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BUF-PHI Grades: Ronald Darby returns to his ROY form

Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby defends against the New York Giants during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)

Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Eagles' 23-20 win over the Bills.

Buffalo Bills

– LeSean McCoy’s (+1.3) homecoming didn’t quite go as planned, although he did his best to do it on his own at times, as the right side of the Bills' offensive line was getting hammered. Right guard John Miller (-9.0) and right tackle Jordan Mills (-6.3) were getting dominated rep after rep, and the Bills' offense couldn’t sustain any drives with their level of play.

– The Bills had a very interesting game plan to stop the Eagles' rushing attack, and it’s one that I’m sure Preston Brown (-7.8) never wants to see again. The Bills were walking up Brown and fellow linebacker Manny Lawson (-0.3) into the A-gaps even on run downs to try and spill the Eagles' base inside zone run. While Lawson had the length and strength to deal with offensive linemen getting on him immediately at the snap, Brown was swallowed up play after play, and rarely impacted any of their runs. He collected one lone stop on 33 run plays.

– The loss of Stephon Gilmore really stung in this one. Leodis McKelvin (-0.3 coverage) was thrust into starting duty and had an inconsistent day. He allowed 56 yards on 5-of-10 targets, and also added a costly missed tackle on Zach Ertz's game-changing 41-yard pick up on a third down late in the fourth quarter. Opposite McKelvin, though, Ronald Darby (+4.1) was as solid as ever. The rookie allowed 28 yards on three-of-seven targets to go along with two pass breakups.

Top performers:

CB Ronald Darby (+4.1)

DT Corbin Bryant (+3.3)

LT Cordy Glenn (+3.1)

DT Marcell Dareus (+2.3)

S Bacarri Rambo (+1.8)

 

Philadelphia Eagles

– A true team defensive effort for the Eagles, but I’ll tip my hat to this defensive line. Vinny Curry (+4.9), Fletcher Cox (+3.5), Bennie Logan (+2.6), and Brandon Graham (+2.5) all put up big days against what’s been a solid Bills' offensive line. They may have only had one sack, but Tyrod Taylor was under pressure on 41 percent of his dropbacks, even though the Eagles blitzed only five times all game.

– Another week, another lack of help from the playmakers around Sam Bradford (+2.5). This one was obvious from Philadelphia’s first play from scrimmage, where Riley Cooper couldn’t hang on to a well-thrown go route 45 yards down the field. After that, there were two other drops and multiple incompletions due to the receivers and quarterback not being on the same page.

– Nelson Agholor (-1.7) can’t seem to get any momentum going in his first season. After an early drop in the first quarter, Agholor got behind Corey Graham for a 53-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, where the rookie flashed the playmaking ability they’ve been lacking without Jeremy Maclin. From there, though, he disappeared and was unable to make anything happen after the catch on two underneath targets. He then capped it off by letting Ronald Darby poke the ball out of his hands on a crucial third down late in the fourth quarter.

Top performers:

DE Vinny Curry (+4.9)

LG Allen Barbre (+3.9)

DE Fletcher Cox (+3.5)

NT Bennie Logan (+2.6)

C Jason Kelce (+2.5)

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