The Buffalo Bills keep adding new layers to their powerful running game.
In Sunday鈥檚 24-21 victory over the New England Patriots, the Bills trotted out a new personnel grouping for the first time this season.
Running back James Cook lined up with fullback Reggie Gilliam in the backfield, no tight ends on the field, two wide receivers and six offensive linemen.
Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam signals first down after a quarterback sneak to end the game against the Patriots.
Call it 20-plus personnel (the number stands for two running backs and zero tight ends).
How did it work?
On the first play with the grouping, Cook ran 46 yards for a touchdown. How鈥檚 that for drawing up a play in the laboratory?
鈥淚t was a look we were trying to get all week,鈥 Anderson said. 鈥淭hat was what we got, and we executed it to a perfect T, I think.鈥
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The Bills churned out 172 rushing yards on the Patriots, Buffalo鈥檚 third highest total of the season. They improved to ninth in the NFL in rushing yards at 133 per game. But looking at the advanced metrics, which are a better measure, the Bills are even better.
The Bills鈥 rushing attack is fifth best in expected points added, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. EPA measures how well a team performs relative to expectations on a play-by-play basis. The Bills are sixth best running, according to FTN Fantasy鈥檚 DVOA, which ranks every play compared with the strength of the competition and the league average for each game situation.
Once again, the Bills were successful against New England using big personnel. They used Gilliam and Anderson on the field in 20-plus personnel eight times for 83 yards.
The Bills are using a sixth offensive lineman on a league-high 15% of their snaps, according to Buffalo News charting. Last season, the Bills ran it 9.4% of the time.
Bills running back James Cook rushes for a 47-yard touchdown against the Patriots on Sunday.
Anderson and Gilliam did their jobs on Cook鈥檚 long touchdown run. They double-teamed defensive end Keion White and drove him toward the sideline. That helped clear space for a big cut-back lane, which was created by good blocks from guard O鈥機yrus Torrence (blocking a linebacker to seal the outside of the lane) and center Connor McGovern (walling off the defensive tackle to seal the inside of the lane).
鈥淚 think it was big when you鈥檙e able to rely on a little bit on different types of run schemes, different than some things that we鈥檝e been doing,鈥 said offensive coordinator Joe Brady. 鈥淪o (we鈥檙e) continuing to evolve our run game.鈥
The Bills also used Anderson as a puller from his third tackle position 鈥 a rarity this season. Both Anderson and Gilliam led the running back through the hole on a couple successful plays 鈥 an 8-yard run by Ray Davis in the third quarter and an 8-yarder by Cook in the fourth quarter. Gilliam pounded safety Kyle Dugger in the hole on the latter play.
鈥淚t was great to pull until I got cut,鈥 Anderson said of a late-game play in which a defender dove at his legs. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think we were allowed to get cut anymore, but I鈥檓 good.鈥
The Bills also used Gilliam as a true fullback in 21 personnel (two backs, one tight end, five offensive linemen) on nine other plays.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a different mentality our offense is taking,鈥 Gilliam said of the physical approach. 鈥淥bviously, we didn鈥檛 have a lot of 21 personnel in the beginning of the season. We still ran the ball really well. But now it鈥檚 getting a little colder out, guys don鈥檛 want to hit, guys don鈥檛 want to fill their gaps as much. If we can establish the line of scrimmage, then we鈥檙e going to be successful.鈥
Offensive linemen always enjoy asserting their run-blocking power.
鈥淚 love it, and give the tight end and fullback some love,鈥 Torrence said, referring to Anderson and Gilliam. 鈥淭hose guys do a lot of dirty work. I feel like when we鈥檙e out there in big personnel, that鈥檚 one of our most dangerous groups. We鈥檙e dangerous when [quarterback] Josh [Allen] is in shotgun, too. But in big personnel, I feel like we can throw it, we can run it, play action. I feel like we鈥檙e dangerous in that.鈥
Spector goes on IR
The Bills have placed reserve linebacker Baylon Spector on the injured reserve list in the wake of a calf injury he suffered in Sunday鈥檚 victory over the New England Patriots.
In addition, the Bills brought back veteran linebacker Nicholas Morrow to the active roster.
Spector, a seventh-round pick in 2022, has battled injuries throughout his Bills career. He had missed five games with a calf injury. He was activated for the Dec. 15 game at Detroit and played 18 snaps in a reserve role. He started Sunday鈥檚 game against New England and played 27 snaps before injuring his other calf. He was replaced by second-year linebacker Dorian Williams, who had been battling an elbow injury. Williams played 48 snaps and recorded eight tackles.
The Bills should get starting linebacker Matt Milano back in the near future. He was questionable for the New England game with a groin injury but was held out of the game.
Morrow, 29, is an eight-year NFL veteran who spent the first 12 games of this season on the active roster. He was released on Dec. 7 in a move that coincided with Milano鈥檚 return from a torn biceps injury. Milano played three games before his latest injury. Morrow saw limited duty in four games for the Bills before his release.
