to lift the Lombardi Trophy in February, and the Bills just built on their case in Week 2. Allen completed 26 of 38 passes for 317 yards and four touchdown, while Diggs caught 12 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns. The defense allowed just 182 Titans total yards compared to the Bills’ 414, and Buffalo won the turnover battle 4-0. The Bills won in every facet of the game in Week 2. It’s as simple as that.
Because the Titans lost
I think a better question is what went right for the Titans as opposed to what went wrong Monday night. Tannehill completed 11 of 20 passes for 117 yards and two interceptions, Derrick Henry rushed for just 25 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and the defense consistently overachieved. But I think the third element is what really stood out in this loss. One weakness that Buffalo clearly exploited was Tennessee’s secondary. The Titans’ No. 1 cornerback in Christian Fulton was ruled out Saturday with a hamstring injury, and without him, this unit is young and very inexperienced. Former first-round pick Caleb Farley was playing in his fifth career game, and then Roger McCreary and Tre Avery are rookies. All three tried to stop this explosive attack, especially Farley. It’s tough any time Jake Kumerow cooks you for a 39-yard gain. There were several big plays given up just like this one, as Diggs caught a 46-yard bomb and Isaiah McKenzie caught a 28-yard pass. Allen had awesome stat of course, but I’m honestly surprised he didn’t take more shots downfield. The Titans secondary wasn’t elite last year, but the front seven made them look good at times. With Harold Landry out for the season with a torn ACL, Bud Dupree leaving early Monday night with a hip injury and Ola Adeniyi also taking a hit, the Titans’ defensive line struggled to pressure Allen — leaving the young wide receivers extremes. their own devices.
Turning point
In the third quarter, the Titans finally forced the Bills to their first point of the season. Sam Martin picked it off and Titans starter Kyle Phillips put it out — his second muff of the season. The UCLA product has tremendous potential as a slot receiver, but you have to wonder if Mike Vrabel is going to leave him back there, making punts moving forward.
The game of the game
The Bills offense and all the points they put up headlined this game, but the defense played well too! They forced a huge turnover – which included this impressive interception by veteran Jordan Poyer.
What’s next
The Titans return to Nashville next Sunday to host the 0-2 Las Vegas Raiders. As for the Bills, they hit the road to face the undefeated Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is coming off an impressive 469-yard, six-touchdown performance.
