Bills vs. Saints Rapid Reaction: Takeaways from Buffalo Bills' Week 4 win over Saints

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Bills came away with a hard-fought 31-19 win over the New Orleans Saints to improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 2020 season.

Buffalo was in danger of falling behind to end the first half, but a highlight-reel interception recorded by Cole Bishop helped thwart a Saints’ scoring chance and send the Bills into the halftime break with a 14-10 lead. Buffalo then held the line -- and even pushed it a bit -- throughout the second half to earn the victory.

Let’s dive into a rapid reaction from the Bills’ Week 4 victory, beginning with Bishop’s game-changing play:

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback Quincy Riley (29) and safety Jonas Sanker (33) during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Cole Bishop Stops Saints

Bishop’s takeaway came on an incredible one-handed grab inside the red zone, as the Saints tried a wide-receiver-reverse pass from WR Chris Olave, only for the Bills’ second-year safety to climb the ladder and take it away. It was the first career interception for Bishop, who finished the first half with the team lead in tackles (4).

The University of Utah product battled through a slow start to his career in his rookie year, as a preseason injury thwarted his opportunity to lock down a contributing role. After losing the competition for a starting role to Damar Hamlin a season ago, Bishop won the job out of training camp and has performed admirably through his first four starts of the season, recording 14 tackles and a sack entering Week 4.

Allen Goes God Mode

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs in the pocket during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

With the Bills reeling after the Saints converted a field goal to cut the deficit to two, Josh Allen took matters into his own hands. Allen recorded a tough 27-yard run before tossing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid on the ensuing drive to help the Bills respond and regain a two-possession lead.

It wasn’t Allen’s best performance, as he recorded his first interception of the season while finishing 6 of 22 passing for 209 yards and two passing touchdowns. He added seven carries for 45 yards and a rushing score. But at the end of the day, he got it done when things mattered most and helped guide Buffalo to its fourth straight win to start the season.

Rough Day Defensively

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Dorian Strong (43) during the third quarter bat Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Bills’ defense on Sunday, as New Orleans’ strong performance started to open their first offensive possession, which traveled 69 yards on seven plays, finishing with an 18-yard touchdown run from Saints running back Kendre Miller. It was the first opening-drive touchdown scored by the Saints in their last nine games, as New Orleans averaged 9.1 yards per play en route to the end zone.

The scoring run was one of many examples of poor tackling mechanics exhibited by the Bills, with nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, safety Taylor Rapp, and cornerback Tre’Davious White letting Miller slip out of their grasp on his way to cashing the touchdown. Buffalo entered the game allowing the most yards rushing per game in the league (156) and allowed 117 yards rushing in the first half alone on Sunday.

The Saints’ first eight drives either traveled across midfield or started in the Bills’ territory. It was an abysmal performance from the Bills’ defense, which allowed New Orleans to finish the game with 299 yards of total offense, including 189 yards rushing. Buffalo has plenty of questions to answer defensively heading into a Week 5 matchup with the New England Patriots.

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) and outside linebacker Shaq Thompson (45) celebrate after intercepting a pass intended for New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

YAC God

The Bills got off to a strong start against the Saints, with Khalil Shakir recording an incredible 43-yard run and catch for a touchdown on Buffalo’s opening drive. It was a great example of what makes Shakir such a special wide receiver, as he was contacted near where he caught the ball, only to bounce off tacklers and rumble his way to the end zone.

The Bills' wide receiver recorded 35.3 yards after catch over expected (YACOE) en route to the end zone. With Shakir’s score, the Bills have recorded an opening-drive touchdown in every game this season. He finished the day with five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Workhorse

Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs for a gain past New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

James Cook put forth another Herculean effort on Sunday, recording his third straight game with 100 yards rushing, becoming the first Bills running back to record such a streak since Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas.

Cook accounted for the first 19 carries recorded by Bills RBs on Sunday, proving that he has transformed into the bell-cow that he had hoped to be when he signed a lucrative contract extension this offseason. Cook finished the game with 22 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, and added three receptions for 45 yards.

It was Cook’s eighth straight game with a rushing score, which is a Bills’ franchise record. He now has 21 touchdowns rushing since the start of the 2024 season, which is the most in the NFL.

No Brown, Kind Of A Problem

Spencer Brown was declared inactive leading into Sunday’s game, which forced Ryan VanDemark into the starting lineup. And things did not go well.

VanDemark was beaten with regularity, allowing a couple of sacks on the day. Another instance in which VanDemark allowed his man to create pressure, it nearly resulted in an interception.

If anyone needed any further proof of just how much Brown means to this offense, look no further than the game tape from Sunday’s game. The Bills had allowed just four sacks in the first three games of the season and allowed a total of three in Sunday’s game alone.

A Rookie Rising

Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker (96) looks on after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Deone Walker continued his strong start to his rookie season, as the Bills’ first-year defensive tackle recorded a couple of strong run stops during an otherwise forgettable performance from Buffalo’s run support. The Bills’ defensive line as a whole has left a bit to be desired this season, but Walker has shown many flashes of brilliance in his rookie season.

Rotation At CB

Tre’Davious White once again earned the start at cornerback opposite Christian Benford and offered mixed results while also rotating with rookie CB Dorian Strong throughout Sunday’s contest. Strong was on the field for Buffalo’s second defensive series and New Orleans’ second possession of the second half.

The rotation is something the Bills have employed before, doing so with Benford during his rookie season. And we all see how that turned out. White was beaten in coverage a few times on Sunday, but also came up with a big fourth-down stop to help the Bills seal the deal in the fourth quarter. It will be interesting to see how things continue to play out at the position as the season progresses.

Shifting Return Duties

The Bills decided to leave punt and kick returner Brandon Codrington inactive for Sunday’s game, which left Shakir to take over the punt return duties and Curtis Samuel, who was active for the first time this season, to join Ty Johnson on kick returns. Samuel took the lion’s share of kick returns, finishing with three returns for 82 yards, with a long of 31 yards.

With Codrington being limited in terms of his abilities, the Bills decided to go with the more versatile Samuel, who also recorded one reception for nine yards. Codrington being inactive doesn’t bode well for his chances of remaining on the active roster with Buffalo set to have a few players return from injury and suspension in the coming weeks.

Penalties A Problem

The Bills didn’t do themselves any favors during Sunday’s game, finishing with 11 penalties for 55 yards. Buffalo entered the game tied for the fewest penalties in the league with 14, with the matchup against New Orleans proving to be out of character for a typically disciplined team.