Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills
· National Football LeagueCooper scores in his Bills debut and Allen shakes off a sluggish start in 34-10 rout of Titans
Five days after arriving in Buffalo following a trade with Cleveland, Cooper turned his first catch in his Bills debut into a go-ahead touchdown of a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Turns out, limited practice time was enough for the 10th-year veteran to get a handle on Buffalo’s vast playbook. Cooper said he understood his role in adjusting at the line of scrimmage by running an in-route with Allen hitting him open in the middle for a 12-yard TD to put Buffalo up 14-10 on its opening possession of the second half.
“We had an alert on the play built in, predicated on if we got a specific look,” said Cooper, who motioned to fellow receiver Keon Coleman to confirm the play. “We got the look that we wanted, we checked to it, and it worked just like it did in practice.”
Cooper finished with four catches for 66 yards on 18 offensive snaps. And his mere presence played a role in opening space for Buffalo’s other receivers who had previously struggled to get open.
“Any time you have a player of his caliber, he demands extra attention. If you don’t, we’re probably going to throw him the ball,” Allen said of Cooper. “But our guys did a good job of getting open, making plays.”
Coleman became Buffalo’s first receiver this season to top 100 yards with 125 on four catches.
Allen celebrated his 100th career start with his 26th 300-yard outing while finishing 21 of 33 for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He improved to 68-32 as a starter, matching four players — Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers — for the sixth-most wins in a quarterback’s first 100 starts.
Allen overcame a sluggish first half in which he went 4 of 11 for 65 yards, and also completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson. James Cook and Ray Davis rounded out the rout with touchdown runs in an outing the AFC East-leading Bills (5-2) overcame a 10-0 deficit.
The Titans continued their freefall in dropping to 1-5 — their worst start to a season since opening 2015 at 1-6. And a change in quarterback didn’t help an offense that entered the weekend ranking among the worst in the NFL in numerous categories, including scoring. They have failed to top 17 points for the fifth time this season.
Backup Mason Rudolph got the start with Will Levis bothered by an injury to his right throwing shoulder.
In listing Levis as week to week, coach Brian Callahan said he made the decision to go with Rudolph after practice on Friday.
“The injury is real. He tried to fight through it. I appreciate the toughness and willingness,” Callahan said.
As for the loss, Callahan said it mirrored an offense that has spent much of the season having difficulty scoring in the second half.
“We went backwards on offense. We had penalties, we had a million issues, quarterback hits, all those things. Not good enough,” Callahan said. “We didn’t do a good enough job to do anything in the second half worthwhile. It’s frustrating. Got to find an answer.”
The Titans started strong with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Nick Folk’s 25-yard field goal giving them a 10-0 lead before they were shut out on their final eight drives.
Rudolph finished 25 of 40 for 215 yards with a touchdown, interception and lost fumble.
Buffalo blew the game open by scoring three touchdowns and two field goals on its five second-half possessions.
The game turned in the opening moments of the second half, when Buffalo’s defense forced the Titans to turn the ball over on downs. On third-and-1 at Buffalo’s 45, Tony Pollard took a direct snap and was stopped for a 1-yard loss while attempting to dive over the middle. On the next play, rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and safety Taylor Rapp combined to stuff Pollard for a 3-yard loss.
Cooper scored six plays later.
Cooper’s debut introduced a new cheer from the hometown fans, with “Cooooop!” echoing through the stadium after each catch. The only one the 30-year-old failed to bring in was actually a drop after he bobbled Allen’s swing pass to the left sideline that appeared to bounce off his helmet and nose on third-and-1 to end Buffalo’s opening possession.
“It seems like a different 'Coop’ chant every single time,” said Cooper of a chant dating to his college days at Alabama. “Just grateful, appreciative, there was something special about the one today though.”
Bills: WR Curtis Samuel was ruled out after hurting his shoulder in the first quarter. ... LB Terrel Bernard didn’t return after hurting his ankle in the third quarter.
Bills: Play at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
How can I watch Titans vs. Bills?
- TV Channel: Titans at Bills 2021-22 NFL, week 7 is broadcasted nationally on CBS and NFL Sunday Ticket - Paramount+ NFL on CBS 2021 - Try it FREE!.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Titans vs. Bills on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
FG | 1st Period 2:57 | Nick Folk 25 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 11:31 | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine 4 Yd pass from Mason Rudolph (Nick Folk Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 10:04 | James Cook 11 Yd Run (Tyler Bass Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 10:23 | Amari Cooper 12 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass Kick) | |
FG | 3rd Period 4:12 | Tyler Bass 28 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 4th Period 14:54 | Ty Johnson 4 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 9:26 | Tyler Bass 30 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 4th Period 1:53 | Ray Davis 16 Yd Run (Tyler Bass Kick) |
Statistics
TEN | BUF | |
---|---|---|
18 | 1st Downs | 18 |
13 | Passing 1st downs | 14 |
2 | Rushing 1st downs | 3 |
3 | 1st downs from penalties | 1 |
6-16 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-10 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
67 | Total Plays | 54 |
289 | Total Yards | 389 |
4.3 | Yards per Play | 7.2 |
12 | Total Drives | 11 |
200 | Passing | 315 |
25/40 | Comp/Att | 21/33 |
4.7 | Yards per pass | 9.3 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
3-15 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 1-8 |
89 | Rushing | 74 |
24 | Rushing Attempts | 20 |
3.7 | Yards per rush | 3.7 |
1-3 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 4-6 |
8-52 | Penalties | 5-40 |
2 | Turnovers | 0 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
32:46 | Possession | 27:14 |
Game Information
Location: Orchard Park, NY
Attendance: 70,842 · Capacity:
2024 AFC South Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | 7 | 4 | .636 | 0 | 258 | 236 |
Indianapolis | 5 | 6 | .455 | 0 | 236 | 250 |
Tennessee | 2 | 8 | .200 | 0 | 170 | 263 |
Jacksonville | 2 | 9 | .182 | 0 | 208 | 316 |
2024 AFC East Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo | 9 | 2 | .818 | 0 | 320 | 214 |
Miami | 4 | 6 | .400 | 0 | 181 | 221 |
New York | 3 | 8 | .273 | 0 | 204 | 242 |
New England | 3 | 8 | .273 | 0 | 182 | 248 |
NFL News
Source: Niners hopeful LT Trent Williams to face Packers
With veteran Brandon Allen set to start at quarterback, the Niners are optimistic that star left tackle Trent Williams will play through his ankle injury Sunday at the Packers, a source told ESPN.
Fantasy football rankings for Week 12: Kicker
Fantasy football rankings from Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates.
Fantasy football rankings Week 12: IDP
Weekly fantasy football draft rankings for IDP leagues from Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Moody.
Fantasy football rankings for Week 12: D/ST
Fantasy football rankings from Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates.
Fantasy football PPR rankings for Week 12: Tight end
Fantasy football rankings from Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Daniel Dopp, Eric Karabell, Liz Loza, Eric Moody and Field Yates.