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Cooper scores in his Bills debut and Allen shakes off a sluggish start in 34-10 rout of Titans
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) It didn’t take Amari Cooper long to get the hang of Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills' offense - even when the quarterback was changing plays at the line of scrimmage.
Five days after arriving in Buffalo following a trade with Cleveland, Cooper turned his first catch in his Bills debut into a go-ahead touchdown of a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Turns out, limited practice time was enough for the 10th-year veteran to get a handle on Buffalo’s vast playbook. Cooper said he understood his role in adjusting at the line of scrimmage by running an in-route with Allen hitting him open in the middle for a 12-yard TD to put Buffalo up 14-10 on its opening possession of the second half.
“We had an alert on the play built in, predicated on if we got a specific look,” said Cooper, who motioned to fellow receiver Keon Coleman to confirm the play. “We got the look that we wanted, we checked to it, and it worked just like it did in practice.”
Cooper finished with four catches for 66 yards on 18 offensive snaps. And his mere presence played a role in opening space for Buffalo’s other receivers who had previously struggled to get open.
“Any time you have a player of his caliber, he demands extra attention. If you don’t, we’re probably going to throw him the ball,” Allen said of Cooper. “But our guys did a good job of getting open, making plays.”
Coleman became Buffalo’s first receiver this season to top 100 yards with 125 on four catches.
Allen celebrated his 100th career start with his 26th 300-yard outing while finishing 21 of 33 for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He improved to 68-32 as a starter, matching four players - Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers - for the sixth-most wins in a quarterback’s first 100 starts.
Allen overcame a sluggish first half in which he went 4 of 11 for 65 yards, and also completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson. James Cook and Ray Davis rounded out the rout with touchdown runs in an outing the AFC East-leading Bills (5-2) overcame a 10-0 deficit.
The Titans continued their freefall in dropping to 1-5 - their worst start to a season since opening 2015 at 1-6. And a change in quarterback didn’t help an offense that entered the weekend ranking among the worst in the NFL in numerous categories, including scoring. They have failed to top 17 points for the fifth time this season.
Backup Mason Rudolph got the start with Will Levis bothered by an injury to his right throwing shoulder.
In listing Levis as week to week, coach Brian Callahan said he made the decision to go with Rudolph after practice on Friday.
“The injury is real. He tried to fight through it. I appreciate the toughness and willingness,” Callahan said.
As for the loss, Callahan said it mirrored an offense that has spent much of the season having difficulty scoring in the second half.
“We went backwards on offense. We had penalties, we had a million issues, quarterback hits, all those things. Not good enough,” Callahan said. “We didn’t do a good enough job to do anything in the second half worthwhile. It’s frustrating. Got to find an answer.”
The Titans started strong with Rudolph’s 4-yard TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Nick Folk’s 25-yard field goal giving them a 10-0 lead before they were shut out on their final eight drives.
Rudolph finished 25 of 40 for 215 yards with a touchdown, interception and lost fumble.
Buffalo blew the game open by scoring three touchdowns and two field goals on its five second-half possessions.
The game turned in the opening moments of the second half, when Buffalo’s defense forced the Titans to turn the ball over on downs. On third-and-1 at Buffalo’s 45, Tony Pollard took a direct snap and was stopped for a 1-yard loss while attempting to dive over the middle. On the next play, rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and safety Taylor Rapp combined to stuff Pollard for a 3-yard loss.
Cooper scored six plays later.
Cooper’s debut introduced a new cheer from the hometown fans, with “Cooooop!” echoing through the stadium after each catch. The only one the 30-year-old failed to bring in was actually a drop after he bobbled Allen’s swing pass to the left sideline that appeared to bounce off his helmet and nose on third-and-1 to end Buffalo’s opening possession.
“It seems like a different 'Coop’ chant every single time,” said Cooper of a chant dating to his college days at Alabama. “Just grateful, appreciative, there was something special about the one today though.”
Titans: OL Jaelyn Duncan, starting in place of Leroy Watson, did not return after hurting his hamstring.
Bills: WR Curtis Samuel was ruled out after hurting his shoulder in the first quarter. ... LB Terrel Bernard didn’t return after hurting his ankle in the third quarter.
