Bills Replacements Rise in Blowout of Steelers: Opportunity (No) Knox
One of the rare tough realities of Buffalo Bills football in the 2020s is that it's a bit difficult to win the MVP award: when one of the team's star attractions has fallen or moved on elsewhere, another has been ready to take his place.
The Bills' depth stars came to play for the Bills on Sunday, helping build a final margin of 38-3. It's the Bills' sixth margin of victory of at least 30 points in the Josh Allen era (since 2018) and their third in the last two campaigns.
Though well-favored against a Pittsburgh Steelers team granting Kenny Pickett his first start under center, Buffalo (4-1) was still missing some fan favorites upon its return to Western New York airspace. They already knew that tight end star Dawson Knox (foot/hamstring) would be unavailable, but faced an unpleasant Sunday surprise when Isaiah McKenzie (concussion protocol) was part of the scratch list. With their departures, the Bills were missing four of their top seven aerial yard-gainers, combining that with Jake Kumerow out again and Jamison Crowder on injured reserve, both due to ankle issues.
No Knox, No McKenzie, ... no problem for a Bills team that's back to the height of its offensive powers.
Allen built a jaw-dropping 324-yard tally in the first half with heroes of Buffalo preseasons past. The usual suspects were, of course, on hand: Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs united for 273 yards and three scores, after all. But the undiscovered parts of the depth chart rose to the occasion.
Fresh off a crucial footnote in last week's comeback victory, Khalil Shakir knocked another first off his professional bucket list. This effort was perhaps far less celebated ... by then victory was all but assured this time around ... but Shakir scored his first NFL touchdown in the final stages of a first half that saw Buffalo lead 31-3.
So routine, so expected was Shakir's expected rise into the starting lineup, primarily working in Crowder's spot in the slot, that he was ready to give his first touchdown ball away. It was Allen that prevented what jokingly became the most sought-after ball in New York after Aaron Judge's 62nd home run was caught.
"I didn't even know what to do. I a lot of guys have planned celebrations," Shakir said with a smile. "I knew I wanted to keep it, but I just threw it. Josh gave it back to me afterward and said 'what are you doing?'"
One of the biggest contributors during the Bills' summer slates, several other preseason regulars also flourished in their extended opportunities. Isaiah Hodgins, partaking in his second regular season game, earned 41 reception on his first four receptions while Knox sub Quintin Morris matched his career total with three receptions and bested his 28-yard total with 39 on Sunday. He might've had his first career score as well if not for a fumble just shy of the goal line.
Head coach Sean McDermott was pleased with the way the reserves stepped, noting that it's a telling sign of coach and protege chemistry.
"“It takes two," McDermott said. "It takes the player and the coach to get ready to go."
Buffalo returns to action next Sunday afternoon, when they face the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season's AFC Divisional playoff classic (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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