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Weekend Look Ahead

5 things to watch for in Bills vs Titans | Week 7

Amari Cooper (18). Buffalo Bills Week 7 Practice, October 17, 2024 at the Buffalo Bills Training Center.
Amari Cooper (18). Buffalo Bills Week 7 Practice, October 17, 2024 at the Buffalo Bills Training Center.

🤝 1. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Let's start with the obvious news - the Bills traded for WR Amari Cooper on Tuesday and gained another weapon for QB Josh Allen to use in the passing game.

"Very excited about him," Allen said. "You know, I've been a big fan of his for a very long time, very smart, very detailed, and the way that he runs his routes, and I think he can help us a lot."

Cooper, who is 264 yards away from reaching the 10,000-yard mark, entered the league in 2015. Since then, he has 93 receptions of 25+ yards which is 3rd most over that span behind only Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans. Cooper also has multiple receptions from 14 different passers since entering the NFL in 2015, the most by any player over that span.

Cooper is a proven No. 1 receiver in this league and should add a spark that the Bills needed on offense as he is able to create separation from defenders.

On his appearance on One Bills Live, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema went further into detail about Cooper's potential impact for the Bills.

"I love this trade for a lot of different reasons," Sikkema said. "Cooper, I mean, he's made a living beating up on corners, beating them inside. They don't know when he is going to break… he certainly knows how to separate and most importantly, he just has a great IQ for the game… He has such a great understanding of how to create and sit in those throwing windows, and even that is apparent in his film with the Cleveland Browns, amidst their offensive struggles."

Cooper saw his first action in practice on Thursday as he works to integrate into the offense. According to TE Dawson Knox, who appeared on One Bills Live, the veteran pass catchers are excited to add Cooper to the team and to help him if he needs any assistance learning the offense.

"It's exciting anytime you get a big-time playmaker like that," Knox said. "You never know exactly how he's going to fit in immediately to the offense, but a talent like that I mean there's nothing but excitement just for the potential of what he can do for our team, and it's gonna be fun to watch over these next few weeks."

Although he is not sure whether he will play on Sunday against the Titans, if Cooper is able to suit up only five days after being traded, his debut against the Titans would be the second time that he debuted for a new team midseason against the Titans. The last time came in 2018 when he was traded from the Raiders to the Cowboys in a game that he caught five passes for 58 yards and one touchdown.

"It's uncharted territory for me," Cooper said. "This is definitely new for me, but at the end of the day, it is just football. You know, I think I'm a pretty cerebral guy, at least cerebral enough to learn the playbook as fast as I can, so I can go out there and get lined up and just run routes, catch the ball, get open, you know, compete in the running game."

New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills, Regular Season, October 14, 2024 at MetLife Stadium.

🙌 2. Welcome back T Rapp

Tell a friend, to tell a friend, he's back!

Bills S Taylor Rapp made his return to the field in a big way on Monday night football against the Jets after missing the previous game against the Houston Texans due to a concussion he suffered in the game against the Ravens.

"I didn't even make the Houston trip, so it was tough for me, staying back, not even making the trip, and obviously watching on TV," Rapp said. "That's tough. So, I was eager to get back, eager to do everything I could to help us win. And I was able to make some plays in the game to ultimately help us win."

Rapp played a crucial role in helping to stop the Jets offense on Monday, including several tackles and pass break ups that forced the Jets to settle for field goal attempts instead of scoring touchdowns. Breece Hall broke loose on a play, running up the sideline and Rapp was able to stop him short of the end zone, leading to one of the defense's red zone stops.

"Just trying to hustle my way over there," Rapp said. "Just running to the ball. And good things happen when you run to the ball. So, just like I said, just taking a good angle and making sure I was able to get him down before he scored."

As the defense continues to get healthy, Rapp will continue to prove to be a major piece to the puzzle that is the 2024 Buffalo Bills.

"Yeah, you know coming off him missing the week before, I thought it was a heck of a performance, really," head coach Sean McDermott said. "It's hard to do that, and then come back and play at that level so quickly on the turnaround there. So, he made some big-time plays on the ball and in key moments of the game."

