Bills 'Tough to Handle' for Maxx Crosby Thanks to Spencer Brown

The Buffalo Bills ran away with the win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in part due to their management of edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

The Buffalo Bills found their way into the win column on Sunday, beating the Las Vegas Raiders 38-10. It was a celebratory home opener Buffalo desperately needed, and it never felt in doubt.

For the first time this season, the Buffalo offense operated as expected. They stayed on schedule, protected the ball, and generally looked like an offense with elite talents at quarterback and receiver.

The Bills generated 450 yards of offense, including 29 first downs. Quarterback Josh Allen returned to MVP-level form and kept the offense in rhythm. He completed 31-of-37 passes and notched three touchdowns. He committed no turnovers, prompting a sigh of relief from the Buffalo faithful.

A big part of the Bills’ success on Sunday was limiting the Raiders’ ability to disrupt plays, especially on early downs. Against Las Vegas, that means shutting down star edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

Head coach Sean McDermott spoke after the game about his team’s efforts to stop Crosby.

© Kirby Lee, USA TODAY

“Spencer [Brown] mentally I thought was really, really tough today, tough to handle,” McDermott said. 

The offense line looked good all day. Perhaps the most impressive performance came from Brown, the right tackle who won the day against Crosby.

McDermott also gave praise to a game plan that was heavily criticized after Monday night’s loss.

“Thought [Ken] Dorsey did a good job today with the game plan and changing some things up in terms of making sure it wasn’t single blocks all the time,” McDermott continued. “In terms of being able to chip … Crosby, who’s a heck of a player. I think again everything in moderation, being able to make sure that that guy doesn’t wreck the game; the game plan is where you start.”

Dorsey, the offensive coordinator and play caller, did have a nice day. He was able to establish the quick game concepts Allen needed to trust and implemented some sprint draw and duo runs to best attack the Las Vegas defense.

Ultimately, it was a team effort to limit Crosby, who totaled 12.5 sacks last season. It was the best the offensive line has looked, and unsurprisingly, everything else looked a bit smoother, too.

The Bills will look to carry this momentum into their Week 3 matchup with the Washington Commanders.