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Well Buffalo Rumblers, the Bills took Week 1 by the horns, tossing aside the Arizona Cardinals to exit their 2024 NFL season home opener with a 34-28 victory. It was rarely pretty in the early going, though Buffalo found its rhythm just before the second quarter ended. The Bills’ offense capitalized on the football double-dip, scoring touchdowns on either side of the halftime break to serve as the catalyst in winning a game they trailed 17-3.
So though many may have been concerned at the outset, especially for the work by first-time defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and a re-worked defense, Josh Allen and the Bills came to life when it mattered most.
Not without its heart-stopping moments, Allen came up injured following his second rushing touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter. Additionally, a cast of unlikely heroes was asked to clamp down on late-game heroics by quarterback Kyler Murray who once again tried to pull off a miracle “Hail Murray.” Thankfully, Allen’s injury to his left hand won’t keep him out of the Week 2 matchup versus the Miami Dolphins, and defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram (subbing in for an injured nickel cornerback Taron Johnson) denied “Hail Murray, Part Deux.”
Unfortunately, that final game-saving play by Ingram was necessary thanks in large part to special teams giving up a touchdown return off a short kickoff by Tyler Bass. The Bills became the first NFL team to surrender a touchdown within the constructs of the reformulated kickoff rules. The trouble didn’t end there, with a kick going out of bounds before the end zone. The bulk of special teams kickoff trouble came when Bass was forced to kick directly into a driving wind in the fourth quarter.
Encouragingly, rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman led all Bills receivers in catches, targets, receptions, and yards — and his final stat line of four catches for 51 yards thoroughly outpaced Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr.’s one catch for four yards.
In considering all that unfolded for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, how confident are you in the direction of team heading into a Week 2 showdown with the Miami Dolphins? Vote now!