😤 3. Let's get physical

The Bills offensive line and running back room have continuously found ways to show their physicality throughout multiple games this season, and Monday night was no different and Sunday will be more of the same.

The Bills have rushed for a touchdown in eight straight games, dating back to last season and have the second-longest streak behind only the Detroit Lions (19). In addition to that, the offense has four different ball carriers that have scored rushing touchdowns, and they were the first team to achieve that mark this season.

With James Cook sitting out due to a toe injury, Ray Davis took charge of the run game, rushing for 97 yards and added 55 receiving yards, becoming the first Buffalo rookie running back with at least 150 scrimmage yards since Marshawn Lynch had 160 in Week 9, 2007.

"Very blessed to have the opportunity that I had," Davis said. "You don't want to get the opportunity when a guy gets hurt, but it's about just going back in the lab and just continue to work, look at the things I need to get better at… But just being ready, staying ready for whenever my opportunity presents itself again. So it's about keeping your head down and keep working."

Pro Bowl LT Dion Dawkins acknowledged the challenge that they have in front of them when it comes to the Titans defense and their star Jeffrey Simmons who he said the defensive line runs through. His goal: consistency along the offensive line and the offense as a whole.

"It's going to be two good fronts playing against each other, our O line against their and D line," Dawkins said. "You want to play against the best. You want to perform well against the best. And us as a unit, we're on a mission… This is just another chance to show how good we really are… I'm taking it with a serious approach that we have to play well against good players, and has to be a consistent thing, not just one week on one week off, you know, keep that intensity, high and go out there with the kill mindset."

🥹 4. Josh's big day

It's been a long time coming, but Sunday will mark QB Josh Allen's 100th career start in a Buffalo Bills uniform.

The 2018 first round quarterback has had a week of reflection as this day has gotten closer.

"Just the fun that I've had. I love this game," Allen said. "I love my teammates. Again, we all know about the story about where I come from, and junior college and no offers, and this and that. But to really sit here and think about 100 starts, it's gone by really fast. And it still feels like I'm that same kid that dreamt of playing in the NFL and I get to live it out and live out my dream. It's something I'll never take for granted."

Allen will make his 100th start at home in front of the fan base that has supported him throughout his career. Not only is it at home, but the Bills have been successful on offense at home this season, posting a +43-point differential at home, the second highest total in the NFL behind only the Bears.

"Pretty good couple days," Allen said. "Excited to be back home. We haven't been here in a month. Even practicing today, slight walk through, I was in gun, and I almost lifted my leg like we were in silent cadence again. Now we're able to use my voice and my actual cadence and feels like it's been a long time since we've been able to do that. So excited to have Bills mafia back in the stadium supporting us. It's not like they haven't been supporting us on the road but it's great to get everybody in the building here."

Scroll to see the best photos from Thursday's practice as the Buffalo Bills prepare to face the Tennessee Titans.

👀 5. Titans Offense vs Bills defense

The frustration coming from Tennessee is noticeable from the offensive side, especially after WR Calvin Ridley expressed his frustration verbally after having eight targets and no catches in their week 6 game against the Colts.

They currently rank 31st in the NFL in yards per game with 253.2 and 22nd in the NFL in points per game with 19.2. In order to try and amend some of these issues, Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said that the offense sat down as a group, watched all the passes and went through them.

"We thought Monday was kind of a chance for us to 'okay, whatever happened yesterday, this happened,'" Holz said. "Let's take a breath. Let's look at it holistically as a group with the players, and say, 'does anybody think the ball should go here?' 'Okay, yes.' And kind of walked them all through it that way. And it was a good chance for us to kind of reset, I think a little bit."

He added that this meeting helped make everyone in Tennessee feel a little bit better about the direction of the passing game.

Holz also acknowledged that they do not have an easy challenge ahead of them, as the Bills have one of the top defenses in the NFL and a staff that has spent time together on defense.

"You know the Bills have kind of every blitz in America. That staff's been together forever. Eight years of defense, so we kind of got to prepare for a lot and I think the guys feel good about that after having a pass protection performance that last weekend."

Scroll to see the best photos from Thursday's practice as the Buffalo Bills prepare to face the Tennessee Titans.

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