Grading Every Buffalo Bills Position Group at the Week 7 Bye

The Buffalo Bills have hit their bye as the lone one-loss team in the NFL.

That leaves only the league's three remaining unbeaten teams—the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs—with better records than the 5-1 Bills.

Which position groups are most responsible for the strong start? Which groups have held the squad back as they've made a habit of surviving rather than thriving? Let's break it down with group-by-group grades as the team takes a Week 7 breather.

Demonstrated Strengths: He's the CEO of the league's highest-scoring offense, having navigated the team to a 5-1 start despite being hampered by a banged-up receiving corps and a defense that has given him no margin for error. Allen ranks second among qualified passers with 8.8 yards per attempt, and he leads the entire NFL with eight rushing touchdowns in six games.

Needs Improvement: Only four quarterbacks have committed more turnover-worthy plays than Allen (11), and he's somewhat lucky he has thrown just four interceptions. Allen's tendency to play hero and carry the team on his shoulders can be a double-edged sword, and on several occasions he'd have been better off taking the more conservative approach.

Personnel: James Cook, Ty Johnson, Ray Davis

Demonstrated Strengths: Cook is the league's third-leading rusher, also ranking in the top five with a yards-per-attempt average of 5.4. Meanwhile, Johnson and Davis have provided effective relief with 213 scrimmage yards on just 22 touches. This unit boasts both a workhorse star and reliable depth.

Needs Improvement: The only problem is Cook has fumbled four times, bringing that total to a ridiculous nine in his last 15 outings.

Personnel: DJ Moore, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell

Demonstrated Strengths: Moore has been productive when healthy, while Coleman has stepped up in a major way with three high-volume performances. He's experiencing a breakout third season, while Shakir has had some strong moments in an otherwise bleh campaign to date.

Needs Improvement: Moore has been on the field for just 34 percent of the team's offensive snaps this season, so the improvements have to start with his bum shoulder. Beyond that, they may eventually need Palmer or Bell to actually do something. Neither has been reliable, which is particularly unfortunate considering that Palmer's making $10 million a year.

Personnel: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes

Demonstrated Strengths: Only Travis Kelce (15.0) is averaging more yards per catch at the tight end position than Kincaid (13.7). The 2023 first-round pick has been a huge factor in three Buffalo wins, while Knox adds receiving depth and Hawes provides pure blocking value.

Needs Improvement: Both Kincaid and Knox have a tendency to disappear. The former caught a combined four passes in a three-game stretch earlier this fall, while Knox has yet to put up 15 receiving yards in a game.

Personnel: Dion Dawkins, Alec Anderson, Connor McGovern, O'Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown

Demonstrated Strengths: The unit has excelled at opening up running lanes all season for a team that is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Cook leads the NFL in yards per attempt before contact, and Allen is one of eight qualified quarterbacks with a pressure rate below 20 percent. There's a lot of continuity here, and this group has tremendous intuition when it comes to working with Allen as he maneuvers the pocket.

Needs Improvement: Pro Football Focus actually ranks this line in the bottom 10 in terms of pass-blocking efficiency. The 32-year-old Dawkins appears to be in decline, and penalties have become a significant problem on the left side, particularly as Anderson continues to get up to speed as a starter.

Personnel: Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, DeWayne Carter, Greg Gaines, Landon Jackson

Demonstrated Strengths: This multi-dimensional front is the main reason why the Bills have surrendered just one 20-yard run all season. Deone Walker is absolutely killing it in both run and pass defense and is easily on track to put together his first Pro Bowl campaign at age 22. Carter, Gaines and Jackson are superb depth guys with playmaking ability, and Oliver and Sanders are above-average starters when healthy.

Needs Improvement: The concern is availability: Oliver and Sanders have already missed a combined seven games, leaving a lot on the shoulders of guys they'd prefer to play situationally.

Personnel: Bradley Chubb, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht

Demonstrated Strengths: Rousseau leads the league with 19 quarterback hits and has been a huge factor across the board with six sacks, solid run defense and even tremendous pass coverage in a new role as part of Jim Leonhard's 3-4-oriented defense.

Needs Improvement: The supporting cast needs to contribute more, and the unit's sack production has dropped off recently. Rousseau's six sacks came in the first three weeks, and the three edge-defenders listed here have a combined zero sacks in the last three weeks. Chubb hasn't been as ineffective as the raw numbers indicate, but a total of 1.5 sacks and 10 pressures in six games is not adequate.

Personnel: Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams

Demonstrated Strengths: Bernard functions primarily as a cleanup artist who regularly reads and diagnoses plays correctly but often struggles to execute. Williams gets off blocks better than Bernard and is a decent run defender overall, though he has struggled in coverage and with open-field tackling.

Needs Improvement: Over the last six weeks, this has been the roster's least reliable position group. Bernard and Williams have struggled with execution and tackling as an off-ball duo, combining for 10 missed tackles.

Personnel: Christian Benford, Davison Igbinosun, Dee Alford, Maxwell Hairston, Cole Bishop, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Damar Hamlin

Demonstrated Strengths: Benford has generally recovered from an awful start to the season as the team's top cover man, while Igbinosun has made steady progress despite continuing to draw too many flags in his rookie campaign. Gardner-Johnson and Bishop have had a few nice moments, but that's about where the praise ends.

Needs Improvement: I mean, it's the NFL's 32nd-ranked pass defense. Benford has still given up his share of critical completions, and Hairston has already been benched in favor of mistake-prone rookie Igbinosun. Alford has struggled when healthy in his debut season with the Bills, while Bishop has severely lacked consistency in what was supposed to be a breakout campaign.

Meanwhile, only the Broncos (54) have more missed tackles than the Bills (44), with the vast majority of Buffalo's misses coming from the secondary.

Gardner-Johnson's tackling has been a particular concern, compounded by his ejection against the Raiders for spitting toward opposing players and the resulting one-game NFL suspension.