Bills Central

4 winners & 2 losers in Bills hard-fought victory over Saints in Week 4

Here's who stood out for the Buffalo Bills as they improved to 4-0 during a hard-fought game against the New Orleans Saints.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills RB James Cook celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter against New Orleans at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills RB James Cook celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter against New Orleans at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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It was a tougher game than expected as the New Orleans Saints gave the Buffalo Bills everything they had. They even cut the lead to 21-19 in the fourth quarter, but then Josh Allen took over and made sure his team improved to 4-0 on the season.

Despite not playing up to their potential, the Bills still managed to score more than 30 points for the fourth game this season. Now, they'll turn their attention to the New England Patriots, who they host for Sunday Night Football in Week 5.

RELATED: James Cook just bulldozed his way into Bills' history with Week 4 touchdown

Before we turn our attention to that game, there's plenty to break down from this one. Including a look at who stood out as winners and losers against New Orleans.

Winner: Khalil Shakir, Wide Receiver

Buffalo Bills WR Khalil Shakir runs for a gain during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills WR Khalil Shakir runs for a gain during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Josh Allen said earlier this week that his team didn't need to take deep shots to win games, and we saw why on the opening drive. Buffalo scored on a seven-play, 79-yard drive, which was capped off by a 43-yard touchdown from Khalil Shakir. The wideout took a screen pass from Allen, broke a tackle near the first-down marker, and was off to the races for the score.

Shakir ended the game with 69 yards on five receptions, leading the team in both categories.

Loser: Ryan Van Demark, Offensive Tackle

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

With Spencer Brown out, the Bills had to turn to Ryan Van Demark, who made just his third career start. He had some issues in this one, especially against Cameron Jordan, who beat him for a sack on second down late in the second quarter.

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Jordan's sack made it third-and-17, and the Bills' drive fell apart. Dion Dawkins was flagged on the next play for a false start, but the entire line seemed to move. They lost another nine yards when Allen was sacked on third down. That drive falling apart wasn't all on Van Demark, but it started when he was beaten by Jordan.

Van Demark had another gaffe in the third quarter when he tripped on a fourth-and-one. His slip-up kept him from blocking Carl Granderson, who blew up the play for a loss, giving the Saints the ball back in a close game.

Winner: Cole Bishop, Safety

Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop intercepts a pass intended for New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Clinging to a 14-10 lead with the half winding down, the Bills were in danger of going into intermission trailing the Saints. New Orleans moved the ball to the Buffalo five-yard line, but went for a trick play.

The Philly Special was the call, and it almost worked. Wide receiver Chris Olave threw it for quarterback Spencer Rattler, but safety Cole Bishop made an acrobatic play to record his first career interception, wiping points off the board.

Loser: Bobby Babich, Defensive Coordinator

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich on the field during training camp at St. John Fisher University.
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich on the field during training camp at St. John Fisher University. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Buffalo's defense struggled in this one, giving up 189 yards on the ground, getting pushed around, and also struggling with communication

That was evident when they were forced to use their second timeout of the half before the third quarter ended on a two-point conversion. Buffalo had just 10 men on the field, and while they made the stop after the timeout, they should have been more prepared. Buffalo got the win, but defensive coordinator Bobby Babich has to be frustrated with the showing.

Winner: James Cook, Running Back

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook runs for a gain past New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom.
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook runs for a gain past New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

On just the second drive of the game, James Cook made history. The fourth-year running back scored on a one-yard touchdown, which gave him a franchise-record eighth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown.

Cook also topped the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive game, finishing with 117 yards on 22 attempts. He's the first player since Thurman Thomas in 1991 to accomplish this for the Bills, which is another feather in his cap.

Winner: Josh Allen, Quarterback

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen throws downfield during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen throws downfield during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Just when it looked as though the Saints were catching up, Josh Allen reminded us all why he's the reigning NFL MVP.

Allen led the Bills' offense on a four-play 60-yard drive to close out the game. He showed off his legs with a 27-yard run to get the fans on their feet. The very next play, he connected with Dalton Kincaid open for the 28-yard touchdown.

He finished with 209 passing yards and 45 yards rushing with three total touchdowns. It wasn't their best game, but Allen and the Buffalo offense still dropped 31.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.