What We Saw 2023: Week 6

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.

Drew DeLuca
What We Saw A Year Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Ravens @ Titans
Commanders @ Falcons
Vikings @ Bears
Seahawks @ Bengals
49ers @ Browns
Saints @ Texans
Colts @ Jaguars
Panthers @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Raiders
Lions @ Buccaneers
Cardinals @ Rams
Eagles @ Jets
Giants @ Bills

Giants @ Bills

Final Score: Bills 14, Giants 9

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

The Buffalo Bills “got away with one” at Orchard Park as Brian Daboll returned without his starting quarterback Daniel Jones but with his spirit, passion, and fired-up defense. The New York Giants put in a phenomenal effort across the board but fell agonizingly short despite having the final snap of each half at the one-yard line and coming away with no points on either occasion – a reminder, they lost by five! Daboll was furious with his coaching staff and veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor for the miscommunication at the end of the first half which took at least three points off the board.

 

All in all, this was a poor football game littered with penalties, miscues and poor decision-making with two struggling offenses failing to fire once again. We can excuse the Giants, who had Taylor under centre and generally exceeded expectations. But for Josh Allen and the Bills, this was not the redemption performance we expected after a horrific showing in London last week.

The second half seemed to fly by as there were four long laborious drives that took a total of 26 minutes off the clock as both teams tried to run the ball and use the middle of the field to control the field in a tight contest. This drastically reduced the fantasy potential of a number of key players for managers.

Tyler Bass also missed two field goals, the second allowing the Giants to engineer the final drive of the game where they just came up short with no help from the officials.

 

Three Up

  • Darius Slayton – can the Chiefs please trade for the underrated wideout? He was dominant down the field and hauled in two terrific long balls from Taylor – he should have been thrown a few more
  • Saquon Barkley – the superstar runner is back and any worries about easing him in were quickly dispelled as he was handed the ball 29 times on the ground and through the air – we like that volume for fantasy purposes
  • Stefon Diggs – still the main man, still producing

Three Down

  • Darren Waller – failed to make a meaningful impact again for this offense when it counted – rarely targeted early in the contest and needs to ensure he shows better chemistry with his quarterback
  • James Cook – did most of his damage on back-to-back runs in the first half but ceded a lot of snaps to Latavius Murray on pass-blocking downs and wasn’t targeted out of the backfield
  • Gabe Davis – was sent to the dog house after an early first-quarter fumble and was hardly seen again with just one catch the rest of the way

 

New York Giants

 

Quarterback

 

Tyrod Taylor: 24/36, 200 Yards, 3 Sacks | 5 Carries, 24 Yards, 1 Fumble (Recovered)

 

It is hard to be romantic about Taylor but somewhere deep down I was cheering him on to do well after a couple of years in the backup wilderness. He performed admirably amongst numerous offensive line issues, including an early injury and the need to plug left guard Justin Pugh, who introduced himself in the broadcast as ‘fresh off the couch”, in at left tackle. The line had lots of false starts and key penalties, none more so than a terrible false start coming out of a timeout on second and long inside the Bills’ 25-yard line in the second quarter.

He did drop two dimes into the basket of Slayton – one for a 30-yard gain on the second drive of the game, a play they then repeated on the last drive of the half to set them up in the red zone before the miscommunication on the final play of the half. My question is where were these play calls with Jones as the quarterback? Baffling.

Taylor was most impressive throwing on the move and made opportunities for his receivers by extending plays that Jones might not have been able to. He took a lot of time off the clock to keep Allen off the field and give his team a legitimate shot. Sadly, he had the opportunity to redeem himself on the final play of the game but threw the ball too high for Waller to bring in for what would have been a game-winning catch.

 

Running Back

 

Saquon Barkley: 24 Carries, 93 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 5 Yards

 

After multi-game absences, Barkley returned as the Giants’ starter and immediately made their offense watchable with his hard-running and fluid style through the tackles. It wasn’t an easy start though as he was bottled up in the first half and met fierce resistance on inside runs from the Bills’ excellent interior defensive line. Yes, he looked a little rusty was maybe trying to do too much on a few runs as he started with 11 carries for 15 yards. However, a couple of good runs prior to the half set him up for a more productive spell after the break. A 12-yard gain preceded a beautiful jinking run in the fourth quarter which resulted in a 34-yard gain to give the Giants hope. He is back and sharp and as long as he is healthy he is going to produce in fantasy.

