Getty Zack Moss #20 of the Buffalo Bills runs against the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 21, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
Buffalo Bills running back Zack Moss made his 2021 NFL season debut in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and after an early fumble, pushed on to have one of the best games of his professional career.
Moss scored two extremely tough touchdowns during the Bills’ 35-0 rout of the Dolphins in Miami Gardens, and making his performance all the more impressive, learning the Utah alum’s aunt died just two days prior.
🚨 Angry run alert. Zack moss is bulldozing in the hole.
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During the postgame conference, Moss said he attended his aunt’s “funeral yesterday morning,” per WKBW’s Matthew Bove. Despite the family’s tragic loss, Moss was able to get both mentally and physically ready for Sunday’s game. “I just wanted to come out here and play,” Moss said.
Just had to bury my aunt yesterday morning, play a game today that I fumbled in & then turn around and help my team win with 2 TDs! Life is all about ups and downs, only thing that matters is how you respond to those challenges.
Moss later tweeted, “I ust had to bury my aunt yesterday morning, play a game today that I fumbled in & then turn around and help my team win with 2 TDs! Life is all about ups and downs, only thing that matters is how you respond to those challenges.”
Moss Helped the Bills Run Game Make Huge Strides in Week 2
Zack Moss will not be denied. @PresMoss2 #BillsMafia
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While Moss’s absence was not the sole reason for the Bills 23- 16 loss last week, it appeared to be a contributing factor. Last season, before injuring his ankle, Moss rushed for 481 yards and four touchdowns. During the playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts, Moss ran 21 yards on the ground, caught 14 passes for 95 yards, and a touchdown.
Therefore, the decision to make Moss a healthy scratch in Week 1 left many analysts scratching their heads. Buffalo Rumblings Bruce Nolan tweeted, “Zach Moss being the #Bills best pass protecting RB and being a healthy scratch against a ferocious PIT D could potentially be a narrative for this week.”
During last week’s postgame conference, head coach Sean McDermott revealed why held Moss out of the game. “It was just numbers,” McDermott said, One Bills Live‘s Chris Brown tweeted.
“He’s dangerous with the ball in his hands in terms of power and speed.”
Sean McDermott understands what Zack Moss can bring to the #Bills backfield, yet the 2nd year RB was a healthy scratch in last week’s opener.
McD notes another injury setback in camp factored into that.
USA Today’s Bradley Gelber also offered some insight on Moss being a healthy scratch. “When you have a team with as much talent as the #Bills, guys are gonna have to sit out sometimes,” Gleber tweeted. “It’s gonna be based on week to week matchups. Don’t think this is necessarily an indictment of Zack Moss or the team’s confidence in his ability to contribute.”
Beyond bizarre that Zack Moss could ever be a gameday inactive after plays like that. He just blasted through half of the Dolphins defense for a TD.
With Allen back to hitting half of his passes, it looks like the Bills oughta do what they hate: Run the ball.
In addition to Moss’s two scores, running back Devin Singletary scored a 46-yard touchdown. Moving forward, it should be expected for Moss to have a permanent spot on the team’s active roster.
Despite the Lopsided Win, QB Josh Allen Says There’s Still a Lot of Things to Work On
While 35-0 sounds like the Bills put on a perfect performance, it was a shaky win at best. Also, the Bills were playing against a team that lost their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovaila, in the first quarter with a rib injury, which instantly diminished the high level of competition expected between the two AFC East rivals.
CBS Sports analyst Chris Trapasso tweeted after the game, “Josh Allen has not started the season sharply. I don’t think he’s been horrible. Big-time throws sprinkled in with a fair amount of indecision/touch issues. He’s improvised well. Telling for Bills that their QB can be a little off, and they can dominate on the road.”
Allen agrees there are still things the team needs to work on. “To feel how we feel after a win like that knowing we could play better, that’s a good problem to have,” Allen said, per WROC-TV’s Thad Brown.
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