Bills avoid disaster after scary injury plus other key takeaways from first half vs. New Orleans Saints
Plenty to clean up heading into the second half.
The Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints game started off hot for both teams, combining for three touchdowns on three drives to start the contest. Josh Allen was on fire through the first quarter, but cooled down a bit as the game progressed, even having his first interception of the season.
As the first half was wrapping up, linebacker Terrel Bernard went down on the field with an injury, with head coach Sean McDermott and the coaching staff rushing the field to check in on him. After missing one play, Bernard returned. The replay showed that defensive tackle Jordan Phillips accidentally stepped on Bernard’s ankle, but Buffalo avoided disaster.
Before the matchup, linebacker Matt Milano had been ruled out, so an injury to Bernard would’ve been devastating. The Bills’ captain, Bernard, made a difference immediately upon reentering the game, getting a tackle on his first play back.
James Cook finds the end zone for a record-breaking score
Another day and more franchise history for running back James Cook.
Cook found the end zone in the first quarter, becoming the only running back in Bills franchise history to have a rushing touchdown in eight straight games. He was elusive in the backfield, making defenders miss left and right.
Cook finished the first half with 13 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, and the team will be looking to lean on him even more in the second half.
Saints’ defense makes life difficult for Allen and company
At one point late in the first half, the Saints’ defense forced the Bills to run 11 plays for negative one yard. While Allen and the offense started hot, they ended the first half ice-cold.
The absence of offensive lineman Spencer Brown cannot be overstated, as Allen was sacked two times in the first half and was forced to scramble out of the pocket to try and make a play out of nothing on more than one occasion.
Saints rookie Jonas Sanker intercepted Allen for the reigning MVP’s first interception after eight straight games without throwing one.
Missed tackles and self-inflicted wounds, but Buffalo is still leading
The Buffalo Bills’ defense didn’t look sharp early, with plenty of missed tackles from across the board. Whether it was due to injury or just to give the defense a breath of new life, at one point, veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White was subbed out in favor of rookie cornerback Dorian Strong.
White had a few costly holding penalties that allowed the Saints to continue drives. After one series, White returned to the game.
Self-inflicted wounds weren’t just limited to missed tackles, as penalties were flying all over the field for Buffalo, totaling six penalties for 25 yards. To end the first half, the Bills Mafia were cheering after Cook had a run for a few yards, and no penalty flag was thrown. It was ugly.
It wasn’t all bad news for the defense, though. Safety Cole Bishop got his first career interception that couldn’t have come at a better time. It was when the Saints were in the red zone and looked to potentially take the lead before half. Bishop leaped in the air for a beautiful interception.
Buffalo has shown struggles with slowing down the run, and the Saints capitalized with over 100 rushing yards in the first half alone. It’ll be a big point of emphasis heading into the second half for the Bills’ defense.
Plenty of football is left to be played, and Buffalo avoided disaster with Bernard. An ugly first half of football, but we’ve seen what the team can do with Allen and company backed up against the wall. At the end of the day, they walk out of the first half with the lead, despite some of the miscues.
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