Bills @ Buccaneers
Final Score: Buccaneers 33, Bills 27 (OT)
Writer: Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)
This game almost tricked me into thinking it was going to be a boring one by halftime. Boy, was I wrong. Josh Allen probably won a few matchups for fantasy managers with his heroic come back performance, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the reigning Super Bowl champions. While they still obviously have fight in them, the Bills have now lost three of their last four games, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy with only a handful of games left in the regular season. Across the field, Tom Brady and co. continue to fiercely defend their home turf as they now have won six straight at home this season. They’re almost making it look a little too easy sometimes. Oh, someone broke some records too, I guess.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 36/54, 308 yards, 2 TD, INT, 3 Sacks | 12 carries, 109 yards, TD
Even with his slow start, this was one of the cooler single-game performances I have seen this season from a quarterback this season as Josh Allen tried to will the Bills back into the game. Since the Bills were behind almost the entire game, the Buccaneers’ defense knew what was coming most of the time, as evident by the seven total carries by Bills running backs on the day. While Allen looked great, the Bills in general looked disjointed on third downs which I believe is what ultimately cost them. Allen might’ve been playing a little too much hero ball in those situations. Allen paid the price though, as he did appear in a boot during post-game media.
Keep fighting. 😤
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/5Nt4Uehw2C
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 13, 2021
Running Back
Devin Singletary: 4 carries, 52 yards | 7 targets, 6 receptions, 37 yards
Matt Breida: 3 carries, 12 yards | 1 target
The first running back carry didn’t even happen until the third quarter, and that was on a fake punt. The Bills basically abandoned the run in favor of the pass in order to play catchup, so there really wasn’t much to write about here. I don’t think this game was much of a fantasy indicator for this position group, although it does show the Bills will not hesitate to fully commit to the pass. Devin Singletary did get action out of the backfield to salvage his day in PPR leagues, but otherwise, this was a rather lackluster day from this group. When your quarterback runs like this, do you really need to hand it off to a running back?
.@JoshAllenQB on the move!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/1qswyD2gsb
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 12, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Stefon Diggs: 13 targets, 7 receptions, 74 yards
Cole Beasley: 11 targets, 9 receptions, 64 yards
Dawson Knox: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 60 yards, TD
Gabriel Davis: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards, TD
Emmanuel Sanders: 1 target, 1 reception, 25 yards
Isaiah McKenzie: 1 target
Playing from behind generated an abundance of targets for this group. Stefon Diggs led the team in targets per usual but wasn’t as efficient as you would like to see. It was a combination of no time for Allen and good defense from the Buccaneers’ secondary. Cole Beasley brought in nine balls with his usual slot work as Allen looked his way a lot between the twenties. Both Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox brought in scores in the fourth quarter as the Bills were pushing for overtime. All of Diggs, Davis, Beasley, and Knox were involved throughout the game, as short passes seemed to replace the run game while playing from behind. Emmanuel Sanders left the game in the first half with a knee injury and did not return.
Keep fighting. 😤
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/5Nt4Uehw2C
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 13, 2021
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Tom Brady: 31/46, 363 yards, 2 TD, 2 Sacks | 7 carries, 16 yards, TD
Tom Brady became the NFL’s career completions leader while also throwing his 700th career touchdown pass (which happened to be the game-winning score to Perriman in overtime.) We even got to see a rare rushing score from the typically stationary quarterback. At this point, Brady seems to be getting younger, as I can’t remember a game where he carried the ball seven times, but Brady continuously took advantage of the space the Bills gave him. Even while blowing a 21-point halftime lead, Brady never looked flustered as he steered his team to victory. The Bills’ defense was tough against the run, forcing Brady to dish it all game, which is typically not a good thing for a defense.
7️⃣,1️⃣4️⃣3️⃣
📺: #BUFvsTB on CBS
🗳: 1 RT = 1 #ProBowlVote for @TomBrady & @MikeEvans13_ pic.twitter.com/abMW4T3eJU— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2021
Running Back
Leonard Fournette: 19 carries, 113 yards, TD | 7 targets, 4 receptions, 19 yards
Ronald Jones II: 3 carries, 8 yards
While the box score indicated a terrific day for Leonard Fournette on the ground, he was mostly boxed up by the Bills’ defense. He was involved in the passing game, with seven total targets going his way in addition to the 19 carries, which is ideal for fantasy managers as we gear up for the playoffs. The Bucs continue to let Lenny do his thing as he has obviously taken over lead-back duties in Tampa Bay with no fear of being supplanted by Ronald Jones this season. Don’t let the box score fool you too much — If you take away this massive 47-yard touchdown run, Fournette had a much, much different stat sheet:
GO LENNY GO ‼️
📺: #BUFvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/BDD2gEJ4HA
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Godwin: 15 targets, 10 receptions, 105 yards
Mike Evans: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Rob Gronkowski: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 62 yards
Breshad Perriman: 2 targets, 1 reception, 58 yards, TD
Tyler Johnson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
Cameron Brate: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
Chris Godwin was absolutely peppered with targets throughout the game, bringing in 10 of 15 but was kept out of the endzone. That’s now 32 targets over the last two weeks, which is a trend that you like to see for fantasy football purposes. Rob Gronkowski had a rather quiet day considering he received nine targets but was only able to bring in five of them. Teams are definitely keying on Gronk as we progress deeper into the season. Breshad Perriman is the man who sealed the deal in overtime, catching Brady’s record-breaking touchdown pass, but was otherwise quiet on the day. Tyler Johnson and Cameron Brate caught some check downs. Mike Evans continues to show why he is a threat to score at any time:
To recap: @MikeEvans13_ is really good at football.
📺: #BUFvsTB on CBS
🗳: 1 RT = 1 #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/DtPJN8jSQq— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2021
— Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)