Beyond the box score, Keon Coleman’s selfless blocking and technical execution fueled Buffalo’s offense, earning high marks from Joe Brady despite playing through a lingering ankle injury.
Keon Coleman made one of the Buffalo Bills' biggest offensive plays in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Joe Brady believes the third-year receiver's best work went largely unnoticed.
Coleman caught just one pass in Buffalo's 24-16 win, but it was a big one. His 37-yard reception late in the second quarter put the Bills in position to tie the game, with Josh Allen eventually punching it in for a touchdown.
For Brady, though, that play was only part of what made Coleman's performance impressive.
Brady called Coleman "outstanding" for his play against the Chargers. He said that the third-year wide receiver was someone who, although he made a big play with the 37-yard catch, made "a lot of plays without making the play".
That distinction is important for Coleman, who entered the season looking to take another step in Buffalo's offense.
Brady pointed to several areas that won't necessarily show up in Coleman's stat line, including his work in the running game, his motions and the indicators the Bills were using to create opportunities for the offense.
“You watch him in the run game, you know, watch a lot of the things, some of the motions, indicators that we were trying to do the tempo, which he was doing it,” Brady said.
It was also an encouraging performance, considering Coleman had been dealing with an ankle injury heading into the game and was limited during the week. He was listed as questionable but ultimately played against the Chargers.
Coleman has now caught eight passes for 101 yards through three games this season. That's a modest statistical start, but his 37-yard reception against the Chargers was his second catch of at least 20 yards this season. What's more, five of his eight catches have gone for first downs.
The Bills have plenty of weapons for Allen to work with, particularly after adding DJ Moore this offseason. That means Coleman won't necessarily be asked to dominate the target share every week. Instead, Buffalo needs him to consistently contribute wherever the offense asks him to.
That's what Brady saw against Los Angeles.
Coleman didn't have a big box score, but his coach believes he was doing the little things that help make the entire offense work. And for a Bills offense that has already shown how explosive it can be, Coleman's continued development could be about much more than how many catches he makes.
