Bills Central

NFL analyst breaks down second-year Bills OL’s ‘phenomenal’ day against Chris Jones

Chris Jones is one of the best pass rushers in the league, and O'Cyrus Torrence was instrumental in keeping him away from Josh Allen in Week 11.

Ronnie Eastham

Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is unequivocally one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, this evidenced by his 78.5 career sacks and five All-Pro nods. The Buffalo Bills were tasked with preventing the veteran from adding to his impressive résumé in Week 11, and the team—and, more specifically, a second-year guard—were largely successful in doing so.

O'Cyrus Torrence was a big part of the Bills' offense putting up 30 points on a Chiefs defense that hasn't allowed 28 or more to a team since 2022, largely handling Jones throughout the game. NFL Network analyst and former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger took notice of Torrence's exemplary performance, highlighting the sophomore's play on X Monday morning.

O'Cyrus Torrenc
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Bills were unable to get anything of significance going in the run game, they didn't allow Jones and the Chiefs' pass rush to have an impact on the game, with Baldinger saying that Torrence "had himself a day" against Jones and co.

Related: WATCH: Bills WR Mack Hollins had incredible reaction to Josh Allen’s TD vs. Chiefs

Baldinger stated that Torrence was a significant part of the reason why Buffalo emerged victorious from its Week 11 bout, stating that the 24-year-old was doing things against Jones that nobody else in the league does consistently. Pro Football Focus credited Torrence with four allowed quarterback hurries on Sunday, but he did not allow a sack or hit.

Torrence wasn't the only Buffalo offensive lineman getting praise following the Bills' 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs. Bills backup tackle Ryan Van Demark was excellent as well, filling in for the injured Spencer Brown at right tackle. At one point in the game, stalwart left tackle Dion Dawkins went down and had to come out for a few plays. Van Demark slid to the left side for Dawkins and little-known backup Richard Gouraige stepped in at right tackle. Despite the temporary reshuffle, the Chiefs could not take advantage of the moment.

Buffalo Bills, O'Cyrus Torrence
Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bills' offensive line has been consistently ranked in PFF's top 10 all season, and this performance showed why. Despite the team's struggles in the run game, they were dominant in pass blocking. The Chiefs could not get to Josh Allen all night; they were held without a sack and had only four quarterback hits throughout the contest. Torrence was a big part of that, and only in year two, he only figures to continue to grow and develop,

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Ronnie Eastham
RONNIE EASTHAM

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