What analytics say about Bills' top-tier offensive line entering Week 3

The Buffalo Bills moved up one spot in the weekly league-wide analytics-based offensive line rankings.

Ralph Ventre | Sep 18, 2024

Dec 17, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) celebrates touchdown in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills achieved the rare feat of starting the same five offensive linemen for all 17 regular season games in 2023, and the results were overly positive.

While Buffalo had the fifth-ranked offensive line in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus, there was one major offseason change that casted a bit of doubt on the unit's performance moving forward.

The Bills cut proven veteran center Mitch Morse as a salary cap casualty and replaced him with a player already on the roster. Buffalo kicked left guard Connor McGovern inside to center, a position he played collegiately for Penn State, and moved David Edwards from being first lineman off the bench into a starting guard spot.

Through two games in 2024, the Bills' offensive line tweaks have seemingly strengthened an already strong unit. Buffalo moved up to No. 4 overall —a one-spot jump from last week— in the league-wide unit rankings by Pro Football Focus, which uses an analytics-based grading system. The Indianapolis Colts topped the chart at No. 1 overall followed by the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles and No. 3 Detroit Lions.

From Pro Football Focus:

The Bills' offensive line gave quarterback ample time to work in the win against Miami, as the unit gave up only five pressures on the night. As a result, they earned an 87.5 PFF pass-blocking efficiency score, which ranked 10th in Week 2.

Right tackle appears to have taken a leap in his fourth NFL season. Over the first two weeks of the season, the Northern Iowa product has allowed pressure on just 3.9% of pass plays, so far topping his career-best 5.8% clip from last season.

Best player: Dawkins has earned an 81.6 PFF pass-blocking grade over the first two weeks, which ranks sixth among left tackles. — Zoltan Buday

Buffalo has allowed sacks on 5.08 percent of attempted passes, the sixth-best number amongst NFL leaders. In the run game, the line is springing James Cook for 5.0 yards per carry.

While PFF tabbed Dawkins as the unit's "best player," right tackle Spencer Brown has been a key piece to the puzzle, too. Earning a massive four-year, $72 million contract extension, Brown has used his athleticism to win on certain run concepts.

Brown and Dawkins have seemingly perfected a tackle trap run play out of multiple looks.

"It's a concept that a lot of teams don't do. They might not have the tackles that can do it. We are fortunate to have Dion and Spencer, and those guys being able to work through that," said offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Dawkins, Edwards, McGovern, O'Cyrus Torrence and Brown have been a more-than-effective combination in the early going.

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