Studs and duds from Bills' Week 1 win over Cardinals

In a wild 34-28 Buffalo Bills win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, there were plenty of players who shined and some who struggled.

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It took a quarter or two to get things rolling, but the Buffalo Bills were ultimately able to pick up a 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals in their 2024 season opener. The Cardinals controlled the time of possession and pace early, but Buffalo was able to outscore Arizona 31-11 in the last 31 minutes of the game to start the season out 1-0.

Some Bills players struggled at the beginning, but there were stars who rose to the occasion to help with the turnaround. Here are the studs and duds from Buffalo's Week 1 matchup.

Stud: DE Greg Rousseau

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Buffalo's defensive MVP was pass-rusher Greg Rousseau, who made life miserable for Arizona signal-caller Kyler Murray throughout the entire contest. While Murray was able to pop off some nice runs and scamper around the Bills' defense, Rousseau was consistently able to pressure the veteran, even at times when the general pass rush struggled. The fourth-year player finished the game with three sacks, including a strip sack that set up a Khalil Shakir touchdown in the third quarter. It was an incredibly impressive and promising outing for a 24-year-old who is eager to take the next step in his development and establish himself as a household name this season.

Related: Bills overcome ugly start in whirlwind 34-28 Week 1 win over Cardinals

Stud: QB Josh Allen

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This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as Josh Allen is accustomed to performing well. Allen finished with 232 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns with only one fumble in the first quarter. The offense took time to get the ball moving as Arizona was controlling the time of possession for most of the first half, but Allen was able to make plays with his legs and spread the ball around to his receivers, making a few of his patented 'make something out of nothing' plays along the way. It was a strong start to the season for the 28-year-old, as he's now on track for 68 total scores; will he hit this total? Probably not, but anything is possible with Allen.

Dud: CB Christian Benford

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The Bills' defense performed much better in the second half, but Christian Benford struggled in coverage in certain spots during the game. Benford made three tackles in the game, but there were moments of broken coverage and missed communications between the linebackers and the cornerbacks. Benford got beat a few times and will need to clean up the mistakes moving forward, which shouldn't be an issue given the general refined technique he's played with throughout his young career.

Related: 6 takeaways from Bills’ resilient Week 1 win over Cardinals

Dud: LB Terrel Bernard

Dec 31, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas (31) and cornerback Christian Benford (47) celebrate a turnover against the New England Patriots with linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The stats may show that Terrel Bernard was the leading tackler with 11 total tackles, but it doesn't indicate what kind of game he had. He wasn't bad, per se, but he, at times, struggled in coverage, finding himself not in the right spots and having to chase from behind to make tackles. He also had moments of missing tackles or was caught out of position when running back James Conner was running the football. He improved in the second half in addition to the rest of the defense, but it wasn't an outing necessarily up to the near-elite standard Bernard set last season.

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