Amari Cooper quickly got used to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills’ offense, even as the quarterback changed plays at the line of scrimmage.
Just five days after being traded from Cleveland, Cooper turned his first catch in his Bills debut into a go-ahead touchdown during a 34-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Despite limited practice time, the experienced player was able to grasp Buffalo’s complex playbook. Cooper understood his role in adjusting at the line by running an in-route, which allowed Allen to connect with him for a 12-yard touchdown that put Buffalo ahead 14-10 at the start of the second half.
“We had an alert on the play based on a specific look we wanted,” Cooper explained, motioning to fellow receiver Keon Coleman to confirm the play. “We got the look we wanted, made the check, and it worked just like in practice.”
Cooper finished with four catches for 66 yards on 18 offensive snaps. His presence also helped create more space for Buffalo’s other receivers, who had been struggling to get open.
“Having a player like him draws extra attention. If not, we’re likely going to throw him the ball,” Allen said about Cooper. “But our other guys did a great job of getting open and making plays.”
Coleman became the first Buffalo receiver this season to exceed 100 yards, finishing with 125 on four catches.
Allen marked his 100th career start with his 26th 300-yard game, going 21 of 33 for 323 yards and two touchdowns. He improved to 68-32 as a starter, tying four other quarterbacks—Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers—for the sixth-most wins in a quarterback’s first 100 starts.
Allen bounced back after a slow first half, where he completed only 4 of 11 passes for 65 yards. He also threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson. James Cook and Ray Davis added touchdown runs, helping the AFC East-leading Bills (5-2) come back from a 10-0 deficit to win.
The Titans fell further, now at 1-5, marking their worst start since 2015 when they began 1-6. A change in quarterback didn’t help, as their offense ranked low in several categories, including scoring. They have not scored more than 17 points for the fifth time this season.
Backup Mason Rudolph started in place of Will Levis, who is dealing with a right shoulder injury. Coach Brian Callahan mentioned that Levis is week to week and decided to go with Rudolph after practice on Friday.
“The injury is real. He tried to fight through it. I appreciate the toughness and willingness,” Callahan said. Regarding the loss, Callahan noted it reflected an offense that has struggled to score in the second half throughout the season.
“We went backwards on offense. We had penalties, we had a million issues, quarterback hits, all those things. Not good enough,” Callahan said. “We didn’t do a good enough job to do anything in the second half worthwhile. It’s frustrating. Got to find an answer.”
The Titans got off to a good start with Rudolph’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Nick Folk’s 25-yard field goal, giving them a 10-0 lead. However, they were shut out on their last eight drives.
Rudolph completed 25 of 40 passes for 215 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and one lost fumble. Buffalo took control of the game by scoring three touchdowns and two field goals on their five possessions in the second half.
The game changed early in the second half when Buffalo’s defense forced the Titans to turn the ball over on downs. On third-and-1 at Buffalo’s 45, Tony Pollard took a direct snap but lost a yard trying to dive over the middle.
On the next play, rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and safety Taylor Rapp tackled Pollard for a 3-yard loss. Cooper scored six plays later. In Cooper’s debut, the fans cheered with “Cooooop!” echoing through the stadium after each of his catches.
The only catch he missed was a drop when he bobbled Allen’s swing pass that seemed to hit his helmet and nose on a third-and-1 play, ending Buffalo’s first possession.
“It seems like a different ‘Coop’ chant every single time,” Cooper said about the chant that started in his college days at Alabama. “Just grateful, appreciative, there was something special about the one today though.”
