The Bills have been piling up offense again this season, and a big reason for that is the work being done in front of Josh Allen.
Buffalo enters Week 6 at 4-1, with Allen putting together a strong start that has him in the mix for his second MVP award. But the spotlight doesn’t stop with the quarterback. The line ahead of him has done its part, and guard Alec Anderson has turned into one of the most important surprises on the roster.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named Anderson the biggest surprise player for the Bills this season, and it’s easy to see why. Anderson has been mostly a depth option during his career in Buffalo, but this year he earned a start and has made the most of it.
He has been on the field for 100 percent of the offensive snaps so far this season, a bigger role than he had ever seen before. That kind of workload has only sharpened the attention on how well he’s holding up, because the Bills need Allen protected if this offense is going to keep humming.
The numbers back up the steady start. Pro Football Focus has given Anderson a 60.7 grade through the first five games, placing him No. 38 out of 75 eligible players at the position. For Buffalo, that’s real value from a player who isn’t making star money.
Anderson signed a contract extension worth $2.5 million, and that price tag makes his performance look like a steal. The Bills have gotten useful production from a crucial spot, and that matters when you’re trying to keep one of the league’s best offenses rolling.
He may not be viewed as a high-end starter yet, but Buffalo doesn’t need him to be right now. He’s doing enough to help give Allen time in the pocket, and that has been a big part of why this offense has looked so dangerous.
The next test comes this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, with Buffalo trying to get to 5-1.
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The recent stretch has made the picture less comfortable. Hairston struggled in the loss to New England, where he was part of a defense that gave up two touchdown passes, and the Bills have since added more competition to the room with Davison Igbinosun in the mix. Buffalo has made it clear that the job will be earned, not assumed, and Hairston now finds himself in a spot where the next step matters as much as the first impression did. [Read more 🡒]
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For Cook, the punishment landed in the upper tier of that weeks league discipline, trailing only the fine issued to Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby. For the Bills, it is the kind of detail that doesnt change the scoreboard but still matters, especially when one of their most important offensive pieces gets singled out in a physical game that already carried its share of heat. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Can Ignore These Raiders Names Heading Into Sunday
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Jeantys season has been slowed by injuries, Nailor has not yet made much of a dent after signing on in free agency, and Porter has had his share of growing pains defensively. Hemingway, meanwhile, has yet to generate the disruption up front that would make him a clear concern for Buffalos offense, which leaves Sunday looking more like a matchup where the Bills can focus on the Raiders more established pieces and less on these four names breaking the game open. [Read more 🡒]