 

Matt Breida: 4 Carries, 13 Yards | 1 Target

Eric Gray: 1 Carry, 2 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Darius Slayton: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 69 Yards

 

A very impressive performance from Slayton. We have begged for more downfield looks, and this contest gave him those opportunities. Not only did he haul in big gains of 27 yards and 31 yards in the first half but he also induced a defensive pass interference call in the end zone on the Giants’ botched final drive of the first half. The Bills’ former first-round selection at cornerback, Kaiir Elam could not handle Slayton’s elusiveness and evasive movements on routes. Please Chiefs, come and get him!

 

Taylor threw another deep ball to Slayton on fourth down late in the fourth quarter but it was slightly under thrown allowing the Bills to break it up and thus win the ball back on a turnover on downs.

 

Wan’Dale Robinson: 8 Targets, 8 Receptions, 62 Yards

 

This was a very encouraging step forward for the undersized second-year speedster Wan’Dale Robinson as he was productive in short-yardage situations and gave the Giants’ offense another dimension with plenty of in-motion routes. Robinson showed toughness with a couple of determined catches and then burst into heavy contact for extra yards. He did get totally leveled by Taron Johnson before the half but reappeared in the second half and was consistently on the field and involved. Robinson now has seen an increase in targets, catches, and yardage in the last three games and could be in line for more work.

 

Darren Waller: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 43 Yards

 

Another disappointing output from tight end Darren Waller, who once again was largely anonymous as a focus of the offense until later in the game. Waller saw minimal looks from Taylor in the passing game but did haul in one of his two targets in the first half for 20 yards, the Giants’ longest play of the game up to that time.

 

Waller was targeted on the final two plays of the game, drawing a pass interference penalty as time expired before failing to haul in the final play of the game as the throw from Taylor was too high – it has to be noted that Waller was again clearly being held by Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, who was also not facing the ball when he interfered with Waller in the end zone. It should have been a flag and another opportunity for the Giants to win the game.

 

Jalin Hyatt: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards

 

It may not read like a starting role but Jalin Hyatt was finally treated as an actual wide receiver in this offense. He was slippery and impressive off the line all night and unluckily had a 43-yard sideline catch pulled back for a penalty that shouldn’t have been for an ineligible man downfield. It was such a shame as it took place with the Giants on the ascent in the first half. Still, he was trusted with a target on the final drive of the game with less than a minute remaining, a chance he took by securing a high pass and taking a big hit to get his team in range with a shot. A promising night for the rookie.

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterback

 

Josh Allen: 19/30, 169 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 2 Carries, 11 Yards

 

A rough outing for Allen for the second week in a row as he faced constant pressure from an outstanding Giants pass rush from the first snap of the game. He was often flushed out of the pocket. and apart from a fourth quarter dart to rookie Quintin Morris for a score, he struggled with accuracy when throwing on the move. He faced a number of blitz packages from the Giants linebackers which he consistently failed to read. He was lucky not to be picked off on an ill-advised throw from the sideline back into coverage toward Diggs in the first quarter before finally being intercepted on a tipped pass over the middle just before the half. It was lucky for Allen the Giants made a mess of the ensuing drive.

 

As he often does, Allen found a way to win in the fourth quarter through options deep down the depth chart. But, after last week’s debacle, there are a number of concerns and issues to sort out. As bad as the Giants’ offensive line was, the Bills also struggled and committed numerous pre-snap penalties.

It is also worth noting that Allen was examined for a potential head injury after taking a hit in the second quarter that was luckily ruled as a roughing the passer penalty. This got the Bills out of a jam in which they were backed up near their own goal line. He left the field for one play before returning. He rushed a season-low two times for just 11 yards.

