Bills to watch in Cardinals’ Week 1 game vs. Buffalo

TEMPE — The Buffalo Bills enter their Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals looking quite different without star wide receiver Stefon Diggs and the safety duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde no longer on the depth chart.

Buffalo, however, remains firmly in the contender conversation behind a coaching staff led by head coach Sean McDermott and a high-caliber roster that has since been reloaded to complement Buffalo’s returning playmakers.

A look at the big names to watch in the Cardinals’ Week 1 matchup against the Bills, beginning at the very top:

Josh Allen, QB

There’s not much Bills quarterback Josh Allen can’t do. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound signal caller can beat you in all areas.

Since 2020, Allen has thrown for at least 4,283 yards and 29 touchdowns on 65.5% passing. That included three straight seasons of at least 35 scores or more. His passer rating hasn’t dipped below 92.2 since 2019.

He’s also coming off a career-best 15 rushing touchdowns to go with 524 yards on 111 carries. If Allen finds a lane, he’s taking it. And for a bigger signal caller, the QB has some speed in the open field.

.@JoshAllenQB turned on the BURNERS for the 52-yard rushing TD 🗣️

📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/WUzjBV8d99

— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024

There are similarities and differences to Kyler Murray that he himself noted.

“Josh (and I are) similar in abilities of being able to run, throw and do it all in that sense,” Murray said Wednesday. “He’s probably eight inches taller than me. He’s a dog, though. A dog. A great player, great quarterback. Obviously (he’s) done a lot of great things in this league.

“We’re both striving to win the Super Bowl, though, so I look forward to being able to compete against him. Obviously have done it once. Know he’s going to bring his best game, so we’ve got to do the same.”

The big thing with Allen is his ability, though, is his ability to avoid going down.

A ton of credit goes to an offensive line that brings a lot of the same faces to the starting lineup in 2024, but Allen has a knack to stay upright. Among starting quarterbacks, the signal caller was sacked a league-low 24 times.

That total marked the lowest in his career and the third 20-sack season in a four-year span.

“That’s partly because of his O-line. They played with each other I think the whole year, continuity there,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday. “They’re good, they’re well-coached and then when you do get in the backfield a little bit, he’s got the ability extend plays, make you miss, run away from you, run through you.

“We just have to be on it. That’s knowing your opponent. That’s going to be a big-time challenge for us, so we have to do it well if we’re going to win the game.”

For the Cardinals, it’s going to be all about keeping him as contained in the pocket as possible. If Allen can get out and create in chaos, whether that’s with his arm or his legs, that’s when he causes the most headaches.

He’s not without his misfires, though. In all but three games last season, Allen threw an interception, totaling 18 on the year. That was the second-highest mark in the NFL behind only Sam Howell (21).

Capitalizing on his miscues is going to be huge if the Cardinals want to have a shot at the upset.

James Cook, RB

After playing third fiddle in Buffalo’s rushing attack to Allen and former Bill Devin Singletary as a rookie, Cook got his feature-back moment in 2023. He didn’t disappoint, either, amassing 1,122 yards (fourth most in the NFL) and a pair of touchdowns on 237 carries.

Cook added another 445 yards and four scores on 44 catches (54 targets).

He certainly lived up to the Cook name last year, providing that similar spark his older brother Dalvin brought to the league.

“Little Cook. I like him, I like him a lot. I remember playing his brother in 2020-21 and he was doing a lot of good things against us,” safety Budda Baker said Thursday. “He’s a great running back. A running back that can between the tackles and run outside the tackles as well. They like to scat him a lot as well.

“He’s a Jack-of-all-trades running back. … Very excited to go against him and see what he’s got, because he’s got a lot of juice on film. Never gone against him.”

Cook isn’t going to find the end zone at nearly the same clip as Allen, but he’s plenty capable of punishing an Arizona run defense that was one of the worst in the NFL last year.

Dalton Kincaid, TE

Someone’s gotta step into the targets left behind by Diggs and fellow pass catcher Gabe Davis. Could that someone be second-year pro Dalton Kincaid?

The tight end posted a strong rookie season behind 673 yards and two touchdowns on 73 catches. Only Diggs and Davis posted more yards than Kincaid last year.

He’s not the only tight end to worry about, either, with Dawson Knox another option Buffalo intends to utilize on game day.

“(Kincaid’s) a really good player. You could tell they wanted to get him the ball last year,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said Tuesday. “You assume they’re going to do it again because he’s a really good threat in the receiving game and he’ll get in there and block. I think the tight end room in general is a really good tight end room.”

Keon Coleman, WR

Coleman joined the Bills this past NFL Draft as a second-round pick out of Florida State.

The 6-foot-4 pass catcher is expected to help fill the void left behind by Diggs and Davis after catching 11 touchdowns in his final collegiate year.

There are bound to be rookie mistakes that the Cardinals secondary could potentially capitalize on, but it sounds — and looks — like Coleman is going to be an important part to the offense moving forward.

What. A. Catch. 😱@JoshAllenQB | @KeonColeman6 | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/ia2VfnMCsZ

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 4, 2024

Ed Oliver, DT

Ok, enough about the offense. On the other side, defensive lineman Ed Oliver presents a tough challenge for Arizona’s offensive line on Sunday.

With Leonard Floyd and his 10.5 sacks from 2023 now in San Francisco, Oliver is Buffalo’s premium weapon up front. He’s also coming off a career-best 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 16 QB hits and 65 total pressures last year.

Oliver is now tasked with helping lead a new-look Buffalo defense that ranked fourth in sacks (54) and second in total takeaways (30) last year.

“They’re very well coached and don’t give up a lot of big plays,” Murray said Wednesday. “(The) front’s very good. They’re going to do what they do. Obviously, the back end is different guys, but I think the coaching and the rapport that the guys have I think that’ll take over.

“I don’t really expect to see any difference. I’m going out there expecting the best Bills defense that we’re going to get so yeah, I’ll be prepared.”

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