Titans: Play at the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Bills: Play at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
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Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
Time of Pos | 32:46 | 27:14 |
1st Downs | 18 | 18 |
Rushing | 2 | 3 |
Passing | 13 | 14 |
Penalty | 3 | 1 |
3rd Down Conv | 6-16 | 3-10 |
4th Down Conv | 1-2 | 0-0 |
Total Net Yards | 289 | 389 |
Total Plays | 67 | 54 |
Avg Gain | 4.3 | 7.2 |
Net Yards Rushing | 89 | 74 |
Rush Attempts | 24 | 20 |
Avg Rush Yards | 3.7 | 3.7 |
Net Yards Passing | 200 | 315 |
Comp. - Att. | 25-40 | 21-33 |
Yards Per Pass | 4.7 | 9.3 |
Penalties - Yards | 8-52 | 5-40 |
Touchdowns | 1 | 4 |
Rushing TDs | 0 | 2 |
Passing TDs | 1 | 2 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
Fumbles - Lost | 4-1 | 1-0 |
Int. Thrown | 1 | 0 |
Punts - Avg | 5-53.2 | 5-39.4 |
Return Yards | 63 | 83 |
Punts - Returns | 2-8 | 5-56 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 2-55 | 1-27 |
Int. - Returns | 0-0 | 1-0 |
Red Zone Eff. | 1-3 -33% | 4-6 -67% |
Goal to Go Eff. | 0-0 -0% | 1-1 -100% |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | FPTS |
M. Rudolph
11 QB
11 FPTS
|
M. Rudolph | 25/40 | 215 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
T. Pollard
20 RB
8 FPTS
|
T. Pollard | 16 | 61 | 0 | 14 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Chestnut
36 RB
2 FPTS
|
J. Chestnut | 3 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Rudolph
11 QB
11 FPTS
|
M. Rudolph | 5 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
C. Okonkwo
85 TE
9 FPTS
|
C. Okonkwo | 4 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 26 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Boyd
83 WR
9 FPTS
|
T. Boyd | 5 | 5 | 43 | 0 | 12 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Ridley
0 WR
7 FPTS
|
C. Ridley | 9 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 33 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Whyle
81 TE
6 FPTS
|
J. Whyle | 4 | 3 | 34 | 0 | 12 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
N. Vannett
84 TE
6 FPTS
|
N. Vannett | 4 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
N. Westbrook-Ikhine
15 WR
9 FPTS
|
N. Westbrook-Ikhine | 4 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Chestnut
36 RB
2 FPTS
|
J. Chestnut | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Pollard
20 RB
8 FPTS
|
T. Pollard | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Hopkins
10 WR
1 FPTS
|
D. Hopkins | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT | FF |
J. Brownlee Jr.
29 DB
|
J. Brownlee Jr. | 5-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Baker Jr.
39 CB
|
D. Baker Jr. | 5-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. Jones
53 LB
|
E. Jones | 5-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Murray
56 LB
|
K. Murray | 4-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Gifford
57 LB
|
L. Gifford | 4-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Q. Diggs
28 S
|
Q. Diggs | 4-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Hooker
37 SAF
|
A. Hooker | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Key
49 LB
|
A. Key | 2-0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Harrell
92 LB
|
J. Harrell | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Okonkwo
85 TE
|
C. Okonkwo | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Sweat
93 DT
|
T. Sweat | 1-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Cox
46 LS
|
M. Cox | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Gaye
59 LB
|
A. Gaye | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
H. Landry
58 LB
|
H. Landry | 1-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Westbrook-Ikhine
15 WR
|
N. Westbrook-Ikhine | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Gibbens
50 LB
|
J. Gibbens | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Simmons
98 DT
|
J. Simmons | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Lynch
97 DT
|
J. Lynch | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Brown
44 DB
|
M. Brown | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Joseph-Day
69 DT
|
S. Joseph-Day | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
N. Folk
6 K
4 FPTS
|
N. Folk | 1/1 | 25 | 1/1 | 4 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
R. Stonehouse
4 P
|
R. Stonehouse | 5 | 53.2 | 0 | 62 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
J. Jackson
19 WR
0 FPTS
|
J. Jackson | 2 | 27.5 | 34 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
J. Jackson 19 WR
0 FPTS
|
J. Jackson | 2 | 4.0 | 8 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | FPTS |
J. Allen
17 QB
24 FPTS
|
J. Allen | 21/33 | 323 | 2 | 0 | 24 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
K. Coleman
0 WR
16 FPTS
|
K. Coleman | 7 | 4 | 125 | 0 | 57 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Cooper
2 WR
16 FPTS
|
A. Cooper | 5 | 4 | 66 | 1 | 27 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Shakir
10 WR
13 FPTS
|
K. Shakir | 7 | 7 | 65 | 0 | 20 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Kincaid
86 TE
8 FPTS
|
D. Kincaid | 6 | 3 | 52 | 0 | 25 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
R. Davis
22 RB
11 FPTS
|
R. Davis | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Knox
88 TE
1 FPTS
|
D. Knox | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Johnson
26 RB
7 FPTS
|
T. Johnson | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Hollins
13 WR
0 FPTS
|
M. Hollins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Samuel
1 WR
0 FPTS
|
C. Samuel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT | FF |
T. Bernard
43 LB
|
T. Bernard | 6-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Williams
42 LB
|
D. Williams | 6-4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Rapp
9 FS
|