 

Running Back

 

James Cook: 14 Carries, 71 Yards

 

It couldn’t get any statistically worse for starter Cook after his five carries for negative four yards in London last week, but this wasn’t much better in terms of the bigger picture either: he split the backfield work with Murray and failed to see a target out of the backfield for the first time this season. On a night when Allen was being pressured consistently this aspect is even more worrying. Cook did most of his work on back-to-back carries in the first quarter, following up a nice 15-yard gain with a 14-yard run through tacklers down the gut of the Giants’ proud defensive front. Those two carries totaled 40 percent of his night’s work, however, as the Bills failed to find any established offensive rhythm. He did have a couple of nice outside zone runs in the second half but then inexplicably gave way to Murray near the red zone.

 

Latavius Murray: 12 Carries, 45 Yards

 

You could say that veteran has earned his share of this backfield work after a surprisingly productive opening to the season. He split the backfield almost equally in this game, seeing only two fewer carries than Cook, and was trusted on the field on crucial downs including short-yardage and red-zone plays. He was stuffed by an inspired Bobby Okereke on his third carry in a row inside the Giants’ 5-yard line in the third quarter before Deonte Harty‘s touchdown grab. It will be interesting to see if he keeps such a prominent role.

 

Damien Harris: 1 Carry, 1 Yard

 

Former Patriot running back Damien Harris was taken to hospital in the first half after suffering a neck injury that delayed the game significantly. It was reported he had movements across all his body parts later in the game. We wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Stefon Diggs: 16 Targets, 10 Receptions, 100 Yards

 

The only thing that worked tonight for the Bills was the connection between Diggs and Allen, which is pretty much automatic by this stage. Diggs hauled in grabs of 18 yards and 28 yards on the Bills’ two opening possessions before those drives stalled due to errors. Still, Diggs was not to be stopped despite Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale taking away the middle of the field for Diggs to operate into. He recorded his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards and the only sad thing was that he wasn’t the recipient of either touchdown pass. He was overthrown by Allen on a key third down in the second quarter, which would have seen the Bills into the red zone.

 

Gabe Davis: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

A terrible night for Gabe Davis, who after a couple of catches in the first quarter then fumbled fighting for extra yardage as Okereke punched the ball out as Davis dived for the line to gain. It was the first of a number of miscues from the Bills and didn’t put the home crowd in a good feeling. Davis had seen his legs clipped from behind when bracing for a pass on the first drive of the game but no pass interference call was made, a rather unlucky outcome. He looked to be in the dog house for the rest of the contest as he was targeted just one more time for a short gain in the second half.

 

Dawson Knox: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 17 Yards

 

There was no rookie Dalton Kincaid for this game so old favorite Dawson Knox saw the majority of work at the position with some work in the slot with Harty and Khalil Shakir. It was a quiet night for the once productive fantasy option and he missed the opportunity of a big gain as an underarm thrown ball from his quarterback landed just short of his hands with plenty of space in front of him near the end of the first half. He also dropped a ball in the red zone late in the fourth quarter on third down that would have iced the game for Buffalo.

 

Quintin Morris: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 15 Yards, TD

 

Breaking Fantasy Managers’ Hearts, Part 1 – Quintin Morris saw his only target on a broken play and was almost as surprised as anyone when Allen managed to nail him with a dart through coverage while on the run for a touchdown. Thanks to a remarkable throw, Morris was in the right place at the right time and was lucky to be the one to give the Bills the lead late in the fourth quarter.

 

Khalil Shakir: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 13 Yards

Deonte Harty: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards, TD

 

Breaking Fantasy Managers’ Hearts, Part 2 – It was a simple play: Harty ran in motion into the backfield from the left and found himself untracked into the end zone to score on his only target from three yards out in the fourth quarter for the Bills’ first points of the game. Fantasy managers desperately needing points from Diggs and Davis in a low-scoring affair were sadly disappointed twice in this game.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Ravens @ Titans
Commanders @ Falcons
Vikings @ Bears
Seahawks @ Bengals
49ers @ Browns
Saints @ Texans
Colts @ Jaguars
Panthers @ Dolphins
Patriots @ Raiders
Lions @ Buccaneers
Cardinals @ Rams
Eagles @ Jets
Giants @ Bills

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