Ty Johnson’s Big Game Demonstrates Buffalo’s Embarrassment of Riches
Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
Did anyone have Ty Johnson being the Buffalo Bills’ leading receiver on Sunday? If your answer to that question is yes, you are either a psychic or a liar. That list doesn’t include Ty Johnson, because he didn’t even see it coming. Heading into Sunday’s showdown against the Detroit Lions, Johnson had caught only 11 passes for 161 yards on the season. He has sat firmly in the third running back spot on the depth chart and has been almost exclusively used in pass-catching situations.
But by the game’s second play, Johnson was making an impact with an impressive over-the-shoulder catch for a 33-yard gain. That’s even earlier than Johnson usually sees the field, and as the game went on, he kept finding success. He finished the game with five catches for 114 yards. Not only was he the leading receiver on the team (Keon Coleman was second with 64 yards on one catch), but the game plan called for the running back to get just two rushing attempts (for nine yards).
Johnson’s seven touches were all he needed to shine, and his performance is just the latest example of something that has been a trend all year: the offense has an embarrassment of riches. Every week, you don’t know exactly who is going to step up. As a bonus, Johnson’s low volume of touches and ability to play as a wideout even created opportunities for the backfield’s usual star, James Cook, who rushed 14 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
“Ty is showing up in some other areas, one of which has been the passing game. I love the fact that he’s embraced some of that and really working hard on being elite in that category,” praised Sean McDermott.
While the Bills have had a talented offense before, with Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the fold last year, this team is proving to be deeper with weapons than ever. Allen and Cook get top billing, but there are so many playmakers who can pop in and out of a starring role, and Allen has the luxury of taking whichever option the defense gives him, knowing it will be a good choice.
Look at the different players who have led the Bills in receiving yards. Khalil Shakir has led the way so far this season taking the team lead six times. But then Coleman has led the team three times, running back Ray Davis has had the honor twice, and Mack Hollins, Dawson Knox, and Johnson have each done it once. That’s six players who’ve had the team lead in 14 games, as opposed to just five during all of last season.
One player who isn’t on that list but has also stepped up when needed is Curtis Samuel, who signed a three-year contract this offseason. He hasn’t consistently caught on for the Bills yet, and a big reason has been the talent that is sitting in front of him on the depth chart. But even he’s had a signature game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even a perennial Pro Bowler like Amari Cooper is getting lost in the shuffle at times.
Allen has played at an MVP level all season, but all of these selfless playmakers also deserve a ton of praise. It’s clear that Allen isn’t focused on trying to force a make sure a single diva wide receiver (*cough cough* Diggs *cough*) has enough targets. He can just throw it to whoever’s open, and on Sunday, the Lions were leaving Johnson free to go wherever he wanted.
After the game, McDermott talked about how Johnson’s versatility reminds him of another Super Bowl champion. “When you have that type of trait, I mean, I met James White before the game out here [when we faced New England], and he was very tough to handle in the passing game. It can really help an offense when you have that type of player,” said McDermott.
Speaking of comparisons of Bills to Patriots, it sure is starting to look like Allen has a lot of Tom Brady in his game, and Brady’s Patriots found so much success because of their team-first attitude. Wes Welker, Randy Moss, and others played their best seasons with those Patriots teams, and there is a strong argument that Allen has even more talent to work with. White wasn’t lighting up the box score every week for the Patriots, but Brady could lean on him when needed, and it appears the same is true for Johnson, Davis, and others.
When some of these players get to the end of their contracts, it’ll no doubt be difficult to keep all of this depth around, but for now let’s enjoy the embarrassment of riches that make up this team. They’ve got at least eight players at the skill positions who can step up on any given week, and that doesn’t even count what Allen can do on the ground. If Johnson and the rest of the offense keep playing with the speed and selflessness they displayed on Sunday, there’s no limit to what they can accomplish.
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