Bills Central

Veteran CB, much-maligned EDGE headline Bills’ top-5 defenders from Week 15

PFF highlights two unexpected standouts among the Buffalo Bills' highest-rated defenders from their Week 15 win.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White reacts after intercepting a pass against the New England Patriots.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White reacts after intercepting a pass against the New England Patriots. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

It was a team effort for the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 as they fought their way back after the New England Patriots took a 21-0 lead.

Buffalo wound up winning 35-31, improving to 10-4 on the season. More importantly, they ended New England's 10-game winning streak, dropping them to 11-3. That means the Bills are just one game behind them in the AFC East, with three weeks left in the season.

MORE: Bills’ second-year weapon vying for Pro Bowl with league-best stat

While Josh Allen and James Cook are receiving plenty of attention for their performance, this win wouldn't have happened if the defense hadn't put the clamps on during the second half. That's exactly what happened, and there were several unexpected standouts who led the way.

That's evident when looking at the Pro Football Focus grades from Week 15, which had a veteran cornerback and much-maligned defensive end leading the way.

Tre'Davious White had his best game of the season

With Christian Benford out, the Bills needed Tre'Davious White to step up, and that's exactly what he did. White finished with a team-high grade of 91.9 after recording two tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass defenses, and an interception.

MORE: Kicker injury places Buffalo Bills in tough spot for Week 16 vs. Cleveland Browns

One of White's pass defenses took points off the board as well as he hit the ball out of the hands of Mack Hollins, who had a potential touchdown grab if not for White.

His 91.9 grade was far and away the best score for Buffalo's defense, followed by Greg Rousseau, who earned a 78.0. Rousseau has been criticized for his quiet campaign, especially since he signed a four-year, $80 million extension this offseason.

Matt Milano picked right time for throwback game

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano reacts after a sack against the New England Patriots.
Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano reacts after a sack against the New England Patriots. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Another standout in this game was Matt Milano, who had 10 tackles and two sacks. It was his best game of the season, and it came at the perfect time for Buffalo. PFF gave him a 76.4, good enough for third on the team.

Rounding out the top five is cornerback Taron Johnson and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones who had a 72.7 and 67.3 respectively.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

More Buffalo Bills News:

Published
Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

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