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QuarterbacksÌý- C-

Tyrod Taylor wasn't great, but he didn't need to be. The Bills had success running the ball and Taylor's arm wasn't needed. He had 119 passing yards and added 76 yards on the ground. He did throw an interception on a deep pass intended for Marquise Goodwin. 

Sammy Watkins didn't play, but that shouldn't matter. The Bills have some good weapons, whether it's Charles Clay or Robert Woods. Taylor needs to get those guys involved in the pass attack. 

Running backsÌý- A

LeSean McCoy rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns. His 24-yard touchdown run in the first half was a great play design and he had some good blocking along the way. The Bills can take pressure off Taylor by getting McCoy going. McCoy should get a decent amount of touches going forward.

Taylor had 76 rushing yards, including 49 on one play. He scored on a 20-yard run in the third quarter. The Bills' rushing attack was absent in the first two games. That wasn't the case Sunday under new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. 

ReceiversÌý- D

The Bills' receiving corps missed Sammy Watkins. Robert Woods led the way with six catches for 51 yards and Walter Powell had three catches for 28 yards. 

Tight end Charles Clay didn't register a catch. Marquise Goodwin had one catch for 6 yards. LeSean McCoy had three receptions, but only 6 yards. 

If Watkins misses any length of time, the Bills will need a receiver to step up. Is that Woods? Is it Powell? The passing attack needs to be better than it was Sunday. 

Offensive lineÌý- B-

This grade would be better, but Taylor was sacked four times. Not all of those sacks were on the offensive line. Still, though, you want to keep the quarterback upright. 

The run blocking was great Sunday, mainly in the first three quarters. McCoy was able to find room to run and that's mainly due to the line in front of him. The aforementioned 24-yard touchdown run was a good example of that. McCoy had a big hole and wasn't touched on his way to the end zone. 

DEFENSE

Defensive lineÌý- A-

The Bills' defensive line will get minus for the Cardinals being able to average 5 yards per run. That's one of the only knocks against this unit, though. 

The Bills had five sacks Sunday. Jerry Hughes registered two tackles and a sack. He also had two quarterback hits. Kyle Williams had a great game with four tackles and a sack. 

LinebackersÌý- A

The inside linebackers had good games. Zach Brown led the Bills with 12 tackles (10 solo). Preston Brown had five tackles (four solo) and a tackle for a loss. 

On the outside, Lorenzo Alexander continues to shine. He had six tackles (four solo) and 1.5 sacks. Alexander now has three sacks in the Bills' first three games this season. With Shaq Lawson out of action, Alexander's performance should make Rex Ryan smile. 

Defensive backsÌý- A

The secondary bounced back after a terrible game against the New York Jets with a masterpiece against the Cardinals. Carson Palmer couldn't get anything going. 

Corey White, who filled in for the injured Ronald Darby, had nine tackles (eight solo) and an interception to clinch the win for the Bills. White did a nice job against the Cardinals' receivers. He didn't allow any big plays and came up big late in the game. 

Stephon Gilmore was one of the Bills' top performers. He had four passes defended and two interception. He added three tackles (two solo). After struggling against the Jets, this was a nice showing. He seemed to be all over the field. 

Corey Graham had a great all-around effort. He had four tackles (four solo) and a sack. He also had three passes defended and an interception. He was quiet in the Bills' first two games this season. That wasn't the case against the Cardinals. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicking and puntingÌý- B

Dan Carpenter converted both his field goal attempts, but did miss one of his four extra point tries. Why he continues to kick those extra points from the right or left hash is something that should be addressed. Some of these extra points he misses wouldn't be misses if he kicked from the center of the field. 

Colton Schmidt didn't have a great day punting the ball. He had five punts for 178 yards — a 35.6 yards per punt average. He did have one punt land inside the 20. 

Returns and coverageÌý- A

Brandon Tate continued to show he can be a weapon in the return game. He had a 20-yard kickoff return and a 31-yard punt return in this game. The Bills scored a touchdown when the Cardinals botched the snap on a field goal attempt. Aaron Williams scooped up the loose ball and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. 

COACHING

Grade: B+

Overall, a solid coaching effort by Rex Ryan's staff. The defense was ready to make Carson Palmer's life miserable and the offense under new coordinator Anthony Lynn got the job done. 

The only criticism: Lynn needs to figure out a way to get the pass attack going. That wasn't consistent Sunday. Hopefully that changes in the weeks to come. 

OVERALL TEAM PERFORMANCE

Grade: A-

There were a lot of good things in this game. It was a good effort for a team that many had already written off this season. Tyrod Taylor did enough to get the win. LeSean McCoy was a factor. And the Bills defense forced turnovers. 

The defense deserves a lot of credit. After a terrible performance against the Jets, the unit came in against one of the NFL's better teams and shut them down for most of the game. 

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

OFFENSE:ÌýLeSean McCoy. McCoy had 17 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three catches for 6 yards. McCoy's 24-yard touchdown run was one of the highlights of the game. 

DEFENSE:ÌýStephon Gilmore. Gilmore didn't have a good game against the Jets. That was probably one of the worst games of his career. But he showed up on Sunday. He had two interceptions, three tackles (two solo) and four passes defended in the win. 

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Third down defense. One of the Bills' weaknesses has been third down defense. It doesn't help when you commit penalties after making a big stop. It also doesn't help when you decide to only rush three against a team with plenty of firepower. The Bills have to get their third down defense squared away. And the team has to be more disciplined in those situations. 

STAT OF THE GAME

5. The number of takeaways the Bills had Sunday against the Cardinals. The Bills scored on a 53-yard fumble return by Aaron Williams. Stephon Gilmore had two interceptions and Corey Graham and Corey White each had one in the victory. 

STAT OF THE GAME II

10. The number of sacks the Bills have registered in the first three games. Lorenzo Alexander and Jerry Hughes have been getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback from the outside. A healthy Kyle Williams in the middle helps, too. 

NEXT GAME

The Bills (1-2) will play at 1 p.m. Sunday against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS.