NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 12 PFF ReFocused: Buffalo Bills 20, Denver Broncos 3

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills beat the visiting Denver Broncos, 20-3, to improve to 8-3 on the season.

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PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

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Final Score

Buffalo Bills 20, Denver Broncos 3

Buffalo Bills

Rookie defensive interior Ed Oliver had been pretty quiet all season long but has turned it on in recent weeks. Oliver notched multiple sacks for the first time in his young career and now has sacks in back-to-back games.

Cornerback Tre'Davious White continues to be one of the best cover players in the NFL, as breakout wide receiver Courtland Sutton was completely shut down all game. Targeted seven times, White allowed just one catch while intercepting one and breaking up two others. He very likely could have had multiple interceptions, as he dropped a would-be pick-six late in the game.

Second-year quarterback Josh Allen didn't need to do much except just not make egregious mistakes. He did throw an interception, but the quarterback on the other side was substantially worse. Allen made some plays with his legs per usual and had some unfortunate drop luck, but the gunslinger did enough to pull out the win.

While the Bills' offense lacked much of fireworks outside of a deep touchdown pass from Allen to John Brown, the game did have a career milestone. Frank Gore passed Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in career rushing yards. Gore has been the epitome of consistency and reliability in the NFL, as he's averaged 4.3 yards per carry in his career and finished the game with 4.3 yards per carry.

Denver Broncos

The Brandon Allen experiment looks to have hit rock bottom, as the Broncos quarterback struggled with his accuracy and dissecting the defense all game long. He failed to eclipse 100 yards passing and took four sacks. GM John Elway is likely looking forward to seeing his second-round pick out of Missouri to see the field as soon as he is healthy.

Rookie first-round pick Noah Fant had a forgettable day. He caught just three passes for 14 yards and logged one drop while struggling mightily in pass protection. Fant has had a rough rookie season, but the position is one of the most difficult in the NFL for rookies.

Veteran cornerback Chris Harris Jr. rarely gets beat in coverage and even more rarely gives up touchdown passes. Coming into the game, Harris Jr. had given up just 17 touchdowns in his career, but he allowed another to John Brown on a slant and go. Josh Allen largely avoided Harris Jr. all game long outside that pass.

Von Miller is in the midst of a down year after consistently grading as one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. He, however, had one of his better games of the season abusing rookie right tackle Cody Ford. He notched his seventh sack of the season while tallying multiple pressures.

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